​There was a recent scientific study on happiness: small amounts of money were given to people to spend on themselves, or to give to others. Researchers then tested the participants to discover the amount of happiness received from giving to others.
The study was published in Nature Communications.
Researchers from the University of Zurich in Switzerland told 50 people they’d be receiving about $100 over a few weeks. Half of the people were asked to commit to spending that money on themselves, and half were asked to spend it on someone they knew.
The researchers wanted to see whether simply pledging to being generous was enough to make people happier. Before handing out any money, they brought everyone into the lab and asked them to think about a friend they’d like to give a gift to or how much they would spend on themselves. They then performed functional MRI scans to measure activity in three regions of the brain associated with social behavior, generosity, happiness and decision-making.
Their choices—and their brain activity—seemed to depend on how they had pledged to spend the money earlier. Those who had agreed to spend money on other people tended to make more generous decisions throughout the experiment, compared to those who had agreed to spend the money on themselves. 
Those people who chose to give the money to others also had more interaction between the parts of the brain associated with altruism and happiness, and they reported higher levels of happiness after the experiment was over.
The researchers concluded that “actually helping others and being generous to them increases happiness…” 
 
One of the main rules I teach in Improv is that it is not about an internal focus. The lesson is: if I am making my partner look good, and I am focusing on serving them, then I am doing my job. And I know they are doing the same thing for me. When I am on stage and I say something that makes the audience laugh, I know it is not about me being brilliant. My fellow actors set me up so I could say that specific line which made the audience respond. It’s not about me, it’s about the group. This takes of the focus off of ‘what do I say next?’ and places it more on ‘how do I serve the other people on stage?’
 
Think about your office. When was the last time you saw someone make the choice to set someone else up for success, and not be concerned about getting the credit for themselves? When has your team focused on serving each other, and the mission of the company, rather than personal achievement?
 
It’s a fact: thinking outside of yourself / focusing on others can make your team more productive, happier and more effective. By adopting a group focus rather than an individual focus, and using ‘yes and’ as a rule, you can create a better work environment for your staff, and a better world for your clients. 

​For more information on workshops - email Andrew today!

​When I do workshops all over the country, I am always encountering the same question: “My kid wants to go into theater… what do I do?!?!?!”
The look of fear and concern from the parent is evident.
I usually have to unpack the discussion to find out what exactly is their concern about a degree in the arts?
Always, the answer is: “They will never make enough money to survive….”
This has led me to talk openly about what I have learned from my training in theater. I learned:

• How to take $50 and make an amazing set that challenges and excites audiences.
• To motivate people to work for very little, or nothing, in order to accomplish a goal.
• To manage difficult personalities, and to discover ways to communicate that could bring individuals together to work in a team.
• How to engage an audience (customers) into paying money for my product, and how to make them think they can’t live without what I have to offer.

 
In short, I learned sales, fiscal responsibility, leadership, management and presentation skills.
 
Theater training is leadership training. Taking the talents of others and directing them into a cohesive project, which is inclusive of all of their abilities, is a skill that only a true leader can accomplish. Listening, responding, and motivating others to work towards a goal larger than their own individual part is the essence of leadership. Creating theater is the essence of leadership.
 
So, when a concerned parent asks me that question, I always say “Let them.” The truth is, your child will learn more about themselves (authenticity) and more about others (emotional intelligence) then they will in any MBA program. They will learn how to tell a story, motivate a team, and use whatever resources they have to make a vision come true.
 
Theater is the skill we all need and use everyday. And if you don’t have it, find an actor to teach you.

Find out what theater training can do for your team - email Andrew today!

In over twenty years of teaching, I have met many individuals who have taken a progression of classes (levels 100, 200, 300, 400 and 500) with the plan of becoming an ‘expert.’ They complete all the classes, and then feel as if they are finished. They reached the last class, and are now 'experts.'
The idea is planted in our heads by most higher education. I go to school, I learn things, I take a test, I get a degree and I am an expert.
Tests are binary. There is a right, and a wrong. You get graded. Some people pass, some fail.
This is the mindset of a ‘test taker.’ 
In acting, it doesn’t work that way. When you are an accomplished actor and getting hired everywhere, you STILL have to practice and stay active. It is a skill you NEVER WIN. You constantly work on, and you get better, and you keep learning. If you consider yourself finished learning, you stop being an actor.
Why is that? I believe it is because the arts are eternal; you can see the same Shakespeare play over and over, and hear something new each time. It can suddenly be relevant to where you are now, as opposed to where you were five years ago. It can help illuminate you current world. Just like a balance sheet is a snapshot in time for a business, the arts can be a snapshot in time for your life.

So ask yourself;

• Am I closing off new learning by considering myself an expert?
• What can I do to learn more?
• How do I get 1% better each day?

One thing I coach my clients is rather than focusing on what is the same, focus on what is different. By focussing on the new, we can explore find the creative experience in each situation.

Click here to email Andrew for information on coaching, workshops and presentations for your group.

 The iPhone was known as a disruptive force in the phone industry. I hear the term ‘disruptor’ being used a lot these days; how a new product will be the disruptor of whatever industry, and will be ‘shaking up‘ everything.
The question becomes: how do you figure out what can be a disrupter? If you are planning to improve on something, an idea or a product (like a phone) you have to break the pre-conceived notions of what you believe is possible. You have to think of what is desired, or what is outside the realm of possibility to create something new.

This is a hard task, considering we all have our own confirmation bias. We all have a frame of reference that our brains operate within. We can only step outside of that if we begin questioning that frame of reference and looking for things that do not fit into that frame. Only by doing that can we discover real changes.

And most importantly – you have to WANT to change. You have to want to recreate the new story to see the possibilities.  For a long time, Kodak thought they were in the film business. As a result they missed out on the beginnings of the digital photo revolution, and other innovations. The frame that Kodak couldn’t change was understanding that their business wasn’t in film, it was in creating memories. The film business had worked for them in the past, so it was easier to stay with that frame, rather than looking to see what could be the next disrupter.

How do you do this? How do you constantly question the frame of reference you have, and see if it still serves your business? One way is through the ruthless and radical acceptance of reality. Things will always change, and we have to accept that and be prepared for new ideas. This is where the tool of using ‘yes, and’ (accepting the current status, and seeing what is possible in the future) is key.  It is that skill of building on the reality we have, and using that to create innovation.  

Yes, and. The ultimate disruptor.

To learn more about 'yes and ' training and find out how it can transform your organization, contact us!

Whenever I meet with a client about incorporating Improv into their training programs, I hear the same refrain: "So, do I have to stand up and say something funny?" 

I've even had clients who thought that the workshop would entail wearing funny wigs or hats, and everyone being forced to do 'skits.'

I understand why people are asking me that question - clients have told me they have had Improv workshops where the instructor made them make animal sounds and toss imaginary balls at each other.

All of these descriptions make me CRINGE. As a professional actor, I have been forced to do many exercises like this before. As a leadership facilitator, I would NEVER make my clients do something like this. Exercises like that are embarrassing, and do not achieve measurable results (unless I am measuring what I never want to do again).
​
To help clarify a few things, I have compiled a few Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) to clear the air:

Q: Is an ImprovMindset workshop embarrassing?
A: NO! We spend at least 30 minutes creating a safe space to allow everyone to feel comfortable with being on their feet and working this manner. We adjust as needed to the group's energy to ensure that everyone can participate fully and equally. 
Q: Will I have to stand up in front of people and make jokes?
A: NO! The core tenet of Improv is about making the others around you look good. The goal is to make your scene partner look good. We call this an external focus. Participants can relax knowing that the everyone has each other's backs. It is not about being the spotlight, it is about serving others.
Q: Will it be relevant to my work?
A: YES! Each of the lessons cover everyday tools to help you and your team be more productive, efficient and clear with your communication. It also helps your team be agile, and adapt to new ideas and innovate. An ImprovMindset is a shift in thinking that allows teams to move forward, fail fast and learn, and drive new ideas to completion.

If you have any questions you want answered about Improv for Business, just drop me a note! I'll be glad to schedule a call. 

​I recently had the opportunity to take a paddle boarding lesson in Kaua’I with an experienced surfer. There are a series of blog posts coming up regarding this instance, as I found it pretty fascinating. If you are ever on Kaua’I, take a lesson from Bear Bubnis; http://www.kauaiadventurefitness.com
The first thing we learned was to respect the ocean. A few visitors a year lose their lives to the waves by not paying attention, and by not respecting the ocean for the awesome power it has. We started the lesson with some simple water safety.
Bear told us to spend 5-15 minutes looking at the water:

• Are the waves rough?  -  Is this a day that you want to head out into the water? Are you sure? They have a saying: ‘If in doubt, don’t go out.’ So the first step is seeing what is in store for you, and then deciding if you believe you have the skill, knowledge and ability to tackle it today.
• Where is the break in the cresting waves? – You are trying to define where the rip tide is. If you see two sets of crashing waves, and a center portion that is not crashing, that is probably where the water is moving at a high rate of speed to head back out to sea. You want to identify this spot, so that you know where the forces are that could drag you away from shore quickly, and put you in harms way.
• Is there a different color in the water?  - As you are trying to find that rip tide, you are also looking to see where it flows so you can follow the rip tide. That different color in the water can be from debris being sucked out to sea, or sand that is in the water, or even just the movement of water. If you look closely, you can see where the water is moving.
• Are there any floating items in the water? Which way are they floating? – This can help you define where the tide is headed. Watching an item in the water lets you see how you and your board might be affected by the tide.

 
These simple safety lessons made sense to me, and make me question how often we all look at the warning signs in our everyday work.

• Do you spend the time accessing the situation before you dive in?
• Are there external forces that you can see that might affect the actions you are about to take?
• Can you see any effects of those external forces in other activities? (The color of the water, a floating object / person stuck in the issue.)

Then you can you properly access the situation. Be prepared for the forces of nature that might affect your new venture. You can ask yourself what parts of your training, abilities and experience are going to help you in this new reality.
And we can learn to respect the power of these forces, and be prepared for them.
​
Ask Bear. He’ll tell you all about it.

From Wikipedia: 
Design thinking refers to creative strategies designers utilize during the process of designing. 

Design Thinking seems to be on everyone's minds these days.  A simple search will reveal multiple online sources for college classes, documents and white papers all discussing the ideas and methods of Design Thinking.
​
What is it really? It is a group of people all building on ideas. "Unlike analytical thinking, design thinking includes "building up" ideas, with few, or no, limits on breadth during a "brainstorming" phase. This helps reduce fear of failure in the participant(s) and encourages input and participation from a wide variety of sources in the ideation phases."
 
It is a practice of 'yes, and'.

Improv provides the structure to allow Design Thinking to work. It is the basis of Design Thinking in the ideation phase; How do we continue to move the conversation forward and upward, without having a 'no' or a 'yes, but' blocking the progress? It is the base toolset. And as this article in Fast Company magazine says, Improv Comedians make the best Design thinkers.

So give your organization a good dose of Design Thinking in a fun and engaging way that they will remember and utilize. Give your company an ImprovMindset.

An article in Forbes magazine asked 'What is the #1 problem every leader has and isn't aware of?' Author Mike Myatt poses that it is problem solving - plain and simple.
When most leaders are asked to self evaluate their problem solving skills, they judge themselves as great fixers. The question is, what do they measure themselves against? In Kraig Kramers CEO Toolkit, he lays out simple tools to help leaders measure their organization. 12 over 12 moving monthly averages and other tools help to measure progress, so that you spend more time looking for why something happened rather than what to do to fix the issue. As everyone says, you can't fix what you don't measure.
Ask yourself: What skills do you employ? They can be simple tools like Kramers, or they can be more esoteric tools. I have even taught recent workshops using Benjamin Franklin's Moral and Prudential Algebra. Anything that helps you to look at both sides, start to consider options and weigh potential actions against each other is all you need. And there are a wealth of resources for leaders if they choose to employ them. It really comes down to what works for the individual.
So begin to identify your toolkit for problem solving. 

1. How do you identify an issue (before it becomes a problem)?
2. What do you use to measure?
3. What decision making process do you favor in solving problems?

Only by first becoming aware of our processes can we improve them. You can't fix what you don't measure.

In a recent report from USC, researchers discovered how being funny changes your brain. 
They showed a cartoon from the New Yorker, and asked participants to create one funny caption, and one un-funny caption. Meanwhile, they performed MRI scans on them to record their brain activity.
“What we found is that the more experienced someone is at doing comedy, the more activation we saw in the temporal lobe,” said USC doctoral student Ori Amir, who led the study with Irving Biederman, professor of psychology and computer science. The temporal lobe receives sensory information and is the region of the brain key to comprehending speech and visual cognition. It’s also where abstract information, semantic information and remote associations meaningfully converge.
In contrast, the amateur comedians and non-comedians relied on their prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for executive functions like planning complex cognitive behavior and decision-making.
“The professional improv comedians let their free associations give them solutions,” Biederman said.
Many business leaders ask me what they can do to create more independent thinkers and problem solvers in their organizations. Now the answer is clear: Send them to an Improv Class! The more experience they get, the more they will rely on making new connections between items and creating innovative solutions.

For information about having an improv class for your organization, contact Andrew for details.

What do you like doing?
What are you great at?
What does the world need?
What are you paid to do?


And where do those things coincide? 

For me, it's teaching. Teaching a subject that I am passionate about. Watching the small transformations on people's faces when they suddenly realize a truth about how they work. These things get me out of bed in the morning.
Teaching is also a vocation I fought against for years. Both of my parents were teachers. So I went to school for acting. I got a masters degree. I run a company. And, I teach. When I sit down and think about all the things I do, the one that brings me the most joy is teaching.

So ask yourself - where do those questions coincide for you? And how does that answer change your views on what you do?