In 1994, Bob Kulhan was in his early 20s and on his way to becoming a marketing executive at an advertising agency. The financial stability of his blossoming career consoled his parents.
That year, he also began taking improvisational comedy classes at Second City, a famous Chicago-based comedy institution. There, Mr. Kulhan learned from stars like Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, and Del Close.
“Improvisation is what I'm meant to do in my life,” he said he realized after taking classes for a year. At age 24, he quit his cushy job to pursue a career in comedy improvisation.
To supplement the small income he earned comedy, he found gigs hauling Sheetrock, filling in as a substitute teacher, and working as a bartender at Wrigley Field. He also found a job dressing up as Mr. Monopoly to promote a local casino.
However, these odd jobs were not enough to make ends meet, and by the end of the 90s, Mr. Kulhan could not cover his $800 monthly mortgage.
He then discovered the more profitable side of comedy. This was growing rapidly in Chicago: Corporate Improv, which teaches improvisation techniques in the workplace to help employers develop employees' so-called soft skills, such as effective communication. After all, many companies wanted to pay comedians hundreds or thousands of dollars to run team-building workshops.
Corporate improvisation is an offshoot of applied improvisation, a field that explores the benefits of improvisation outside of the theater. Research has found that improvisation can improve communication, trust, creativity, listening, empathy, and the ability to handle uncertainty.
“Thirty years ago, people realized they were taking classes not because they wanted to be the next star on 'Saturday Night Live' or because they wanted to use their improvisational skills in the workplace,” said Second City. said Tyler Dean Kemp, Creative Director at The Works.
As an example, Kempf, 44, said his team worked with National Hockey League rookies to help them prepare for unexpected questions during news conferences.
In 1999, Mr. Kulhan saw an opportunity to become a leader in corporate improvisation. A professor on sabbatical from Duke University's Fuqua School of Business held an improv class in Chicago. As they finished class, Mr. Kulhan overheard a conversation about Duke and took the opportunity to pitch the first academic improv-based program for business students.
The professor liked his pitch and introduced him to Douglas Breeden, dean of Duke's business school, and the program began in 2000. After the initial success of the program, Mr. Kulhan founded Business Immediate in 2001 to serve businesses directly. employer.
A U.S. Navy captain who trained with Mr. Kulhan at Duke became Business Improvisation's first client. His goal was to spark creativity and energy ahead of a two-day strategic planning session.
Captain praised the program's impact on the planning session, Kulhan said. He told Kulhan that the team typically generates seven or eight ideas for fundamental improvements, one of which is actionable. After an impromptu workshop, the group made 52 recommendations, 12 of which were approved on the spot.
Few improv comedians are able to make a living from comedy alone, but today a career in corporate improvisation makes it more possible. People who start their own companies, like Mr. Kulhan, have the potential to make additional money. Team building sessions cost between $500 and $3,000 each. These sessions are often compared to escape room games, bowling outings, or team dinners. Long-term engagements that help executives improve their skills offer five-digit price tags and can often compete with traditional sales and leadership training. Large-scale events and speaking engagements with experienced improv experts can start at $10,000.
For improvisational facilitators who run sessions, the take-home pay is different. Part-time trainers can make $60 an hour, but they need other income streams, such as teaching comedy classes. A limited number of full-time salaried positions exist.
Today, corporate improvisers across the country offer virtual and in-person sessions aimed at improving soft skills to a wide range of companies. Johnny Meeks, senior academic director of the Upright Citizens Brigade in Los Angeles, recalled being hired by a group of ministers.
“They were just as ridiculous as any other client,” said Meeks, 53. “One of the pastors changed the way she preached as a result of the workshop. Feeling more confident, she wrote less focused notes and made her sermons more conversational.”
Meeks said he worked with an optical sales representative and a major fashion design company. “The applications of improvisation are wide,” he said.
Kempf agreed, adding that his client list is long and extensive. “Second City Works works for more than half of the Fortune 1000 companies,” he said.
John Windmuller previously taught conflict negotiation and resolution at George Mason University and the University of Baltimore. He tried improvisation in 2005, looking for community and laughter. Dr. Windmueller said that during his first year in the class, he noticed that Improv honed his conflict resolution skills.
Dr. Windmueller took his insights back to the classroom and engaged graduate students in improvisational exercises. He had them play an improvisational game called Switch where each person played a character, but when the word “Switch” was shouted they would play the character of their scene partner, imitating their partner's mannerisms and intentions. . He found that this exercise improved empathy and noted that improvisation is a powerful teaching tool.
Like Mr. Kulhan, Dr. Windmueller caught the corporate improvisation bug. In 2014, he left academia to lead a program called Wit@Work at Washington Improv Theater. It provides improvisation-based corporate training to governments, businesses, and non-profit organizations.
Although Dr. Windmueller has a diverse clientele, he emphasized Improv's usefulness in conflict resolution. This is an appropriate focus for a theater based in the District of Columbia. He trained the FBI's crisis negotiation unit in improvisational techniques, he said. When it comes to difficult situations where people don't want to cooperate, the FBI employs active listening and tactical empathy.
In one exercise known as “First Word, Last Word,” FBI agents create a story, starting each sentence with the last word of the previous sentence, and asking them to listen to every word shared with each other. Force, said Dr. Windmueller.
“We often fall into the habit of listening to respond and listening to understand,” he said.
One of the challenges for corporate improvisers is that employees are often nervous about attempting to improvise in front of their colleagues. Meeks said an employee once told him, “I'd rather have explosive diarrhea than an impromptu workshop.”
Karen Gray, chief administrative officer of A&E Networks in New York, attended the company's training led by Business Improv. “I had some performance experience, but I was a notorious actress, so I dreaded this session.”
During Mr. Gray's session with Mr. Kulhan, he had executives practice selling robots.
“It was completely stupid, but in just a few hours we built enough trust to let the idea flow and not worry about acting out the robot pitch as grown adults,” Gray said. Said. “The session showed me how to let creativity flow.”
Erin Diehl, founder and CEO of ITIT IT in Charleston, SC, comes to Corporate Improvisation after a successful career in human resources.
In her workshops, she uses hats shaped like chickens to grab people's attention and remind them that learning comes from taking risks and being uncomfortable, Diehl said. Ta.
Arturo Corominas Tortolero, global culture and diversity manager at Bimbo in Mexico City, recalled a training session in which the company's senior executives yelled at each other and laughed while making “T.-Rex Arms.”
“This allowed everyone to be themselves and create meaningful long-term relationships,” said Tortorello, 36.
