Listening is really tough. Hearing is easy enough, as long as your ears work properly. But, listening? That’s hard. When we’re having a conversation with someone else, we often spend a good deal of time doing what psychologists call “listening to respond.” Couples counselor Kari Rusnak, LPC, CMHC,
One of the things I love about Improv is ridiculous physical comedy. Big hand gestures, ridiculous yoga poses, and eye rolling are designed to be seen by the last row of the audience. It’s amazing. Not every scene lends itself to the dramatic or melodramatic. And that means,
Every once in a while, we hold what we call “Pop Up” improv shows. These are 45-minute free shows in the basement of a local bar (Valhalla at 7:30 on April 24, 2025, for those of you who live in Basel). We practice new material in these shows
My improv team was supposed to have a popup show next week. Through the blessings of fate, I learned that the same venue had booked a friend’s stand-up show simultaneously. Oops. Now, I have two options: Pitch an absolute fit! Blow up relationships with everyone and demand that
What does Employee Appreciation Day have to do with Improv-ing Your HR? Well, everything! Because improv is all about service! Service is about making employees’ lives easier. And if you want to make your life easier, join Neelie Verlinden and HRLearns for a training session on reducing burnout.
I teach improv comedy classes. It’s just regular improv comedy–no HR included. (I also teach improv for leadership development, but this story isn’t about this.) Monday is my favorite class: The final performance. Classes are 4 weeks long, and on the last night, we set aside 30 minutes
I had fun talking with Tom Alexander at the Talent Show about improv and HR. If you prefer to listen, you can listen here: Diabolically Funny And I actually had a real improv performance the same night we recorded this. Here are some highlights! View this post
Wednesday, December 11, is the first annual HR Festivus What is Festivus? Seinfeld writer Dan O’Keef created Festivus and made it part of the show in the 1990s. It has three main elements: ● Airing of grievances ● Feats of strength ● Festivus miracles At HRLearns, we know
Right now, I’m working with my improv students on a game called “Changes.” This is where you do a scene, and the director shouts “change,” and you have to change your last line. Here’s an example: I wish my students were so good. I wish I were so
Last Saturday, I took an improv workshop with Djibril Traoré. He said the above: “Don’t be prepared; be available,” and attributed it to Keith Johnston. Now, this specifically relates to the “yes, and” concept of improv. You cannot plan everything out because you don’t know what will come
