by Walt Frasier

More than just a fun day out of the office (or in) improv workshops deliver what 1000s of books and lectures merely discuss. Plenty of TED TALKS inspire, webinars usually just creep me out and who reads anymore?

But improvisation gets an entire team on their feet, working and playing together. We break down walls of ego and insecurity to restart with the basic building blocks of team and leadership success.

Here at New York Improv Theater, the focus is HAVING FUN. In fact, our #1 rule states:

HAVE FUN but NEVER at another’s expense!

We work together to create, never tearing each other down for a cheap laugh.

The #1 Rule in Improv:

YES! AND…

Always ACCEPT the words and offerings of our team. Accept who they are, how they dress, how they talk, where they come from… Suspend judgement. Accept every idea, at first. AND, follow up with words and actions in support.

The #1 Skill in Comedy?

LISTENING!!! Listen with your eyes. Listen with the willingness to change.

While playing games, we say ALL you need to do is listen, have fun, accept and support. EVERYTHING ELSE is ego and insecurity.

EGO & INSECURITY DESTROY ALL

Many write off and just accept their stage fright and social anxiety. Or worse, they over compensate and lead with ego and arrogance. They both keep us from doing our best work.

Ego and Insecurity destroy ALL: relationships, leadership, sales, trust, creativity, critical thinking, etc.

It is very true, simply playing these “games” (everything in Improv is called a “game”) develops creativity, critical thinking, public speaking, listening, focus, self confidence and more. But 90% of the work is simply moving past the layers built up by years of judgement, fear of failure, and in some cases outright abuse.

I have seen some discover freedom from ego & insecurity after 5 minutes of improv play. And, sadly, some never truly embrace their full potential. As teachers, we can only inspire and lead to water. YOU have to take the drink.

But while others lecture and publish books, we simply play. When we focus on “education” the walls go up. Instead, we start with play. We take everyone back before middle school. As children we learn the biggest lessons in life through story and play.

At some point, we learned the wrong lessons from all those that fail to lead by example. We do as they do, not as they say. (PARENTS & TEACHERS NEED TO REMEMBER THIS EVERY MOMENT!!!) Our walls get higher and thicker. Too many not only let the world define them, they put themselves in a box. Too many don’t even realize the self imposed prison surrounding them.

Because we focus on having fun, we don’t beat anyone over the head with how they should act, talk or otherwise, be. We let them find their inner child. And when they stumble upon greatness THEN we can say:

THAT! DID YOU SEE THAT? DID YOU FEEL THAT?

That moment the person that dreaded the idea of improv gets a laugh is priceless. Or simply that moment one catches themselves genuinely laughing because they let go of all the safeguards. OR that moment 2 or more just start playing on stage and creating something, anything, without a care for anyone else’s judgement…

Because I listen with my eyes as I teach, I see these miraculous moments every day.

When you truly learn to be present, embracing HAVING FUN, YES AND… LISTEN WITH YOUR EYES, suddenly you become a human skills ninja capable of anything. Suddenly you stop having that freak out reaction. Suddenly new stops being scary. The ultimate unknown makes you curious, not cringe. Suddenly you think and say I GOT THIS or I CAN FIGURE THIS OUT!

Suddenly you become a leader that serves their team’s needs, not a bad boss or mediocre manager. Suddenly you become a collaborator with whom folks want to work. SUDDENLY you become a powerhouse Salesforce because folks WANT to learn about your product from YOU.

Fear of the unknown is human nature. Fight or flight is our animal nature. We teach how to overcome those and train new instinct, new habits. And we give HT, project managers and Individuals the tools to keep working long after our sessions.

For More Information on workshops and classes, contact us today!

20+ Years of Corporate Edutainment

Improv Theater LLC is a one stop edutainment center for corporate team building, office / holiday parties and more. Our comedy shows and workshops deliver high impact results. Clients include Cushman Wakefield, Google, Merck, Mercedes Benz, META /Facebook, TikTok, JP Morgan Chase, Accenture, Morgan Stanley, Twitter, Roblox, Rimowa, EI Digital, Accenture, Datadog HQ, Milbank, BING/Microsoft, Bank of America – Merrill Lynch, Home Depot, Ernst & Young, Johnson & Johnson, Louis Vuitton, Coach, UBS, BDO, AMEX, Master Card, Macy’s, 360i, IBM, GM, Kraft, UNILEVER, HBO, Disney, American Express, WeWork, Prudential, Convene, Conference Board and many more including 1000s of public and private events in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, West Virginia, Florida, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois, Nebraska….

Walt Frasier, Artistic Director

With over 30 years of experience in theater, comedy, and television, Walt Frasier is the Artistic Director of Improv Theater LLC, a leading edutainment center known for its high-impact comedy shows and workshops. His extensive career includes performing comedy sketches on MTV’s Stankervision, Late Nite with David Letterman, TruTV’s Friends of the People, and HBO’s Pause with Sam Jay. As an actor, Walt has appeared on NBC’s Blacklist, CBS’s Blue Bloods, USA’s Royal Pains, Netflix’s Lilyhammer, and NICK’s Naked Brothers Band, in addition to numerous commercials, industrials, and live performances worldwide.