A message from Karen Hough, Founder and CEO of ImprovEdge

ImprovEdge has always been a virtual company – WFH since 1998.

In those years, we’ve learned a lot about productivity and effective communication when the ensemble isn’t together every workday. We share those best practices with our clients through our virtual training experiences that help ease the transition for many companies.

COVID-19 has thrown companies into uncharted change, and employees are looking for guidance and help.

No better time to be an improviser and use virtual learning experiences!

Interactive techniques (from ImprovEdge) delivered through tools (like Zoom) bring teams together in a positive, “what can we do” environment to grow productivity in times of change.

Our three-part, interactive webinar series provides immediately usable tips for remaining productive and managing the stress of this uncertain time. The format is positive, highly interactive – with participants on video, asking questions, sharing concerns and getting answers.

Our facilitators change the game by using improv as a way to consider adaptability and flexibility during uncertainty and bring energy and positivity to the conversation. We combine years of research in human behavior, neuroscience and research with the energy and analogy of improv to give participants a new way to think about tackling the unknown.

Here's a quick peek at our program:

Part I: Productivity from Home: 10 Top Tips for Transitioning from the Office

This initial webinar will get to the heart of the issue of so many office workers feeling “stranded” at home or not knowing how to transition their normally face-to-face environment to virtual. We cover techniques such as:

• Talk to your Family and Plan with your Team
• Make a Workday Routine
• Schedule both Home and Work on the Same Calendar
• Hydrate and Move
• Remember to Socialize
• Separate Times and Spaces

Part II: Resiliency and Stress Management During Times of Change: Act Like an Improviser

This webinar educates participants on the hormonal and physical changes caused by stress and how they affect the brain and behavior. We use neuroscience and psychology research to ground our techniques in a way that makes sense, even for skeptics. We cover:

• Ways to remain healthy and calm
• Adjusting your view to look at setbacks and issues as learning platforms
• How to collaborate and reach out so that we don’t feel isolated
• Resources and support for follow-up

Part III: Showing Up Online: How to Be a Great Leader and Team Member in a Virtual World

There’s never been a more important time to show up well. Leaders and team members need to understand how to leverage virtual platforms effectively, how to use technology and how to show up with presence and credibility to clients and colleagues. The webinar will walk through foundational principles of managing technology and the environment to look professional, understand how to communicate in a virtual environment, which is very different than live, and how to engage team members who may be across time zones. It’s time to be an effective leader and a team that can collaborate despite distance, and we can show you how.

Each webinar is followed by short articles and videos to help inspire people and keep the learning and commitment going.

Let’s improvise together!