I didn’t become an improviser through a passion for comedy or acting…
I was working with young tech graduates – absolute geniuses with their technical prowess. However most lacked the real human skills they needed to be successful outside of that digital world. They were struggling to find jobs, to effectively communicate and to build relationships.
When I stumbled across an article about improvisation I figured I should step out of my comfort zone and try it out before bringing it anywhere near the people I was working with. That was the moment that changed things – how I understood people, personal growth and the things that can happen when we build strong team culture.
Since then, I’ve built improv communities from scratch in two cities and taught hundreds of people the power of using improv – to create social connection, improve communication and to stimulate creativity.
After seeing the effects of improv on the people I’ve worked with – whether they are disengaged youth, teams I’ve led in workplaces or eager students wanting to perform on stage – I saw the potential for my work to go even further. The things that make a great improv ensemble are exactly the things that most organisations are desperate for.
I’ve spent 20 years in leadership positions and I’ve got the academic qualifications – in psychology, management and youth work. Though honestly, improv exercises have taught me far more about human behaviour than all those years of study.
Mindfulness informs a lot of how I think about presence, the quality of actually ‘being’ rather than operating on autopilot. It turns out improv and mindful practices are working on the same problem from different directions.
If you’re ready to go off script, say hi!
“Phill’s confidence in his teaching made it less scary and so much more enjoyable. At the same time we discovered tools and strategies around how to communicate”
Jess Sandford