In an increasingly turbulent, unpredictable, and fast-paced world of work it is becoming ever more necessary for people working in and with organisations to be able to be flexible and responsive when working together to create innovation and decide strategy. Leaders and managers have a huge range of challenges and need to be able to respond as things change and often feel responsible for bringing their people along with them. There are some days when it all comes together, and others when it doesn’t.
If you find yourself in this situation, then our Improvisation Masterclass will be for you.
These are useful skills for leaders at any time but particularly during times of ambiguity and change when your people look to you for solutions and reassurance and you may not have all the answers.
We’re bringing together two international experts in the field of improvisation for this unique, experiential masterclass. Over two days you will have an opportunity to discuss different perspectives on improvisational practices in organisations and learn by experiencing and practising the techniques. You will have the opportunity to try out new improvisational techniques and experience reflective processes to help you think about your practice. You will do this alongside others who are working in similar situations.
At the end of this masterclass you will:
- Understand and be able to practise a number of improvisational techniques
- Recognise how improvisation can influence organisational change (even if sometimes that change is not what you intended)
- Recognise opportunities for supporting groups to have improvised conversations (when at times that might feel a bit risky)
- Have an opportunity to network with delegates interested in using improvisation in their everyday practice
This masterclass is aimed at anyone in an operational leadership role, change agents or organisational development practitioners who realise the importance of improving their presence in their daily interactions with the intent to raise the quality of conversation.
This is an experiential masterclass so we recommend that you wear comfortable clothing as you will learn the tools and techniques by physically trying them out with others. Not only will this be informative and thought-provoking, we hope you will have fun along the way.
Masterclass Outline
The masterclass will run over two days with opportunities for discussion over an evening dinner.
Theatre Improvisation – Henry Larsen
Theatre improvisation is an approach that can help people appreciate other people’s perspectives. Using improvisation and bringing in fictitious characters can help us feel safe to explore difficult conversations and interactions. Thus, theatre improvisation might become a shortcut to bring up themes that otherwise feel too difficult to engage with. Henry will introduce some simple, but powerful theatre improvisation methods through an experiential process and he will invite participants to think about what these techniques might mean for their day-to-day work.
Improvisational Comedy – Neil Mullarkey
Neil will apply his years of experience and expertise in inviting participants to try out some improvisational tools and techniques that he has used in the world of comedy and theatre. He will support them to understand the link between these ideas and activities to the world of work and organisations.
Dates and Fees
28 – 29 September 2023 at Roffey Park Institute.
£995+VAT per person
This fee includes accommodation and meals.
Masterclass Venue
This masterclass will be held at Roffey Park’s purpose-built venue which is set in 40 acres of rural Sussex Countryside just five minutes from the M23 and 20 minutes from London Gatwick Airport & Crawley, 10 minutes from Horsham.
Masterclass Facilitators
Neil Mullarkey – a founder member of London’s Comedy Store Players
Neil is a unique communication expert. You may recognise him from his performances in Whose Line Is it Anyway, I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue, QI and two Austin Powers movies. He still performs with the Comedy Store Players, Europe’s top improv troupe, which he co-founded in 1985 with Mike Myers. Since 1999 he has travelled to 24 countries, bringing the skills of theatre and especially improv to organizations large and small with which he runs online sessions on the themes of collaboration, creativity, communication and leadership.
Henry Larsen, Associate Professor at the University of Southern Denmark and a member of Dacapo Theatre Company
Henry has more than 25 years’ experience working with theatre methods in organisational change processes, both in his private consultancy and at the University. In 2005 he graduated from the Doctor of Management at the University of Hertfordshire. His thesis focussed on spontaneity and power as a reflection on his work with improvised theatre in organisational change.
