Books & Laughter: October’s Book Club and Improv Synergy

The fall offers fresh, cool air on my morning walks, which I love. This is my favorite time of the year, and it’s usually when I’m most busy with client work.?

I’ve started to work with new community builders, those who want to know more about themselves through YouMap? coaching, and the Creator to Community Builder book is now available in print and digital versions.?

This past Tuesday, I met with the book club for our first informal session to get to know each other, and it was beautiful. Thanks to those who could attend. If you’d like to join us, we will meet each Tuesday until mid-December to discuss my new book, Creator to Community Builder: Find Calm While Building an Online Community.?

• Click here to sign up for our meetups.?
• Click here to get your print copy.?
• Click here to get your digital copy.?
• Click here to add this book to “Want to Read” on Goodreads.?
• Click here to get a PDF for free when you join the community.?

I’d love for you to join me inside the Community Builders with Purpose book supporter space to share your takeaways from this book and connect with fellow community builders!?

With the new coaching program, I’ve started collaborating with other business owners and peers to work together on knowing who they are and why they do their work to align their goals, values, strengths, and skills.?

My clients’ insights include understanding who they are and what kind of work lights them up instead of what tasks drain their energy. Energy is our most significant currency; a client told me this once. I kept that in my back pocket for a while, and now I truly understand what that means.??

Doing the work you love is hard to find in our world; constantly trying to cover expenses and paying the rent or a mortgage is more important to us than finding work that brings us joy – but at what cost? Forsaking energy will burn not only yourself out but could lead to resentment, anger, and rage. This is why it is essential to know yourself and how to utilize your energy without overusing it.?

Team Building Improv Workshop: How to bring improv into your work

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to try out improv? If your answer was Yes! And…. you are going to enjoy a new FREE workshop.?Join us on October 11th at 11 AM Eastern for an interactive virtual workshop that teaches you the foundations of improv, including how to implement practices into your daily life. Click here to sign up.?

Employees within companies, organizations, and even self-employed people can learn from improv, which helps them to be more agile and flexible in times of stress or challenges.?One of the most critical factors in a workplace is feeling a sense of psychological safety.?

The Journal of Management Education wrote, “…it is crucial that team members can freely voice and experiment with new ideas without fear of rejection or failure.”?

Creating a safe space might sound cliche, and while the term has been overused, it still is vital to offer management and employees a sense of psychological safety to foster a growth mindset.?Improv involves games played between participants that help employees build relationships with each other, and it allows each individual to accept uncertainty. The workshop will be held virtually on Zoom, and all participants must have a camera on and be able to communicate without distractions.?

David Papa and Deb Schell will facilitate the hour-long workshop. David Papa has been hosting and performing improv comedy shows in Prague, Czech Republic, for over five years. He is also the Chief Strategist at The Change Tribe, a coaching and consulting firm he is building that helps leaders create joyful work and use their business as a force for good.?

For over ten years, he has lived an improvised life, moving countries, changing relationships, working for himself, and starting collaborations by following his intuition, which can be honed and accessed through improv. He runs improv workshops to help leaders release their blocks to their emotions, beliefs, listening abilities, presence, and inspiring leadership capabilities.

Based in Central Pennsylvania, Deb Schell is a Community Strategist who works globally with business owners to help them feel confident launching their online courses, programs, or memberships. She’s a certified YouMap? Coach assisting clients to leverage their strengths, values, skills, and talents.?

In 2015, Deb became involved with the Harrisburg Improv Theatre to learn how to feel confident and connect with others. The practice of Yes and….is specifically designed to encourage brave and bold actions. Opening to uncertainty is the first step to collaboration; the second is adding your ideas.??

Deb is also a Laughter Yoga Leader, sharing laughter with others virtually and in person. Laughter yoga transforms depression, anxiety, stress, grief, and other challenging emotions instantly. The key is that we aren’t laughing “at each other” but “with each other” in the spirit of community and shared joy.?

You are welcome to invite others to sign up via our Eventbrite page. Please register before October 5th so that we know how many people to expect.??The workshop will include a few improv games with time for sharing experiences and asking questions. The event will conclude with a short laughter yoga session.?

A recent participant of David’s improv workshop said: “David, your event was surprising in all ways. Moments of insight, reflection, healing, discovery. One of the participants wrote to me afterward, just raving about how extraordinary it was. Thank you for being you and doing such a strangely singularly awesome job.” – Krista B.??

For questions or comments, email [email protected]?

1. 7 Research-Backed Benefits of Improv Comedy
2. Fostering psychological safety: Using improvisation as a team building tool in management education.
3. Improvisation at Work: The benefits of bringing improv skills to the office.