Hi there, friend.

Greetings from IMPROV Inc. We welcome you to our first newsletter... IMPROV Ink.!

We’re Vic and Paul and we’re very happy to have you on board.

Every Thursday (assuming we can actually stay on said board, of course), you’ll receive a new musing - a ‘weekly wonder’, if you will - on various work-enhancing soft skills (or essential skills, as we like to call them).

Along the way, we’ll weave in how and why we consider improvisation comedy would support that discussion point. And perhaps more pertinently, what improvisation could do for you.

Will it be engaging and useful? Will it stay relevant? Will it rapidly become annoying? Only time and our beloved readership can tell. And on that, please do subscribe and give us your opinion on what you’d like to learn more about. Crucially, we want to know what’s important to you, work-wise.

Every Wednesday we’ll discuss each previous week’s newsletter topic in person at The IMPROV Breakfast* on Zoom. That’s right! In 25 minutes we’ll present and unpack - with your help - the topic from the previous week’s mailer and leave you with some great improv tips you can implement immediately. Does that whet the appetite? *IMPROV Inc. regret they cannot provide you breakfast - just.

To be clear, we (Paul and Vic) are applied improvisers. We call it ‘improv to solve’. And we’re eager to learn from you as much as we hope to support you.

Enough introduction - on to the first topic of the week! PLAY…

“Play is training for the unexpected” Marc Bekoff, behaviouralist specialist

The Value of Play in the Workplace: Enhancing Mental Agility and Interpersonal Connections

The concept of [mandatory] play at work can be cringe. It’s arguably, at best, a bit try-hard. Some might say:

• It’s an annoying distraction.
• It feels unserious - pointless, even.
• It makes people look silly.

And yes: we’ve all been there (‘there’ being an awkward team pub quiz or baking workshop). Incorporating play at work, however, is?increasingly valuable.

Far from being a distraction, play is linked to significant benefits: enhanced professional performance, personal job satisfaction, increased creativity, more team fun - even greater well-being. Studies show that ‘play’ at work is a positive.

Why Play Matters

Play is, essentially, how humans communicate. As behaviourial expert Marc Bekoff puts it: “Play is training for the unexpected”. As such, play’s a proven, powerful tool for learning that goes way beyond childhood. At work, it serves several critical functions:

• Creativity and Innovation: Playful activities let employees think outside the [sand]box and approach problems from new angles. Google famously allows its engineers to spend 20 percent work time on pet-projects. More creative freedom = more imaginative output.
• Interpersonal Connection: Play fosters stronger social connections in teams, enhancing communication, collaboration and trust. Shoe retailers Zappos incorporates play into its corporate culture and consistently ranks high in employee satisfaction surveys.
• Positive Mental Health: Regular playful interactions mitigate stress and promote mental well-being (useful in environments where stress is rife). The Journal of Creativity and Innovation Management found Pixar’s emphasis on playful creativity definitely made staff happier.

But what if you don’t work at these companies? The same principles apply, we’d propose. Wherever you stand, it’s up for discussion at The IMPROV Breakfast.

How do you feel about ‘play at work’? Weird? Annoyed? Enthusiastic?

Ultimately, play isn’t frivolous - it’s proven to be profoundly important for agility, resilience, creativity, collaboration and generally raising Adaptability Quotient. If it makes us feel awkward, maybe it’s time to retrain that ‘muscle’ and strengthen it.

#appliedimprov #playatwork #agility #connection #comedyatwork #businessskills #staffretention

The IMPROV Breakfast

We’re delighted to announce that we’ll be running a weekly IMPROV Breakfast where we’ll unpack - with whoever is in the room - the topic raised in the previous week’s newsletter. It’s 25 minutes long and promises to be a lively discussion covering business settings, workplace relationships and (of course) applied improvisation. BYOB (Bring Your Own Berries).

Our first Breakfast, on Wednesday 30th October is (as above) on the subject of The Value of Play in the Workplace. Click here and sign up!

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