CDPHE Improvisation Workshop!
Communication. Collaboration. Innovation.
These skills are no longer nice to have – they are paramount in today’s workplace.
And they can be learned.
We were beyond excited when the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment approached us to produce a team-building workshop.
It was a fantastic experience getting to know the Children, Youth and Families team because their vision for our engagement together was clear: create a fun, safe environment to promote better communication, collaboration and creativity.
Why did CDPHE choose an improv comedy workshop?
Their leadership understands that teams who take risks perform better than teams who work in a fear-based environment, where retribution for doing something wrong stifles all innovation.
After all, we live in an unscripted world. If you want to truly be innovative you have to think on your feet, hurl yourself into the moment and improvise.
Pitch Lab customized an improv workshop led by Jay Mays & Joel Lutz, focused on three main concepts: active listening, “yes, and” and ensemble.
At the conclusion of each exercise we tied these themes back to CDPHE’s goals — actionable strategies to improve communication, collaboration and creativity in the workplace.
Mirroring exercises to improve communication, be present and drive empathy during interactions
2-Line Scenes to improve problem solving and innovation
“NONE of us are as creative as all of us”
Time to reflect on how these new skills will improve our COLLABORATION AT WORK
“Even a bad idea is a bridge to a better idea”
Spelling Bee to improve trust, and create a safe space to fail
“The biggest threat to creativity is fear, especially the fear of failure”
What the CDPHE Team Said About Their Experience:
“I really took the ideas such as owning your power, speaking your truth, and being present to heart. Thank you!”
“Loved the opportunity to laugh and have fun with the team. I moved out of my comfort zone and liked it!”
“I loved it was something different than a traditional meeting. At first the workshop seemed like it was just for fun, but there were concrete lessons to be gained.”
“I most appreciated the opportunity to be creative during the day!”
“I loved that it pushed us out of our comfort zone in a way that was affirming and encouraging — while making connections to our work (i.e. how fear kills creativity & innovation) yet also being broadly applicable.”
We're grateful for the opportunity to work with CDPHE and are always excited to see improv comedy's "yes, and" approach make a positive impact!
If you'd like to learn more about how Pitch Lab can help your team leverage improv comedy for creativity, communication and team building, let’s chat!