And Now for Something Completely Different
I’ve decided to enroll in an improv class at DSI Comedy Theater in nearby Carrboro. There are a few reasons why I decided to do this, but the initial inspiration came from a video clip I watched recently about QR Codes. I’m working with a few other people from Alagad to launch a new non-profit that will make use of QR Codes to facilitate charitable donations. While researching the idea I came across this clip from a presentation by a guy named Scott Stratten from a company called UnMarketing about where to use QR Codes.
I give talks a couple times a year. Mostly these are on technical topics like building mobile applications or the finner points of web development frameworks, etc. I’ve also given the odd Pecha Kucha talk. I’ve been known to sneak the occasional one-liner into a presentation and love getting a laugh from the audience.
But, improve is supposedly much more than that. Here’s how DSI Comedy Theater sells the classes to business people:
You won’t survive the business world unless you are able to communicate and collaborate in the workplace. Key improvisation techniques help business people to think on their feet, creating new ideas effortlessly, actively listening to others, and working productively inside team environments. Workshops will help you learn to read any audience and will heighten your professional flexibility, making it easier for you to accomodate clients, customers and manage conflicts in the workplace. You will make more money.
And that’s… The Bottom Line!
I like to think I’m pretty good at thinking on my feet and coming up with new ideas and interesting connections between not-obviously related things. But it can’t hurt to practice and learn more. And, maybe this will help improve my presentations.
Beyond that, I’ve been a bit of a cynical curmudgeon lately and avoid doing anything out of my tiny little comfort zone. I used to pride myself on doing things I wasn’t comfortable with. So I’m hoping I can find a way to let down my (remaining) hair and relax a little bit and have some fun.
I’ll post updates here and rehashes of the classes here as I take them.
DougHughes.net 