Becoming the Leader You’d Like to Follow

Becoming the Leader You’d Like to Follow

3 Results of Using Applied Improv as a Leadership Practice Becoming an effective leader is a challenging process, even in the best of times. Trying to map a success route from the myriad overlapping or contradictory leadership theories is like being on a journey where your GPS changes routes every few miles. Instead of looking … Read more

Not Just For Laughs: 4 Social Functions of Humor in Our Lives

I’ve been studying humor for a long time. It’s a fascinating subject that is a universal human trait, both highly esteemed and easily dismissed.  My first realization that humor was more than just a descriptor for something funny came in a comedy writing and performing class I took in NYC. There I learned that comedy … Read more

It’s Not the Improv, It’s the Improvisor

Last blog looked at the growing use of Applied Improv, described as the adaptation of Improv theater principles and practices to a wide-ranging and expanding variety of non-theatrical situations. I call Applied Improv the “Type O” of skillsets because of its universal usefulness. The evidence for its range comes from my Google Alert which is … Read more

Managing the Dash: The Key to Successful Stress Management

  A few of years ago I was on a small plane flying from Chicago to Milwaukee. The plane ran into some heavy turbulence and starting bouncing through the air like a rock skipping over a pond. Every time the plane would hit a bump, I’d grip the sides of my seat, because I thought … Read more

The Way We Laughed

  A few years ago I set out to explore the way people laughed throughout this century. With the help of several grants and hundreds of Senior Citizens between the ages of 60 and 95, I not only gained insight into the ways they laughed but also into how we today can make ourselves happier. … Read more