The Improvisation Edge: Secrets to Building Trust and Radical Collaboration at Work, March/2011

Trust is the oil of organizational effectiveness. It is what enables people to work together, share ideas, take risks. Without it, an organization will suffer severely. But with all of the pressures and difficult decisions in business, trust can be in short supply.

There are all kinds of resources out there about building trust. The Improvisation Edge is unique in that it draws on the wisdom of those who are truly experts in the dynamics of trust-building: theatrical improvisers. Think about it: other than combat, no situation requires more extreme trust than improvisation. You have no script, costumes or set. All you have are your fellow improvisers. The skills, philosophy, and behaviors of improvisation are radically collaborative -- and when you collaborate on such an intense level, you intrinsically engender trust.

For the past twelve years Karen Hough has been applying the lessons of improvisation to the workplace, with spectacular results. The Improvisation Edge describes four principles that will help leaders, managers, trainers, and front-line employees adop the improviser's mindset to improve communication and collaboration -- and have a great time at work. You'll learn techniques to create a positive environment, encourage fearless participation and selfless collaboration, play to your own and your colleagues' strengths, and turn surprises, mistakes, and disasters into opportunities for something new, unexpected, and maybe better than originally planned.

Hough leverages all of the elements that make improvisation so entertaining: story, surprise, connection, and interaction. She provides both case studies from organizations who have embraced these new ways of working and exercises for individuals, pairs and teams. The Improvisation Edge offers a fun, engaging and very hands-on way to build the kind of organizational trust and collaboration that makes break-through business results possible.

About the Author:
Karen Hough is the Founder & CEO of ImprovEdge, a company that creates learning experiences, training and consulting using improvisation to teach business skills. ImprovEdge engagements and Ms. Hough's speaking engagements use improvisational exercises to make the experience fun, interactive, and meaningful. Ms. Hough has been a keynote speaker for events such as the PricewatershouseCoopers Metro Women's Initiative conference, the Legal Marketers Association National Conference, and the International Computer Negotiations US Conference, to name a few.

Ms. Hough is honored to have received the 2009 Athena Powerlink Award sponsored by NAWBO and National City Bank. She is a member of American Federation of Television and Radio Actors (AFTRA), National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO), National Speakers Association (NSA), American Society for Training and Development (ASTD), eWomenNetwork, Meeting Planners International (MPI), and Women for Economic and Leadership Development (WELD).

Ms. Hough is the author of the "Yes! Deck" (2009), Managing Tough Conversations: The Everyday Coaching Model (2008), and the upcoming The Improvisation Edge. She writes articles and blogs for industry media, and is a national conference keynote speaker on diversity, leadership, cultural change, executive growth, communication, negotiation and business development.

Ms. Hough is a graduate of Yale University and La Sorbonne, Paris. She worked for many years as a senior sales executive in the network engineering industry in New York and Chicago. She originated and expanded the sales and management efforts of three technology start-ups, launched partner programs and assisted in East Coast and National expansions. Ms. Hough has been a professional improviser and actor for 20 years. Her improvisational training and performance credits include the Second City of Chicago, Metraform/Annoyance Theatre, the Organic Theatre and the Purple Crayon of Yale. She was formerly the International Spokesperson for Stratacom, and spokesperson for Tivoli and Infiniti, and her TV and radio credits include CBS, Miller, Earthshare, Eli Lilly and S.C. Johnson.

Ms. Hough is deeply committed to volunteer activities and philanthropy. A portion of ImprovEdge profits go each yeaer to support the Women's Fund of Central Ohio, kiva.org, and DonorsChoose. Her volunteer activities include teaching improv classes for high school students in rural Kansas and confidence-building workshops for Chicago inner-city schoolchildren. She is a former board member of the Yale Whim n' Rhythm Alumnae Association, and is a volunteer for the Yale Alumni Schools Committee and the Yale Alumni Fund. She resides in Columbus with her husband and 3 children.