The Improvisation Edge: Secrets to Building Trust and Radical Collaboration at Work
Written by Karen Hough. Published by Berrett-Koehler, 2011
#1 Bestseller on Amazon.com in category Top 25 Booklist 800ceoread.com, June 2011
How critical is trust? In a world that has been rocked by governmental and corporate ethics violations, it is the single most important factor in successful careers and relationships. This book combines over a decade of research and work in the field of improvisational learning and how it builds trust.
Karen Hough explores how the specific behaviors of high-performing improvisers can be ported to any work environment for better trust in relationships, client connections, retention and professional development. Through the use of research, case studies, exercises and stories, “The Improvisation Edge: Secrets to Building Trust and Radical Collaboration at Work” is a book that will give you usable tips and behaviors to put to work immediately.
Price: $19.95/Book
Yes! Deck
The deck is divided into four suits, packed with activity cards. You’ll find simple exercises and tips that range from creating an elevator pitch, to negotiating with a client, to getting your team involved in a fabulous and productive meeting. Develop your personal skills, work with a partner, or challenge your entire team. However you cut it, you’ll benefit from getting out from behind your desk, flexing your mind, and looking at your work and life in a whole new way.
Price: $24.99/Deck
Buy “The Improvisation Edge” and the Yes! Deck together – and SAVE 20%
Price: $35.99/Deck
Negotiation: The Advantage of Being a Woman
Karen Hough, Founder & CEO of ImprovEdge, presents an engaging and thought-provoking presentation about women at the negotiation table in this video webinar about the classic mistakes women make and the strengths of the female negotiator. You will walk away with:
3 ways to avoid common negotiation pitfalls
3 new ways to leverage the advantage of being a woman
Tips for the best negotiations you have ever had, whether you are negotiating bedtime for a 4-year-old or a million-dollar contract
Your exercise for the day to practice your new skills
Price: $19.99
Everyday Coaching Model
Sometimes, people, teams and companies get stuck. Because of a block in communication. That leads to difficulty at work, a loss of productivity, profit and trust. Nervousness, fear or uncertainty often hold us back from having the conversations we know, need to occur.
So consider:
You want to accelerate your career. Are you nervous about approaching a busy, high-level mentor?
Someone on your team is engaging in problematic behavior. Do you want them to change, while feeling positive about their growth?
You have a suggestion for a peer. Are you worried you’ll inadvertently hurt their feelings?
Managing Tough Conversations in Three Simple Steps: The ImprovEdge Everyday Coaching Model can help in all of these circumstances and more. The kit provides a complete guide to effective conversations, worksheets to prepare for tough conversations, and worksheets to guide your conversations. This simple, hands-on tool has been used by managers, employees and high-level leaders not only with their own people, but even with clients. It’s a tool to guide a collaborative conversation that raises awareness and provides support, leading to decisions and actions for positive change.
Price: $45/Kit — Available with Workshop
Invisible Capital: How Unseen Forces Shape Entrepreneurial Opportunity
Written by Chris Rabb. Published by Berrett-Koehler, 2011
Writer, speaker and Improvedge Ensemble member Chris Rabb coined the term “invisible capital” to represent the unseen forces that dramatically impact entrepreneurial viability when a good attitude, a great idea, and hard work simply aren’t enough.
In his book, Invisible Capital: How Unseen Forces Shape Entrepreneurial Opportunity, Rabb puts forth concrete and effective ways entrepreneurs and their advocates can build and grow sustainable enterprises amid these unseen forces created by society’s uneven playing field.
By honoring democratic ideals, challenging assumptions, and reframing how success is defined, Rabb illuminates the promise of commonwealth entrepreneurship. This compelling and often counter-intuitive book illustrates how broad and meaningful entrepreneurial opportunity benefits not just individual entrepreneurs, but local communities and society at large.
We met at Yale University as students in an improvisational comedy troupe. We went on to professional improvisation, and then further on to hold executive positions in banking, the non-profit sector, and even network engineering.
What we all realized is that improvisation served us well in business. The ability to think on your feet, arrive at solutions through the side door, and communicate in ways that bring people together are the skills of improvisation. These are the keys to innovation and business success. Yet, these skills are often overlooked. And so, ImprovEdge was born.
Since 1998, we have developed material with the assistance of Wharton Business School and applied it to clients in industries as diverse as finance, manufacturing, law, retail, and technology. Originally headquarted in New York, NY, ImprovEdge is now based in Columbus, Ohio under the leadership of Karen Hough.
We currently employ facilitators in New York, Columbus, Chicago, Cleveland, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Los Angeles
Invisible Capital: How Unseen Forces Shape Entrepreneurial Opportunity