1st Edition

Applied Improvisation for Coaches and Leaders A Practical Guide for Creative Collaboration

By Susanne Schinko-Fischli Copyright 2018
    216 Pages 22 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    216 Pages 22 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    Leadership, teamwork, creativity and storytelling are hot topics in contemporary training and management. They are also an integral part of applied improvisation, which as a result gives us a valuable stock of exercises and methods to impart these skills. In Applied Improvisation for Coaches and Leaders: A Practical Guide for Creative Collaboration, Schinko-Fischli provides a complete introduction to applying the principles and techniques of improvisational theatre to working life.

    Schinko-Fischli uses her wealth of experience to illuminate how trainers and managers can add new stimuli to their work through applied improvisation. The book begins with a general introduction to the development of improvisational theatre and to applied improvisation, defining the foundations of improvisation and how we can usefully apply these methods to teamwork. It then focuses on how we can use creativity, with a particular focus on co-creativity, to pave the way for new visions of the future and innovative solutions, and explores how storytelling can be applied to teamwork and presentations. Finally, Schinko-Fischli examines status, examining how we present ourselves and appear to others, and how we can influence and control this. This unique book takes a fresh and nuanced look at many soft skills and presents a complete overview of the areas in which applied improvisation may be used by coaches and managers. It contains practical exercises throughout and clearly explains relevant theory and terminology.

    Applied Improvisation for Coaches and Leaders: A Practical Guide for Creative Collaboration will be essential reading for coaches in practice and in training, particularly executive coaches, and those who work with leaders in teams and organisations. It will also be a key text for leaders, trainers and managers seeking to enhance and expand their soft skills and make learning gainful and enjoyable.  

    Chapter 1: Introduction to improvisational theatre;  Chapter 2: Applied improvisation;  Chapter 3; Foundations of improvisation;  Chapter 4: Teamwork;  Chapter 5: Creativity;  Chapter 6: Status;  Chapter 7: Storytelling;  Chapter 8: Presentation Skills.

    Biography

    Susanne Schinko-Fischli is a freelance trainer based in Switzerland who focuses on communication, group dynamics, team development, creativity, presentation techniques, and competence in self-presentation. She is a teaching trainer for group dynamics at the Austrian Society for Group Dynamics and Organisational Consulting and lecturer at the Universities of Liechtenstein, Linz and Graz, and at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences. She has given workshops using applied improvisation at the ETH, Zurich, and has worked with IBM.

    "Susanne Schinko-Fischli offers practical expert guidance in how to apply improvisation techniques in experiential trainings to improve teamwork and communication, foster creativity, and use storytelling to catalyze change. With the psychological safety of the participant in mind, the book offers a wide range of theater improvisation activities that help people to feel confident and have fun while learning. Uniquely, the book also offers a brief history of applied improvisation in theater, psychology and the workplace. I highly recommend this book to organizational facilitators, coaches and consultants!" - Dr. Tiffany von Emmel, Co-Director, Include, Inc; Senior Facilitator, Stanford University Graduate School of Business, USA