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by Bob Kulhan for CEOWorldMagazine.com

Despite the best-designed plans and the most thought-out strategies, business is sweat-drenched in unpredictability. Uncontrollable forces collide the moment that strategy meets execution. It is at this pivotal point that the skills needed for successful improvisation – reacting, adapting, and communicating – are paramount and must be employed.

Improv techniques are not confined to a single intersection, however. The skills of targeted thinking, rapid decision-making and adaptive problem solving that improvisation naturally enhances can effortlessly be used in countless day-to-day activities: cultivating creativity (in self and others), grappling with shifting demands, overpowering analysis paralysis, streamlining redundant meetings, managing conflict, handling crisis, encouraging nimbleness and flexibility, curating a collaborative culture, and igniting intrinsic motivation in others. Read More

“YES AND is the cornerstone of improvisation. YES is unconditional acceptance of what has been said…AND is the bridge to how you react to it.” -Improv Bob (Bob Kulhan)

This week’s show was recorded in front of a live studio audience at the WCBS studios in NYC! We had a packed house of family, friends, and business owners join us for this special episode. Bob Kulhan (“Improv Bob”) joins Deidre and JG to discuss using improvisation to improve communication and take on business challenges. Bob even walks us through a couple of interactive exercises, including getting the entire theater to shake their hands and feet like they were dancing the Hokey Pokey!

We often think about improvisation in the context of comedy and it has nothing to do with the average workplace. But you’ve actually used improv tools more than you probably think. Bob Kulhan, improv pro in and out of the office, is here to talk about how to add these crucial skills to your toolkit.
About the Author(s)

Bob Kulhan is President, CEO, and Founder of Business Improv, an innovative consultancy that specializes in experiential learning and serves an international roster of blue-chip firms. Bob is an Adjunct Professor at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and Columbia Business School. A performer with over 20 years of stage credits, he trained with a long list of legendary talents, including Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. An actor and former core faculty member in Chicago’s famed Second City and a member of the resident company at the iO Theater, Kulhan is a Co-Founder of the critically acclaimed Baby Wants Candy improv troupe.

“It is a driving passion of mine to get people to understand that improv skills can be effectively translated into the business world with powerful results,” says Bob Kulhan, veteran improv performer, university professor, and author of the fascinating new book, Getting To “Yes And”: The Art of Business Improv.

And, “Nope, improv isn’t just making stuff up,” explains Kulhan. “Preparation and awareness are critical to successful improvisation.”

He further explains that improvisation takes technique, training, practice, thoughtfulness and intelligence. “Improvisation at its most effective is a deliberate strategy that draws on intelligence in concert with instinct. And, in business, improvisation thrives at the pivotal intersection where planning and strategy meet execution.” Read More

Listen to host Eric Dye & guest Bob Kulhan discuss the following:

• What is the difference between improv comedy and business improv?
• What is “Yes, And…” and how is it applicable to business?
• As a fellow entrepreneur, how do you apply improv techniques to Business Improv?
• How can improvisation help increase your Emotional Intelligence and help you achieve mindfulness?
• What kind of corporate culture can you create using improv techniques?