Photo: CollegeDegrees360, Flickr (unmodified)
This is one of my latest articles for Yes And Improv’s series on business development, over at LinkedIn Pulse. It’s aimed at trainers and describes a little exercise you can do at the start of your session to get a hold of your staff’s attention right from the get go. Here’s a snippet:
Just about all of us have sat through training for our jobs that, to put it politely, wasn’t very riveting. If you’re a trainer, one of the most important responsibilities you have is to ensure that all the staff in your class learn your material. Many trainers have a personal trick or two to keep their students’ attention, but I’m going to share a tip with you that will help you get it in the first place.
Warm-ups aren’t just for athletes
It’s obvious why athletes warm-up before they take the field – keeping their muscles limber prevents strains or injuries when doing their respective sport. Did you know, however, that the same is true of professional improvisers? They also do warm-ups ahead of their performances, ones that stretch their minds, vocal cords, and yes, even their muscles (you wouldn’t believe how a particularly energetic improv performance tires your body!).
Here’s a very common warm-up used with improvisers who are practicing together for the first time that translates great to the start of a work training session: