Johnstone on Employee Engagement

 

Keith Johnstone, author of Impro: Improvisation and the Theatre and other works on creativity, also teaches workshops. Here are some excerpts from class notes (posted in 2009) by business consultant David Zinger titled "9 Improvisation Lessons: Employee Engagement Keys from Keith Johnstone":

  • The Pass - "... structur[e] the workplace to please the people who work with us ... focus on our partners and their reactions to our requests and invitations. It is nice to score a goal but what a thrill to make a pass or offer something to someone else to make them look good."
  • Enjoy the Process - take delight in improvisation, and make it evident to yourself and others
  • Voice a Positive No - "You don't always have to say yes. ... practice giving cheery no's ..."
  • Model Engaged Teaching - "Keith was a very engaged teacher even when he wasn't certain what he was going to do or how things would unfold. ... he offered not just inspiration but a vibrant and engaged model ..."
  • Improvise All the Time - "... move into what is, pay very close attention to the people we work with, by let[ting] go of some control, ..."
  • Get Altered - let others have an impact on us, and have an impact on others, and "... experience and learn about being in a trance, how often we are in a trance without even knowing it, and how work can be trance-formative ..."
  • Do the Easy and the Simple - "Often improvisers are looking for crazy ideas or bizarre performances ... do the obvious ... be simple ... Many times we just need to get out of our own way."
  • Enjoy Failure; It Isn't Final - "Often improvisers fail to achieve a masterful performance. Failure is not final and we should enjoy the mess and move on. We should strive for an open versus a fixed mindset. ..."
  • What Comes Next? - the key question to ask and answer ... "If you want to see where a change may take you, try answering the question What comes next? 20 times in a row — and keep being pleased by the answer..."

(cf. Yes, and... (2012-11-14), Positive and Obvious (2012-12-12), Improv Story Rules (2013-01-20), Keith Johnstone Improv Quotes (2013-12-26), ...) - ^z - 2014-08-09