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Add You - Improvisation Techniques Will Boost Sales
This article is for you if you’re a behind-the-scenes kind pf person: the administrative assistant who gets the presentation ready for the guys in marketing but doesn’t get to go to the meeting; the PR pro who writes all the CEO’s speeches and answers all the complain letters; the at-home mother who makes sure the concert pianist practices; the deputy chief whose job description is doing all the things the chief doesn’t like to do or can’t do; or the paralegal who prepares all the pleadings, knows all the codes, and does all the licking and stamping.This article is also for you if benefit from the work of on
Environment Build This is a physical variation of ‘Yes, and…’ I’ve started using this activity in my training classes, and it is hilarious.
The intent: To quickly create a frozen scene with three people, each person building on the action.
The process: Everyone stands in a circle. One person moves into the centre of the circle, announces what object he or she is, then freezes in that position (i.e., “I am a tree.”) A second person comes in, announces what he or she is, and freezes
One of the many differences between project management and operational management involves the use of time registration. Time registration is the basis for project management to function properly, whereas for operational management time registration is not often used.Time registration is a very simple mechanism where a individual member registers the time spend on a certain activity. Doing so makes it possible to compare the planning of activities – before they are executed – with the realization of those activities during the course of the project. Introducing this registration activity adds overhead to yo
What I didn’t know was:
There are rules for improvisation; If we followed some of these rules in business we would quickly increase the ability to trust our teammates and bosses, think more effectively under pressure, se11 and manage more powerfully, and have a lot of fun in the process. Above all, improv is about teaching kindness. Who knew?
For example, we played a game called ‘Hotspot’. As a group we turned our faces to the wall, and one of us had to go into the middle of the room and start singing. Of course, the first person was embarrassed. Very quickly, one of us facing the wall had to save the singer by taking his place and starting to sing. Then we repeated the process: save and sing, save and sing. The goals of the exercise are to take a risk, not let your teammate look silly for too long, and to save each other graciously, even making the previous singer look good.
What a concept! What if that was the focus of how we interact with each other in sales meetings? Take a risk . . . I will save you when you risk embarrassment . . . and I’ll try to make you look good. sales meetings could even become enjoyable, and more people would look forward to attending them.
Here are some other improv exercises that could help living up your meetings, teach some valuable skills, and boost business at the same time. Each activity only takes minutes.
‘Yes, and…’ (versus ‘No, but…’ or ‘Yes, but…’)
The intent: To tell a story by accepting and building on each other’s ideas rather than by blocking them.
The process: One person starts a story by saying a simple sentence, such as, “Joe went to the store”. The next person adds to the storyline, beginning the sentence with “Yes, and… he bought an ice cream cone.” Keep going, starting every sentence with,”Yes, and…” until the story concludes. If, after everyone has had at least 2 – 3 turns, an ending isn’t in sight, ask the next few people to start concluding.
In our group, some people had trouble accepting and building. We asked the person who blocked an idea to try again, using “Yes, and. . .”
If your team begins a sales meeting with this game, all the participants can agree to only use “Yes, and . . . “ throughout the rest of the meeting discussion. See what happens.
The payoffs of “yes, and . . . . “ to your business can be huge: breaking down barriers, generating ideas, and increasing cooperation and trust. You can also do this exercise on the phone, so it works well for virtual teams.
Environment Build This is a physical variation of ‘Yes, and…’ I’ve started using this activity in my training classes, and it is hilarious.
The intent: To quickly create a frozen scene with three people, each person building on the action.
The process: Everyone stands in a circle. One person moves into the centre of the circle, announces what object he or she is, then freezes in that position (i.e., “I am a tree.”) A second person comes in, announces what he or she is, and freezes i
It goes in cycles. The market is up, the business is plentiful and times are good. Then it happens. Rates move up, the housing market stalls, and loan originators begin looking around wondering how to keep themselves afloat. The creative mortgage products begin to appear and the competition heats up as everyone tries to grab the few deals that are there. Companies begin to either cut back or close completely and you end up having to slash your fees and take less profitable deals just to get business in the door. Has this ever happened to anyone you know? Maybe even you?Instead of being one of the crowd, just
For example, we played a game called ‘Hotspot’. As a group we turned our faces to the wall, and one of us had to go into the middle of the room and start singing. Of course, the first person was embarrassed. Very quickly, one of us facing the wall had to save the singer by taking his place and starting to sing. Then we repeated the process: save and sing, save and sing. The goals of the exercise are to take a risk, not let your teammate look silly for too long, and to save each other graciously, even making the previous singer look good.
What a concept! What if that was the focus of how we interact with each other in sales meetings? Take a risk . . . I will save you when you risk embarrassment . . . and I’ll try to make you look good. sales meetings could even become enjoyable, and more people would look forward to attending them.
Here are some other improv exercises that could help living up your meetings, teach some valuable skills, and boost business at the same time. Each activity only takes minutes.
‘Yes, and…’ (versus ‘No, but…’ or ‘Yes, but…’)
The intent: To tell a story by accepting and building on each other’s ideas rather than by blocking them.
The process: One person starts a story by saying a simple sentence, such as, “Joe went to the store”. The next person adds to the storyline, beginning the sentence with “Yes, and… he bought an ice cream cone.” Keep going, starting every sentence with,”Yes, and…” until the story concludes. If, after everyone has had at least 2 – 3 turns, an ending isn’t in sight, ask the next few people to start concluding.
In our group, some people had trouble accepting and building. We asked the person who blocked an idea to try again, using “Yes, and. . .”
If your team begins a sales meeting with this game, all the participants can agree to only use “Yes, and . . . “ throughout the rest of the meeting discussion. See what happens.
The payoffs of “yes, and . . . . “ to your business can be huge: breaking down barriers, generating ideas, and increasing cooperation and trust. You can also do this exercise on the phone, so it works well for virtual teams.
Environment Build This is a physical variation of ‘Yes, and…’ I’ve started using this activity in my training classes, and it is hilarious.
The intent: To quickly create a frozen scene with three people, each person building on the action.
The process: Everyone stands in a circle. One person moves into the centre of the circle, announces what object he or she is, then freezes in that position (i.e., “I am a tree.”) A second person comes in, announces what he or she is, and freezes
Preparing for a franchise convention keynote on drive-thru excellence, I spent six hours visiting drive-thru after drive-thru. Great menuboards. Messy, hard-to-read menuboards. Dumpsters wide open within my sight line when ordering. Enclosed, spotless dumpsters. Trash strewn in the lane. Immaculate drive-thrus. I saw it all.When was the last time you went through your drive-thru? What do you see and hear? It’s 11:30 p.m. (or 5:30 p.m.)–do you know what your drive-thru guests are seeing and hearing? Get out of the box, look and listen to customers going through the drive-thru. Here are a few suggestions:
Here are some other improv exercises that could help living up your meetings, teach some valuable skills, and boost business at the same time. Each activity only takes minutes.
‘Yes, and…’ (versus ‘No, but…’ or ‘Yes, but…’)
The intent: To tell a story by accepting and building on each other’s ideas rather than by blocking them.
The process: One person starts a story by saying a simple sentence, such as, “Joe went to the store”. The next person adds to the storyline, beginning the sentence with “Yes, and… he bought an ice cream cone.” Keep going, starting every sentence with,”Yes, and…” until the story concludes. If, after everyone has had at least 2 – 3 turns, an ending isn’t in sight, ask the next few people to start concluding.
In our group, some people had trouble accepting and building. We asked the person who blocked an idea to try again, using “Yes, and. . .”
If your team begins a sales meeting with this game, all the participants can agree to only use “Yes, and . . . “ throughout the rest of the meeting discussion. See what happens.
The payoffs of “yes, and . . . . “ to your business can be huge: breaking down barriers, generating ideas, and increasing cooperation and trust. You can also do this exercise on the phone, so it works well for virtual teams.
Environment Build This is a physical variation of ‘Yes, and…’ I’ve started using this activity in my training classes, and it is hilarious.
The intent: To quickly create a frozen scene with three people, each person building on the action.
The process: Everyone stands in a circle. One person moves into the centre of the circle, announces what object he or she is, then freezes in that position (i.e., “I am a tree.”) A second person comes in, announces what he or she is, and freezes
As globalization continues and competition becomes ultra-fierce, now more than ever, it’s important that your company is constantly assessing and reassessing its go-to-market strategy. This strategic marketing function is something that companies often believe that they do well, but the reality is that many firms don’t have the resources in-house to do it at all.A company that is selling into competitive markets needs to be constantly assessing and reassessing its competitive positioning and its Unique Selling Proposition (USP), while realigning its targeting of market segments according to its best opportun
In our group, some people had trouble accepting and building. We asked the person who blocked an idea to try again, using “Yes, and. . .”
If your team begins a sales meeting with this game, all the participants can agree to only use “Yes, and . . . “ throughout the rest of the meeting discussion. See what happens.
The payoffs of “yes, and . . . . “ to your business can be huge: breaking down barriers, generating ideas, and increasing cooperation and trust. You can also do this exercise on the phone, so it works well for virtual teams.
Environment Build This is a physical variation of ‘Yes, and…’ I’ve started using this activity in my training classes, and it is hilarious.
The intent: To quickly create a frozen scene with three people, each person building on the action.
The process: Everyone stands in a circle. One person moves into the centre of the circle, announces what object he or she is, then freezes in that position (i.e., “I am a tree.”) A second person comes in, announces what he or she is, and freezes
Personal marketing makes it easier to sell, by building relationships nurtured on awareness, value and trust. Make your relationships more fruitful by making them personal. Use these powerful yet simple tips from the book, Secrets of Power Marketing; Canada's first guide to personal marketing for non-marketers.Say thank youEveryone wants to hear 'thank you'. The easiest way to say thank you is verbally - but the most powerful and memorable is with a hand written note. We receive so few hand written notes that we read them first and value them because we know you took the time to write it personally. Sa
Environment Build This is a physical variation of ‘Yes, and…’ I’ve started using this activity in my training classes, and it is hilarious.
The intent: To quickly create a frozen scene with three people, each person building on the action.
The process: Everyone stands in a circle. One person moves into the centre of the circle, announces what object he or she is, then freezes in that position (i.e., “I am a tree.”) A second person comes in, announces what he or she is, and freezes in that position (“I am a dog walking toward the tree.”) A third person enters the scene, announces the next part of the tableau, and freezes in that position (“I am the owner of the dog, holding the leash.”)
The first person then takes him/herself and one other out of the scene. (i.e., removes the tree and the dog.) The next scene begins,” I am the owner of the dog, holding the leash.” The next two people build on that scene, creating something entirely new, and so on.
The business payoff: When people have fun creating together, they can come up with innovative ideas for tackling sales and other business issues. Also, it is impossible to make mistakes in this activity, so it is very safe to include everyone (even those who are shy or contained) and reap a variety of ideas from all participants.
Tongue Twisters
The intent: Loosen up everyone’s lips before a meeting begins.
Try these words as a group (repeat each about 10 times, very quickly)
Unique New York Toy boat Red leather, yellow leather She stood on the balcony, inexplicably mimicking him hiccupping, amicably welcoming him in. (Good luck with this one! It’s not as bad as it looks.)
The business payoff: Everybody has already tripped over their tongues in front of the group, so they can participate comfortably. This is another great exercise for virtual teams.
Talk back: I’d love to hear how you are using improv techniques in your company, and what the business payoffs are.
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