Improving with Improv©
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Clients and Kudos

Who's improved with improv — partial client list:

​• GE
• Department of Defense
• Accenture
• Aflac
• Walmart
• Association of Legal Administrators
​• Novartis Pharmaceuticals​

• Ketchum
• On The Mark Corporate Training
• Lowenstein Sandler Attorneys at Law
​• Coach Leather, Inc 
• Care.com
• New York University
• American Business Women's Assoc
• D'Addario & Co
​• MSL Group

• New York Presbyterian/Cornell Weill         Medical Center

Word of Mouth

   "Charlie conducted an Improving with Improv session at Care.com recently. The session was fun and educational. We had a lot of laughs as well as great learning that can be readily applied to our business environment. Charlie is easy to work with and provides content that is relevant to all levels within an organization. We hope to have him do additional sessions at Care.com!"
   — Vivian Vitale, Senior Vice President, Human Resources, Care.com

 
"I recently attended an Improv workshop with Charlie. It was fun, very interactive and a valuable learning experience. Charlie is very engaging and teaches you to think out of the box as wel as on your feet. This workshop was a great opportunity to develop my creativity and improve my communication skills in a nonconventional way. I realized that improvisation skills can be used in any business context and they help you to be more flexible and react positively to unexpected situations. I found it so useful and interesting."
  — Martina Casagrande, Marketing Analyst, Telecom Italia
 
"I had the pleasure of attending one of Charlie Allenson’s Improving with Improv workshops and came away inspired. Improvisational communication in the business world is sometimes a struggle. Charlie’s workshop seamlessly made such struggle less so. I recommend attending one of his workshops and who knows, if the business thing doesn’t work out…you'll find thinking on your feet benefits some other life endeavor. Thank you, Charlie."
  — Lauren Curtin, WithumSmith+Brown
 
"Our sales personnel are still raving about Charlie's "Improve with Improv" workshop. It was fun, participatory, engaging, and best of all applicable. Our sales people left the training more nimble and capable of improvising through sales opportunities and establishing a higher closing rate to their sales. I'd recommend Charlie to anyone who wants to see thinks a bit differently and prepare staffs to thinking differently. You'll enjoy the results."
  — David Via, VP Sales and Marketing, Daddario & Company
 
 "Don't think an Improv class can help your company and its employees? Think again! Charlie has brilliantly aligned common work place issues on communication and flexibility with the off-the-cuff moments that improv entails. Students learn how to re-communicate, learning techniques that allow conversations to continue. Regardless if you have employees in PR, Sales or if you are the CEO, you'd be silly not to have him in. A teacher first — his course has a syllabus for 1-hour, 2-hour, and half-day workshops!
 You say, "Yes, but I don't see how this works for us." I say, "Yes, and I think you'd be surprised."

  — Stephanie St. Martin, Senior Marketing Associate, Care.com
 
"I recently had the privilege of experiencing a 1/2 day Improving with Improv workshop with Charlie Allenson. WOW! Charlie brought a high energy program that had everyone participating in no time. Participants took what they learned in Improving with Improv back to their groups in the form of teach backs. We received very positive feedback from the attendees in terms of retaining his tools for mental agility and instilling greater confidence. Many have asked when he is coming back. You can't go wrong with Charlie Allenson and his Improving with Improv program."
  — Kim Tisdale, Lighting/Electrical Division Manager, WalMart
 
“Charlie Allenson came down to do his Improving with Improv workshop at the XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX of the Department of Defense. It was fun and very valuable.”
 — XXXXXXXX, Director, XXXXXXX, Department of Defense, Washington, DC
 
"Conversation without confrontation. Acknowledgment of another point of view with the ability to add your own, even if you disagree with the other point of view."
 — XXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXX, DOD
 
"Importance of  listening to others and “pre-listening” to yourself before you speak. Creating verbal prompts to help move a discussion forward." 
  — XXXXX XX XXXXXXXXXXX, DOD
 
"Gaining new perspectives, avoiding 'group think' and gaining greater self awareness of your own thought process."
 — XXXXXXX XXXXX XX   , DOD
 
(Seriously, this is all they can say without the drones showing up)
 
"I took a workshop with Charlie and I will start by saying that I am not an "improv" person, but I thought I might learn some useful skills to help in my career (I am a lawyer). I was right. In a very non-threatening environment, Charlie worked us through exercises that were fun and relatable. My favorite is what I will call the "Yes/But" exercise. It's the one I come back to most. But I don't want to spill Charlie's secrets. Take one of his workshops to learn more and rest assured you will have a lot of fun while learning some valuable people skills."
  — Sheri Kocen, Senior Counsel at Guardian Life Insurance

"I didn't know quite what to expect when I walked into Charlie Allenson's Improving with Improv workshop. I mean improv comedy to teach business skills and build confidence? Really. What blew me away was how much I learned, in such a short period of time, about improving my own mental agility, looking at issues from new perspectives, and becoming much more self-confident. And I can't deny I had some pretty big laughs along the way. Don't let the idea of Charlie Allenson's approach put you off. It works. I recommend it to any company or organization."
 — Cynthia Rock Senior Vice President, Jones Lang LaSalle
 
"As I saw from the evaluation sheets, everybody loved your Improv conference session!!  Of course, I’m not surprised.  It was fun, different and we learned so much! Here's what some of the participants wrote:"
'Bring him back next year, and have him do the kick off.'
'It was fun and informative built confidence. I really liked the group interaction.'
'It really changes the way you think. Seems like you're ready for whatever life throws at you.'

  —Lynn Ebro, Executive Director, California Staffing Professionals
 
 "Charlie Allenson's Improving with Improv workshop was not only a fun, team-building experience, but offered many valuable metaphors for enhanced work performance and communication. He did an excellent  job creating a safe space for the group to try new things to build confidence, mental agility and have a great time. We all hope to see him again soon!"
 —Amanda Kowal-Kenyon, Chief Organizational Effectiveness Officer, Ketchum
 
"Charlie Allenson's workshop, Improving with Improv: How to think on your feet and look good doing it delivers exactly what the name implies. Charlie's easy-going manner and unique use of improv comedy techniques helped me learn a great deal about my own mental and observational processes. Everyone in the session had their eyes, ears and minds opened to be more creative quicker and much more confident in their thinking, especially in potentially intimidating situations. Both seasoned attorneys and summer interns would find this a particularly valuable and fun experience."
 — Lydia Moore-Riley, PHR, Lowenstein Sandler PC
 
"Many thanks to Charlie Allenson who conducted his Improving with Improv workshop at AWBA.  The whole group experienced improv techniques designed to help us think on our feet, actively listen to others and work as a team.  It was great fun with lots of learning and laughing."
  — Pauline Kehm, VP, American Women's Business Association

"Mental and verbal agility are key skills for managers, but I had never seen a training opportunity that gave these traits a workout and coached them to improvement -- until I participated in "Improving with Improv" from Charlie Allenson. Using improvisational comedy exercises, Mr. Allenson sets up what seem like mental dodge ball games, and shows managers how to focus on underlying group dynamics and respond accurately but creatively on the fly. Who hasn’t wanted to be able to do this consistently in meetings and conferences?"
 —Susan Kennedy Director, Human Resources amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research
 
 "My colleagues and I can't stop talking about your program, "Improving With Improv". The exercises were very helpful in immediately establishing trust. Within 10 minutes we were all much more aware of ourselves and everyone around us. We also learned how to quickly sharpen our listening skills. The best part is that even a few friendships were born that night. You are really great at what you do!!!"
  — June H. Dwyer, Senior Vice President, Client Executive Practice, Marsh USA
 
 "Leaders in the fields of business, law,  medicine, media and the arts all come to Rancho La Puerta to immerse themselves in a total mind/body experience. One of our most popular workshops is Charlie Allenson's Improving with Improv: How to think on your feet and look good doing it.  Charlie uses improv comedy techniques to the stretch the mind and share real-life tools for greater mental agility. Participants learn how to process what they see and hear in new ways and find innovative approaches to their own thought and problem solving processes.  All while building self-confidence and delivering gigantic laughs. I highly recommend Improving with Improv by Charlie Allenson."
  — Victoria Larea, Director of Special Programs, Rancho La Puerta, Tecate, Mexico
  
"Charlie Allenson's Improving with Improv class provided a non-threatening opportunity for me to discover how I think.  While having a lot of fun, I learned to process things in a different way about my immediate situation and how I could make changes.  The class also helps improve the ability to think on your feet."
  — Robert A. Dalrymple, Professor of Civil Engineering, Johns Hopkins University
 
 "Charlie did an outstanding job! He united kids and parents in a very exciting way using mental pictures to think and express ideas."
  — Dr. Cheri Florance, Founder and CEO of Brain Engineering Labs
 
 "Charlie Allenson's  Improving with Improv workshop brought together 30 strangers, from CEOs to attorneys to physicians for a 3-day workshop of spontaneity, joy and learning. What a unique burst of creativity and fellowship.  Charlie has the rare ability to make everyone feel comfortable and homey even as they stretch their mental and social abilities in amazing new directions.  I highly recommend Charlie's Improv experience for any group."

   — Lorraine Dopson, Board Member, North Dakota Sustainable Energy for Economic Development
 
 "Charlie Allenson's Improving with Improv workshop was great fun and filled with learning! This is an activity you would want to consider for team-building and just as important, building self-confidence that will highly valuable in virtually any situation. Particularly where the participants are unfamiliar with each other. Charlie Allenson uses very effective and engaging techniques."
  — Gloria Turner, New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Center for Organizational and Leadership Effectiveness

 
 

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© 2019 Charlie Allenson

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  • About Charlie
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