This course uses improv comedy to help you explore your speaking style and personal brand, to examine your audiences and to train you to think on your feet while still feeling in control and having a good time.
Improv comedy is about being in the present moment, listening carefully and contributing freely. Above all, it is about being open to and accepting of new situations and possibilities. Such core skills are directly transferrable to social and workplace contexts. This immersive weekender introduces you to key principles underpinning comedy improvisation while simultaneously creating a more confident you. Our method? A lot of very fun and suitably challenging games, exercises and techniques that will have you laughing and feeling more confident straight away.
Commanding Your Audience has been taken by those from a variety of different backgrounds, including creatives (writers, actors, artists, model-makers and coders), analysts (accountants, big business management), and undergraduate and postgraduate students (BA, MA and PhD students of all ages and subjects).
The two-dayer draws on a diverse range of social science theories and improv systems that combine to produce a course that allows participants to find their best potential. Safe space is created in which to take risks with new friends. We create a relaxed learning environment and improv skills you can take into your everyday life. The class invites those from a range of different backgrounds, including those for whom English is a second language.
Course Structure
Both days we’ll use performance techniques so please wear comfortable clothing and shoes and expect to move around. If you have a disability or impairment we can take that into account: please do join us. We accommodate all-comers in this accessible studio. Feel free to take notes but this course is movement- rather than desk-based.
Day 1: What You Like and What You Hate About Speaking In Groups
We create a positive group dynamic. As a team, we’ll start to take risks in the moment and learn to go with the flow using the core improv principle: ‘Yes, And’, plus flexibility, active listening and wider creativity. Play is key. We explore status, hive mind and stage-and-audience dynamic. The group will become adept at making contributions with confidence and humour and will practice accepting offers with enthusiasm in this low-risk environment.
Day 2: Putting It Into Practice
We dive into what makes each of us tick as presenters as we explore body language and personal and professional authenticity, while working on making others feel comfortable. We unpack what it is to speak in front of groups and discuss what the audience brings to the party. We work on body language and delivery via status. The day offers lots of opportunity to try a range of techniques and to unpack what works and why.
Learning Outcomes
· Increased confidence and enjoyment as you present yourself and your ideas.
· Increased mental flexibility towards new ideas and collaborators.
· Command of a space or group via positive verbal / non-verbal comms.
· Increased imagination as you think ‘outside the box’.
· Greater resilience with the inevitable beestings and bullets of public speaking.
Tutor Bio:
Victoria Hogg is an applied improv coach dedicated to low-risk, high-reward interactions. Her teaching philosophy is grounded in such social science sub-genres as psychology, sociology and verbal and non-verbal communication. Vic is experienced in creating safe space and knows how to maintain it to an individual’s and a group’s lasting advantage. She is dedicated to increasing agency and skill in a fun, playful environment. Vic’s applied theatre MA (Goldsmiths) informs her career as a creative arts facilitator and her highly respected free weekly show, DDG Improv (www.ddgimprov.com) keeps her teaching grounded, relevant and fresh. Vic’s applied improv company The Offer Bank (www.theofferbank.org) creates positive outcomes in corporate settings.
Email classesddgimprov@gmail.com if you have any questions.