“I’m bad on the phone,” and the Biggest Case For Why Improv, Why Now

That feeling when you meet someone for the first time, and instead of getting their email, they write down their phone number. “Give me a call on Wednesday. After 3pm works!”

If this is even slightly panic-inducing, keep reading.

Correspondence is one of the most convenient experiences today. I’m talking about the luxury of responding to someone’s pointed questions or ideas when we want, how we want, with as much time as we need to craft the perfect response.

Email, text, chat, comments, and DMs - all at your disposal.

I leverage this technology often -  craft emails while on the T, ping teammates on Slack, and shoot texts to my best friend while waiting in lines.

It’s convenient; an efficient way to communicate. And yet, as convenient as these tools are, the increasing reliance on doing what’s efficient (and if we’re being honest, easy) puts us in danger of weakening our real-time communication muscles.

What do I mean by real-time?

• Having a tough conversation with a friend

• A phone screening with a prospective employer

• Presenting quarterly results to your client

• An emotionally charged conversation regarding a group project that has sucked the life out of you

While there are a myriad of creative workarounds to avoid those real-time situations - and nerves/panic/anxiety - consider the possibility that what is efficient may not always be what’s effective.

By sacrificing the ability to see microexpressions, hear tone of voice, adjust our own tone, and meet others with the chance to give or see vulnerability and empathy, we risk losing opportunities to have impact. Big impact. Fun, transformative, inspiring, necessary, path-altering impact.

That’s right. I’m saying that choosing to tap-tap-tap out your feedback in a lengthy email vs. having a face-to-face conversation could make all the difference when trying to win that contract or get that next promotion.

ComedySportz night @ The Rozzie Square Theater

For an improviser performing comedy based on only suggestions we receive from the audience, we have seconds to make good on that promise. We take no time to prepare; the luxury of crafting The Most Perfect Scene does not exist.

Instead, we call upon a highly-refined set of skills and habits based in observing, connecting, and responding. (hat tip: Pat Short, Portland)

Pro Tip: The best professional improv comedians don’t “wing it.”

We access a system that is practiced regularly with our teammates, and that’s how we make comedy.

It’s how we swiftly and seamlessly work together to engage audiences immediately. It’s how we’ve kept them coming back laughing for the past 35 years to see ComedySportz in now 30 cities across the U.S. and Europe, as the widest-reaching, all ages-friendly live comedy show in America.

The inner workings of how professional improvisers develop these skills can be your best advantage for growing your leadership acumen. Not everybody wants to perform improv comedy, but anyone can benefit from the foundation improvisers learn in order to create something out of nothing for a room full of people. It’s also a lot of fun.

As digital communication tools become more available, the need to tune-up and level-up our real-time communication skills demands our full attention.

Why There is No Substitution

There is no shortage of blogs, books, podcast interviews, and Inc.com articles that tell us the How To (...the irony of this post itself is not lost on me, dear reader).

Reading/listening is how we discover and pique curiosity! However, if you’re interested in mastering something, it requires a 360 degree, progressive approach: Observe. Give and receive feedback. Set stretch goals. Do hard stuff often. Do new stuff regularly. Re-teach it. And yes - DO it.

You get better by doing.

You get better. By doing.

The skills you develop in your career as a leader - feedback, recovering from failure, learning when to lead and when to follow, resiliency, emotional intelligence  - are skills that come over time, with practice. Practice is key.

Improvisers know we get better at improv by doing it, not talking about it.

In the same way, you get better at navigating the unknown, managing surprises, and assessing risk when you practice until it becomes instinctual. A habit. A skill.

There’s no substitution for that experience.

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If you want to start testing the waters of these skills, our Level 1 improv spring classes (our foundation 8-week series) start up April 3rd! You should plan to be there. Or learn more. Chat at me if you have questions.

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I’ll be holding my session “The Top 5 Habits and Skills of Improvisers: How to Make Them Your Best Advantage While Navigating the Unknown” at this year’s GLOW Career and Empowerment Conference on Saturday, March 23rd, 2019 @ 11:30a.

If you are committed to leveling and tuning up your communication and leadership skills, this workshop is for you.

Not only will you get to try on the skills and practice in a low stakes, supportive environment, it’s fun and you’ll meet people. It’s the benefit of going to these live events - actually meeting people and seeing where it takes you. Join us.

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About Courtney
As a professional improviser for over 18 years, Courtney has led team building workshops and provided entertainment and entertainment programming for Fortune 500 companies such as PricewaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte, eBay and PayPal. Since 2001, she has been a performer and educator with CSz Worldwide. She hails from San Francisco, CA, and is currently the owner and General Manager of CSz Boston. She is an okay runner, mediocre rock climber, and dust-intolerant.



All About the Grand Opening Weekend for The Rozzie Square Theater

On Friday, May 4th, we’ll open The Rozzie Square Theater to the public - are you ready?

(Related: We're Moving! 5 Things Exciting About Our New Home)

Starting the weekend of May 4th and 5th, you can visit us in our new, spacious theater, located at 5 Basile st. Roslindale, in the heart of the very walkable Roslindale Village. We're surrounded by excellent restaurants and local businesses, alongside a thriving and supportive Main Street team. We hope you'll explore and see for yourself why this neighborhood was such an obvious and easy choice to make our new home. 

Here's what else you need to know about...

The Rozzie Square Theater's Grand Opening Weekend: 

1. ComedySportz will kick things off at 8 pm.

The first show of the evening will be ComedySportz, our long-running, well-loved signature show where two teams battle for laughs and points as they make up scenes, games, and songs on the spot. If you love TV’s Whose Line Is It Anyway? you'll love ComedySportz. A referee governs the action, calling fouls and keeping the match moving at an energetic pace. It’s perfect for dates, a night out on the town, or even quality time with friends and family. 

• General Admission: $15 
• Students/Military/Seniors: $12 
• Group ticket deals for parties of 10+ call our reservation line: (617) 231-7006 or loyalfans@cszboston.com

ComedySportz explained in 30 seconds.

Purchase tickets for Friday 8 pm: Go here>>
Purchase tickets for Saturday 5 pm: Go here>>

2. Celebrity Guest Judges the Whole Weekend

We're honored that members of our communities will be joining us in celebrating this milestone as we put down roots in this community and increase diverse representation in local business leadership. You can look forward to these Celebrity Judges* making guest appearances at the ComedySportz matches that weekend and the following weekend:

ComedySportz on Friday 8pm

• Alia Hamada Forrest, Executive Director, Roslindale Village Mainstreets
• Dan Murphy, Roslindale Liaison for Mayor Walsh, Office of Neighborhood Services
• Mike Descoteaux, Artistic Director, Improv Boston
• Tom Spataro, Managing Director, Improv Boston

ComedySportz on Saturday 5pm

• Wilda Perez, RISE
• Ian So, CEO, Co-Owner/Co-Founder, Chicken & Rice Guys; Co-Founder, Asian Entrepreneurship Foundation
• Kit Pang, Founder, BostonSpeaks
• Stacey Smith,  Comedy School Manager, Improv Boston

**Special** Friday, May 11 appearance: 8pm

• Annissa Essaibi-George, Boston City Councilor-At-Large

*Additional Guest Judges confirming! Check back for updates or follow us on Instagram.

WANT TO HELP OR GET INVOLVED?

CSz Boston and The Riot are working together to launch The Rozzie Square Theater and raise additional funds via an Indiegogo campaign. We would love your help to make this place beautiful and fun for everyone.

Whether you live in the community or are helping support from afar, we hope you’ll help spread the word via word of mouth or on your social channels - help us find folks who are passionate about bringing improv and comedy to communities. Every little bit helps.

JOIN US IN SAYING GOODBYE

If you want to catch one last ComedySportz match at our Jamaica Plain Home, please join us in saying thanks by coming out to our final ComedySportz matches at 146A South st. We'll be giving away prizes from local JP vendors (PolkaDog, Monumental Cupcakes, Salmagundi's!) and having our usual good time:

• Friday, April 27 get tickets>>
• Saturday, April 28 get tickets>>

We're Moving! Get Excited For Some #ROSLOVE

There is no eloquent way to shout this because we are SO FRIGGIN’ EXCITED, so we’ll just say it:

We have a new home of our own!

We’re pleased to announce the inception of Rozzie Square Theater, located in the heart of Roslindale Village.

On Friday, May 4th, we’ll open our new, bigger theater to the public, located at 5 Basile st. Roslindale, MA. Go ahead and peep that Google street map, you know you wanna.

Why Now

After a fantastic and memorable 3 year run at The Riot Theater in JP, we’ve done what we came here to do: Grow. Not just grow to grow, but grow with intention. 

We haven’t been shy about our work to bring more improv comedy to the diverse communities that surrounded us on this side of the river - from our Free Open House event in the fall of 2017 to experimenting with different ways to make the benefits of improv more accessible to new audiences, and identifying new friends and partners that share similar goals.

By partnering with The Riot to make this new home, we are continuing to grow - sustainably and patiently - toward our vision of making a place we intend to be a centerpiece of the community. Improv and comedy build community in a unique way that few other things can.

5 Things Exciting About Our New Home

1. Accessible, Accessible, Accessible

• Rozzie Square Theater and its bathrooms are handicap accessible!
• Surrounded by street parking - FREE two-hour parking
• Conveniently located near 2 local lots:  MBTA (Roslindale Station) lower lot at South St & Belgrade Ave, and the Roslindale Municipal Lot (City Lot #009)
• Sharing the same sidewalk that serves as the bus stop for multiple lines

2. NEW: Classes and Workshops

• Introduction to Improv classes
• Intermediate and Advanced level Improv classes and drop-in workshops to hone your craft
• Applied Improv workshops that focus on using the foundational skills of improv to strengthen areas of personal and professional development
• Guest workshop teachers from other improv backgrounds + our annual steady drumbeat of visiting CSz Worldwide players

3. NEW: Neighbors and Friends

• Directly across from beautiful Adams Park, which boasts the Roslindale Summer Farmers Market, voted as Best Farmers Market in 2013, 2014, 2016, and 2017
• Excellent restaurants are just steps away - Napper Tandy’s, Shanti’s, Elsie’s Kitchen, and a bunch more
• Our in-building neighbor is locally owned  Delicious Yogurt, which fulfills Courtney’s lifelong wish to never be more than an arm's length away from frozen yogurt (or a Polar seltzer)

4. Classic AND New Programming

• ComedySportz will keep its current schedule - Fridays @ 8pm, Saturdays at 5pm
• The Riot and its director Joseph Gels will be running Improv Jones shows every Saturday, and directing late night Thursday and Friday programming that is still in the works of nailing down. Stay tuned!

5. MORE Space = New Things

• 49-seats in a spacious 1050 square foot facility
• 2 bathrooms
• A dedicated lobby/concessions area separate from the general performance area
• A new stage!
• Walls to decorate and show our gratitude to Loyal Fans and audiences
• For performers: Greenroom space to warm up and wrap up sessions in

How to Help

To kick off our trek to opening weekend, CSz Boston and The Riot are working together to launch Rozzie Square Theater and raise additional funds via an Indiegogo campaign. We would love your help to make this place beautiful and fun for everyone.

Whether you live in the community or are helping support from afar, we've got a variety of perks that reward your donation, from tickets and lifetime passes to local business advertising packages. If you’re unable to donate, we hope you’ll help spread the word via word of mouth or on your social channels - help us find folks who are passionate about bringing improv and comedy to communities. Every little bit helps.

There are risks with any change. Will current audiences stick with us as we relocate? Will we be able to build new audiences in our new home? We are confident that we have the right team and strategy to not only bring our audiences with us but also firmly build roots in the rapidly growing community of Roslindale, especially with the help of wonderful neighbors like the Roslindale Village Main Streets.

How to Say Goodbye

We are full to bursting with gratitude. For the time to grow and learn, and especially the generous friends and family that have attended many ComedySportz matches, while supporting our Players (that never goes unnoticed or unappreciated). We’ve loved this neighborhood and the friends we’ve made. Please join us in saying thanks to our Jamaica Plain home by coming out to our final ComedySportz matches:

• Friday, April 27 get tickets>>
• Saturday, April 28 get tickets>>

And so, we head into April with lots of change on the horizon. We are ready and we are thrilled. Forward, onward, upward.

With gratitude,

Courtney, Betse, and the CSz Boston team

CSz Boston Player Christin Rills requested this photo be part of our announcement. 

Workplace Culture: How to Lead With the Why

When it comes to workplace culture, the What will always change – ping pong tables, company-wide walk-a-thons, That One Time We Were All Really Into Puzzles. A deeper examination on workplace culture shows us that great company culture is derived out of the Why, rather than the What. The Why is what’s constant. The Why not only powers everything you do, but should be the checks and balances system for when you evaluate an activity or pursue a new program. The Why are your values.

The CSz Boston team recently took the opportunity to cook a meal for the families at our local Ronald McDonald House. (We wrote and photo’d it up here ). To practice what we preach, we took a holistic view of our time volunteering to reflect and acknowledge that our own CSz core values – Collaboration, Inspiration, Gratitude and Fun – are fulfilled in anything we do.

Putting It All Together

Collaboration
Cooking a large meal for 20+ people is more than one enthusiastic person can handle in a short amount of time, so our team of six came ready to chop, dice, sauté and stir.

We made Turkey Chili, roasted sweet potatoes, and a purple cabbage salad with a honey mustard dressing. Since it all needed to be ready at the same time and within an hour-ish, collaboration is key – two people dicing vegetables for both the chili and salad is effective, while freeing up others to scrub and chop sweet potatoes which would take longer. Communication is key, too.

In collaboration, we find out Christin is way better at navigating a chili recipe and that Dennis is a cabbage-chopping machine. We recognize that this meal is made possible by many pairs of hands, not just one.

Inspiration
Spending an hour + in the kitchen gives ground to get to know each other a little more and feel just a little more comfortable and supported.

We recognize that when you feel comfortable and supported, you are inspired to add some 90’s pop music in the background. Nothing is more priceless than learning that everyone happens to know all the lyrics to NSYNC’s “Tearin’ Up My Heart.” We also learned that Ben does a pretty good Eddie Vedder impression.

Gratitude
Gratitude is like a muscle – the more you exercise it, the stronger spotting opportunities gets. We recognize the opportunity to be grateful for our collaborative and fun teammates. The gratitude for a community and establishment like the Ronald McDonald House that opens up the opportunity to give with what you have to those in need. The gratitude for quality time with our teammates. Gratitude for Danielle knowing EXACTLY what to do if the dressing is accidentally over-salted, because that was clutch.

Fun
Spending time together and contributing to an organization and people we care about is never a wasted moment. Combining our other 3 values alongside folks that have likeminded thinking makes for a fun time because everyone is working toward the same outcome. And we achieved it! Dinner was served and nothing in the kitchen caught on fire. Success.

How CSz Boston Can Help

For more information on how to get involved with your local Ronald McDonald House, check out rmhboston.org.

To talk more with the CSz Boston team about workplace culture and how to strengthen and message the values in your own organization, email us: courtney@cszboston.com

– Courtney

CSz Boston Visits the Ronald McDonald House in Boston

When we’re not doing ComedySportz matches or team practices, sometimes we hang out and do cool stuff together. Tonight was cook night for CSz Boston teammates at the Ronald McDonald House in Boston!

The RMH can host up to 20 families, all who have young ones receiving cancer treatments in the nearby Children’s Hospital Boston. Nearly all of the resources in the house are donated.

There is always a need, and one simple thing that can have enormous impact is taking care of a meal for the families on any evening. You work with the organizer via email to decide on a date you’d like to bring your group, and tell them what you’ll be cooking. The day of, hop into the house’s kitchen with your friends (we had some 90’s pop playing during our session) and then families have a home cooked meal waiting for them when they come back from a long day in the hospital. It’s fun, you get to know your teammates better and help folks going through a tough experience with their loved ones.

If you want to learn more about how you can participate, visit rmhboston.org.

UPDATE 10/24/17: This establishment is now known as The Boston House and opportunities can still be found, now at http://www.thebostonhouse.org/ 

Thanks to the RMH team – Caitlin, Dawn and Jennifer. You made the opportunity easy, joyful and fun.

If you want to read more about how we connect activities to our values, check out this blog post.