Team Building and Comedy Workshop

The client : Addiction Worldwide

The challenge :

To provide four hours of training to 8 executives of Addiction Worldwide. They meet just once or twice a year as they are based around the world. The agency is perhaps the up and coming force in advertising and are expanding rapidly. They are learning to manage this growth and one of their key issues is having their executive team working together, clearly, with direction and maintaining a “can do” philosophy which has been core to their business success.

The training had to bring together 8 very bright, very strong personalities, get them to like, understand and appreciate each other. Just as importantly it had to be fun, high energy and themed around working as a team.  In other words – “understanding how we can work better together as a team as well as have fun.”  It was part of a team building and strategy weekend.

One important part of a comedy workshop is that is forces people to “reveal.” Because this is done through comedy, the fear of being laughed at disappears because that’s exactly the effect you want to engineer.  We wanted the director’s to “get” each other. Finally, to succeed in putting together a comedy show at the end of the workshop, you HAVE to work as a team. It requires a “can do” philosophy because if you slow the team up you’re going to fail.

The approach :

Jack set himself and the group the following goals: that delegates would enhance Emotional Intelligence and Listening skills, appreciate their own talents and those of their colleagues, celebrate their true selves and the importance of confidence and mutual support within their group contributing to their personal success. We also wanted them to create their own FUNNY comedy show – the “can do” bit.

The workshop was divided into three parts. Part one was about learning to perform comedy improvisation.  The skills required neatly reflect great team work and Jack encouraged the group to reflect back at the end of exercises on skills they could replicate at work. These included: listening, commitment (comedy impro may not be your thing but unless you commit then your scene will collapse), being in the moment and appreciating that they were a pretty talented group. From a comedy perspective part one teaches some valuable skills and also builds confidence.

Part two.

Learning how to write, create and perform sketch comedy. More confident about their ability to be funny, the group were able to express themselves creatively. They wrote a great stand up routine and produced some hilarious sketch comedy. By this point everyone had performed in front of each other. Some of the less obviously talented had really shone. It was great for everyone to see that the finance director, as well as being a really nice guy, was also very creative and witty.

Part three. They create their own comedy show. They were divided into two groups, given a space to rehearse, and then an hour to create, devise and rehearse their own sketch. The challenge is that regardless, they will be performing comedy in front of colleagues and making them laugh from a standing start in just sixty minutes.

They worked quickly together but one group in particular found it very difficult to move from ideas and script to the actual “doing” bit. Eventually I had to tell them that however unprepared they might feel they had to get the sketch on its feet. Its only when you “work” comedy that you can truly see what is working and not working. Once they’d done this the group moved rapidly to a finished and rehearsed sketch.

The final performances (as they have to be) were a success. Although some had their doubts before performing, the sketches were hilarious with the stand out piece being from the group who’d got their show on its feet first.

The impact :

At the beginning of the workshop during my opening spiel, I had mentioned that the aim was “to bond as a team, learn some creative skills and have fun creating your own comedy show! Should be a great afternoon…” To which one of the directors dryly commented, “We’ll be the judge of that.” At the end of the day, as they fed back on how the session had worked for them, she said, “Well done. If someone had said to me at the beginning that I would have been up on that stage doing what I’ve just done – I’ve have said they were mad. Its been great!”

The main lesson they had taken from the four hours was “getting stuff on its feet.” They agreed they had to be braver as an agency and move from “planning to doing” quicker than had been the norm.

The consultant talent director who hired me fed back the following week, that the comedy workshop had been a real highlight of the weekend and had done exactly what she wanted. “They were buzzing and excited by the talent within the group.”

I joined them for a quick drink afterwards. I always think that the sign of a group that is really comfortable and strong is when you see “banter.” Mutual mickey taking and a group being comfortable with that is always a sign that you have a strong team.