Improv-ing leadership skills with fun workshops
In Leadership Improv we practice leadership competencies like presence, public speaking, non-verbal and verbal communication, and reacting to ever-changing circumstances using the fun and creativity of games used to practice improvisation comedy. Our facilitated workshops can also teach and practice difficult conversations, psychological safety, coaching and intentional communication.
Come laugh with us:
- Last Wednesday of each month
- 12pm at Union South (map)
- No experience necessary!
What we do
We host workshops that help participants practice leadership skills in a low-risk, creative environment. Our workshops foster innovative thinking and help teams grow together through shared experiences outside of day-to-day work. We scaffold risk, starting with warm-up activities to help folks get acclimated. While pushing our comfort zones, we keep activities accessible, respect physical boundaries, and take breaks as needed.
Practice your leadership skills with improv
Spark fresh ideas through innovation
Help teams grow through shared experiences
Come laugh and learn with us at our monthly workshops at Union South on the last Wednesday of each month at 12pm. You don’t need any experience to attend. Or request a custom team-building or leadership development workshop for an upcoming team meeting. Sign up for our emails to stay in the loop.
News & events
News
Leadership Improv events
No events returned.
Mission, values and history
Leadership Improv is dedicated to developing the leadership skills of UW–Madison’s IT community through fun, engaging and accessible activities that respect and preserve psychological safety, scaffold risk, foster personal and interpersonal growth, and respect individual differences and boundaries. What happens in our workshops stays in the workshop. Any “mistakes” are met with nothing more than a golf clap. We are committed to helping participants get comfortable, push their comfort zones, and take breaks as needed.
Leadership Improv was founded in 2012 by Dan Jacobsohn, a trained improv performer who was then the School of Education’s chief information officer. The idea came to him as he was sitting in a leadership class and noticed that the skills needed to be a good leader—presence, creativity, acknowledgment, spontaneity, etc.—matched those of improvisational comedy. Dan realized that the well-established catalog of improv games and scenarios could be adapted to practice workplace leadership competencies in a fun and relaxed environment. The group’s activities have since evolved into a catalog of games tailored for beginners to develop key leadership capabilities in the workplace.
Founding members
- Dan Jacobsohn
Who we are
Co-leads
Jason Erdmann
Position title: Senior IT Consultant, MERIT, School of Education
Amanda Thornton
Position title: Space Science & Engineering, Vice Chancellor for Research
Leadership Improv is part of IT Connects, a coalition of volunteer IT professionals from across the university dedicated to breaking down silos by providing resources and opportunities for UW’s IT community to learn and grow together.
Explore IT Connects initiatives
UW–Madison IT Connects events
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