In the Moment: Improv for Sales and Leadership with Neil Mullarkey

Neil Mullarkey is an expert in applying improv techniques to sales and leadership situations. Recently he sat down with Phil Gerbyshak to talk about a few of his more salient insights into improv and how they can help you building your confidence, communication and clarity. While we didn't initially sit down to turn this into a podcast episode, the conversation was so rich it's worth sharing with you.

Here are a few highlights of the conversation.

• Neil got his start in improv comedy when Mike Myers (yes - THAT Mike Meyers) joined his Cambridge Footlights troupe and taught them improv skills he learned at Second City in Toronto. This kicked off Neil's career in improv comedy.

• Improv comedy skills are useful in sales and business - skills like listening deeply, accepting what the other person says, and building on it. Improv is about creating story and characters that generate humor, not just telling jokes.

• Neil sees parallels between improv comedy and skills needed in business - conversations with colleagues, customers and stakeholders involve a lot of improvisation and adaptability. He wrote a book called "In the Moment" exploring these connections.

• Neil learned improv through hands-on practice and performing, not just studying it intellectually. He emphasizes the importance of learning by doing.

• Neil also discussed the balance between structured preparation and improvisation that's needed in sales, presentations and other business situations. Too much improv without structure wastes people's time, but overly scripted interactions don't allow for adaptability.

Get a copy of Neil Mullarkey's latest book In the Moment: Build Your Confidence, Communication and Creativity at Work here and to know Neil more on his website.

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