Creativity Lessons From Jim Henson
Start Playing! There are so many Creativity Lessons from Jim Henson. He was a genius: innovative, playful, whimsical, funny, driven. I LOVED The Muppet Show growing up. 7PM PST Sunday nights, I was in front [...]
Adaptability Mindset Lessons From Improv
Adaptability Mindset is a growth mindset. Sure, risk-taking can be scary. It doesn't have to be. And we need risk-taking for creativity and innovation and for personal as well as professional growth. How can we [...]
Your Team Is An Improv Group
Every team in a business setting is an improv group. I don't care what kind of business you are in or work for - every business team is an improv group. Sure, you may not [...]
National Fun at Work Day… A Guide for Leaders Like You to Create, Ideate and Play with Remote Teams
Friday the 29th is National Fun at Work Day! Some people think play is frivolous. It isn't. And it's time to change the narrative on play. Play is good for our mental well-being, happiness and for #innovation in #marketing, #products, [...]
Narrative Strategy: Conflict Powers Incredible Storytelling
Anger is Story and Innovative Fuel: Why Conflict Powers Incredible Storytelling I spoke to a group of entrepreneurs recently about storytelling and conflict. Being an entrepreneur is hard - just like being an executive in [...]
Why Employees Won’t Innovate – Video
There are three big reasons why employees won't innovate: trust; lack of a compelling story; and lack of process. I discuss all of those in more detail in this video. Watch the Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5W4fCZNdJs&width=745&height=460 [...]
Creativity in Business: How to Find Inspiration and Reduce Risk #yesandbrand show
Creativity in Business In this episode of #yesandbrand, my FB #livestream, I chat about creativity in business with my guest, Carla Johnson. Creativity is critical for business - for innovation and differentiation. So why do [...]
Embrace the Suck that Comes with Creativity (video)
First, Embrace the Suck. Then Pull Out of It. Embrace the Suck. Dealing with the creative ups and downs is hard. Really hard. Sometimes we feel uncertain and uncomfortable because creativity can be messy - [...]
How to Generate Awesome Ideas for Content, Marketing, Products
Using Improv to Generate Awesome New Content, Marketing and Product Ideas Join me for this Blab on December 2nd where we will be innovating new ideas LIVE! It's hard to stand out in a noisy [...]
Changing Your Corporate Culture Means Changing Your Stories
Note: This is an updated post from last year. The stories employees and executives tell internally are leading indicators of organizational health and marketplace effectiveness – more so than the marketing stories we tell externally. [...]
Improvisation in Business: Better Co-Creation and Brainstorming, Part II
The right brain likes to invert assumptions and examine “what if” scenarios. Creative techniques such as SCAMPER, for example, start by suspending assumptions about products and what people need in order to see new things. [...]
Improvisation in Business: Better Co-Creation and Brainstorming, Part I
Note: this is an adaptation of a prior post from 2012. Improvisation in Business Improvisation is the ultimate, adaptable “social” model of co-creation. Based on right brain techniques improvisation for idea generation is becoming more [...]
Applying Improvisation to Improve Agility and Innovation – My Chat with Kat Koppett
On December 12th, I had a great chat with Kat Koppett. Kat is a fellow improviser-in-chief who also applies concepts from stage improvisation to the needs of business to improve performance. This means accepting others [...]
Video: Think Like an Improviser, Speak Like Your Customer – AINx Talk from the 2012 Applied Improv Network World Conference
View my AINx talk from the 2012 Applied Improvisation Network (AIN) World Conference Think Like an Improviser, Speak Like a Customer Blah, blah, blah, blah. This is what customers hear when we drone on about [...]
Want More Innovation? Start with Your Business Culture
Innovation and Culture On Thursday, June 13th, I had the pleasure of talking to my friend and colleague, Mary Beth Deans, about the importance of business culture in innovation. We're obsessed with innovation today. Yes, [...]
Podcast: A ‘Customer Experience Design’ Chat with Mike Harding, Co-Founder of Re.Vu and Oddyssea
Hello all! On Thursday, April 11th, I had a fantastic and fun chat with my colleague, Mike Harding. I saw Mike present his ideas on design and product creation for the first time at Product [...]
Shake Up – and Humanize – Your Product Storytelling
Attached are my notes for the two product storytelling sessions at Product Camp Silicon Valley 2013. Product-Camp-handout-2013_Kathy-Klotz-Guest Would love to hear your thoughts! Email me at kathy@keepingithuman.com
Yes, and…5 Ways That Improvisation Can Make You a Kick-Ass Marketer
I am a marketer. I am also an improviser. That means I am also a storyteller. Like improvisation, all great marketing is ultimately storytelling. Before I threw myself (slightly kicking and screaming) into improvisation, [...]
