Koppett + Company
Fall 2010
 KopCo Comments
Our Periodic Musings on Improv, Storytelling and Theater for Your Arena.
katheaddark
Greetings!

A Happy Spring to all of you forward thinkers (for only the 13th time in 187 years, Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow, so we trust it's coming soon), and a Happy New Year to all of you fellow procrastinators.

In this in between time, we have news (from the past) and announcements (for the future) that we hope will delight and inspire you.
  • A link to Kat's TEDxAlbany 2010 Talk
  • Preview information about TEDx2011
  • A favorite improv activity designed to help you think about your audience in a new way.  
  • More recommended resources   
Enjoy!
TEDx Albany - Past and Future
2010 Talks

One of our greatest thrills in 2010 was participating in the TEDxAlbany conference. For those of you who were unable to join us in person, the talks are up online.

Check out all the offerings at the TEDxAlbany 2010 speakers page

or go directly to Kat's talk, Improv - Not Just for Comedy Anymore.

2011 Coming Soon!


And, we are excited to announce that TEDxAlbany 2011 will be on

Saturday, November 12, 2011 at the GE Theatre, Proctors,

Schenectady, NY. Save the date and stay tuned for more information on speakers and details. The talent and genius we have right here in our own backyard is mind-boggling. Don't miss experiencing it first hand.

Who Do You Think You Are Talking To?
The 300-Year Gap

The original intention of the TED conferences was to cross-pollinate the genius of different communities. Their tag line is "Ideas Worth Sharing." But often, communicating across differences can be harder than we think.

Try this: find a partner. Ask them to pretend they are from the year 1711. (Lot's of things were going on in various parts of the world back then, but one of the main characteristics was that electricity had not yet been harnessed for human use.)

Now explain a modern-day object to them. Let's say a cell phone. Or a television. Do your best to explain how it works and why they might see value in having one.

This simple activity has proven to be one of our most popular jolts in organizational settings. People find it surprisingly hard ("You press a button..." "A button? Like on my shirt?") and frustrating. But what we don't hear a lot of is "Augghh! Why is my partner from 1711 such an idiot!?" Why not? Because everyone knows there is a communication gap. Neither person is wrong or stupid, they are just coming from a different place.

So, what are the gaps in your conversations? Probably not 300 years, but perhaps 30? Or one of you is in sales and the other in marketing? One of you has been with the company your whole career, the other just moved from another organization. You are an ISTJ and I'm an ENFP.

The idea that there are different styles of communication and different assumptions that we have is hardly new. We "know" that they exist. But how often do we act as if everyone's attitudes, knowledge and assumptions should be just like our own?  300-year Gap is a great exercise for seeding conversation about conversations and developing cross-gap communication.

Let us know how it goes.
Recommended Resources


More Cool Things

TEDxAlbany speaker, Kes Sampanthar of Cynergy Systems recommends this talk on Gamification. If you don't know what that is, listen to this talk. It's the wave of now in learning, marketing and organizational development.

Some of you have heard us tout the Brown School in Schenectady for its work with Mindfulness. Forbes Magazine seems to agree that these skills will be fundamental to our children's success as they enter the workforce.

ImprovDates - Applied Improv is not just for business anymore. Our friends and colleagues at ImprovDates have been having great success with applying the principles and activities of improv to dating. If you are single (or have single friends) in the NYC area, check them out.


 
To those of you who are snow-weary like we are, we wish you warmth and dryness. To the rest of you, congratulations.

As always we welcome your thoughts, recommendations, objections and questions.

Happy Tales,
Kat


Contact Information
Kat Koppett
518-847-9882 		Join our mailing list!