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Coming soon . . . Karen's book!
Wow! I can't believe I am almost finished with writing my first book. How wonderfully exciting, terrifying, exhausting and fulfilling it has been. I am so excited to share it with you, so keep reading to learn more about the book and a key lesson learned through this process.
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| From Karen | 
You may remember that I shared my book title survey with our ImprovEdge community in an e-mail a few weeks back. The response was incredible! My editors at Berrett-Koehler publishing were thrilled with the response, as we saw more than twice the normal number of participants and the additional comments were insightful and helpful.
Both the title and subtitle we chose were the clear winners in the survey. They both won a majority vote in their category, and again, our publisher often does not enjoy this level of success in a title survey.
So here's the irony - the title that won was one I did not want to include in the survey! No joke. I was so close to all the titles and the content of the book, I think I had reached a point where I could not stand outside it and see how it would be received by a reader. Writer lesson #532 - You need fresh eyes. It's also a lesson in the improv principle of Team Equity - you need the input of many to get to the right solution.
And so Ladies and Gentlemen, we present -
THE IMPROVISATION EDGE:
Four Simple Secrets to Building Trust and Performance at Work.
The book will be out in the first quarter of 2011. Hope you will join us for the launch party!
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Tips from the Yes! Deck
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Building Blocks Brainstorm
Determining the title of the book was a building block session rather than a brainstorming session. In good brainstorming, you call out everything and if every idea is a brick, you are left with a big pile of bricks. Instead try tailoring the content to a single idea (e.g., all the ideas in a whole book down to a title that communicates the overall message). If you see how far one idea can be pushed, your ideas or bricks build a castle.
How to build your castle:
- Clearly state the idea you are building (name a book).
- Everyone contributes and no one edits, focusing on the inital idea.
- Let the ideas roll (everyone throw out ideas for the title based on the content).
- Based on the ideas, survey another group of people to narrow down the possibilities and determine which seem to have the most impact.
Learn more in Activity #1 "Building Blocks Brainstorm" in the Building Blocks suit of the Yes! Deck.
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| Where in the World is ImprovEdge? |
Kickin' Presentations: How to Engage, Influence and Wow Your Audience
Join Karen on Tuesday, June 22, 2010, 2:00 PM EST for a free teleconference to improve your presentations. She will be interviewed by Meredith Liepelt, who is the founder of Rich Life Marketing, a company that mentors small business owners to raise their celebrity profiles through consistent and authentic self-promotion.
Presentations don't just happen when you're standing up in front of a Powerpoint. Using key presentation skills to create impact can apply to one-on-conversations, too. This teleclass will explore 3 levels of immediate "Wow" skills: formal presentations up-front, presenting to a small group, and engaging in a memorable one-on-one conversation.
Here's what you learn in this exclusive teleconference:
- How to Engage and Connect to a Large Audience
- 3 Absolute Rules for Powerpoint
- 5 Preparation Musts
- How to Get a Group to Talk to You
- How to be Memorable One-on-One
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| Improv in Action |
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What are the 4 secrets to building trust and performance at work?
What do you think the 4 secrets are? Post your answers on Facebook. Send the best ones (funny, practical, real life stories) and you will be sent a free copy of the Yes! Deck and posted as our Connection in July's newsletter.
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| Connection! | |
Connect with one of our great partners and register to join Karen's teleconference!
Rich Life Marketing
The online version of the Connection! card -- Activity #4 in the Team Equity Suit of the Yes! Deck
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About ImprovEdge
The ability to think on your feet, arrive at solutions, and communicate in ways that bring people together are the skills of improvisation. These are the keys to innovation and business success, yet these skills are often overlooked. ImprovEdge was founded in 1998 by Karen Hough, a professional actor/improviser turned business executive. With a nationwide ensemble and the research assistance of Wharton Business School, ImprovEdge develops powerful and effective corporate training, workshops, orientations, conferences and keynote speeches based on the essential principals of improvisation and applies it to clients in industries as diverse as finance, manufacturing, law, retail, and technology. |
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