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Oops To Eureka!
Mistakes can be opportunities. In fact, many of the greatest discoveries have come from failures. The key is how you react. Check out this issue to learn more about how to turn an "Oops" into Eureka!
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| From Karen | 
The improvisational concept of Oops to Eureka! is about turning the unexpected into something great. Or finding more than just a silver lining. However, the first step in getting from that horrible moment where you realize everything may have just gone wrong, to an eventual Eureka!, takes guts. And that is just the sort of guts Jenny Avery has. Jenny is part of the ImprovEdge Chicago ensemble, and is now the interim artistic director for the fabulous Next Theater. The Next has been an icon of great Chicago theater for many years and ran into a serious Oops recently. They needed someone to step in, step up, and continue their tradition of quality and courage.
Good luck to Jenny, Next, and everyone involved in this strange, but exciting time. We know your Eureka! is waiting.
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Tips from the Yes! Deck
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How We Learn
It is the "Back To School" time of year, already! As you are preparing your children to go back to school or browsing the local shopping area with the rows and rows of school supplies, think about how children learn - with colors, music, gooey clay, pets, and constant interaction. To stimulate your brain and find your Eureka! moments, here are a few ideas to interject some creativity in your professional life:
- Acquire things that will force you to work differently (an artist's notebook, colored pens, a camera, new posters or art for your office, a new direction for your desk).
- Look at new ways to express yourself: mind mapping, telling a story, engaging a group in an exercise rather than a lecture.
- Integrate different ways to learn into your everyday life. Learn an instrument, take a field trip with your department, or play a new game.
Learn more in Activity #2 "How We Learn" in the Oops to Eureka! suit of the Yes! Deck.
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| Recommended Reading |
Mistakes that Worked
by Charlotte Foltz Jones
Oops to Eureka! is the standard mode of business for scientists and inventors. They are willing to admit to and examine their mistakes for the good of future discoveries. If you'd like a book with some of the best examples of historic Oops to Eurekas! I've ever seen, enjoy this kids' book, "Mistakes that Worked" by Charlotte Foltz Jones.
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| Improv in Action |
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Tell us your best Oops to Eureka! moment
Post your answers on
Facebook and we will send you a free copy of the Yes! Deck.
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| Connection! | |
Check out the book!
The online version of the Connection! card -- Activity #4 in the Team Equity Suit of the Yes! Deck
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| Coming in 2011 |
Click on the book cover to pre-order on Amazon | |
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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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