How Improv Builds Stronger, Smarter Teams

When most people hear the word improv, they think comedy clubs, quick-thinking actors, and unpredictable storylines. They imagine performers stepping into the unknown with nothing more than trust, creativity, and a willingness to play. Leaders and teams often assume improv has nothing to do with the workplace and everything to do with the ‘crazy world of entertainment.’

Then they experience it at one of our workshops, or in our BRiQ training programs – and it all makes sense.

Improv is not just about being funny or coming up with entertaining quips on the fly. In fact, you’ve likely already been improvising today – in your conversations, decision-making, etc. It’s a communication system, a training ground for trust. We think of it as a set of principles that help humans collaborate with more empathy, flexibility, and authenticity. It’s also, in our opinion, one of the most powerful tools leaders can use to create cultures that thrive in uncertainty.

At its core, improv teaches people how to stay present, how to listen deeply, how to build on one another’s ideas, and how to move forward even when the path is unclear. These skills matter now more than they ever have. The world is changing at a pace our parents and grandparents could never have imagined. AI disruption, shifting expectations, and the increasing complexity of being human in a digital and technological age are having a mind-blowing impact on how we live and work together. Teams need leaders who can navigate unpredictability with steadiness, curiosity, and courage, and improv is one of the best ways we know of building those muscles.

Here’s how the principles of improv create stronger, healthier, more resilient teams.

Improv Teaches Leaders How to Stay Present

Presence is one of the most underestimated skills in leadership training. When a leader is fully present, it helps to regulate the nervous systems of the people around them and create a sense of stability. Leaders communicate through their tone, posture, and energy that the team is safe, and this in turn changes how people think and respond.

In improv, presence is a non negotiable! Performers cannot stay in their heads, and they can’t overanalyze or cling to how they have decided things are going to go. They must be right in the ‘now’, responding to the moment as it unfolds. It’s this level of presence that increases connection and trust and leads to some incredible moments on stage.

Leaders who practice presence become better listeners. They notice what is and ISN’T said, and they’re much quicker to pick up on emotional cues. A leader who is fully present and tuned into their team will notice even subtle shifts in tone or energy, and they make wiser decisions because they’re grounded rather than reactive.

The Power of “Yes, And” in Leadership

“Yes, and” is the signature principle of improv. It’s also one of the most transformative tools any leader can have in their kit.

We want to be clear on this as it is something that comes up in our training. “Yes, and” is not about agreeing with everything, going along with bad ideas or abandoning boundaries. “Yes, and” is a mindset that honors and respects contribution. It means acknowledging what someone has offered and adding to it. It’s a powerful way of creating connection between people (even if they’ve never met before) and inviting creativity into the space.

We’ve experienced workplaces where people felt shut down before ideas even had a chance to breathe. Someone shared a thought; a leader responded with quick judgment (often without considering the impact of their words) and the conversation ended before it began. As a result, and not surprisingly, innovation ground to a halt.

When leaders adopt a “yes, and” mindset, conversations change.  “Yes, I hear you, and here is something else to consider.”  “Yes, that is an interesting angle, and what if we explored this too.”  “Yes, I can see where you are coming from, and here is how we might build on that.”

“Yes, and” opens doors, builds trust and creates psychological safety.

It’s about acknowledging, validating, and staying OPEN. Teams who practice “yes, and” generate more ideas, collaborate more deeply, and stay engaged through conflict. Leaders who model the “yes, and” mindset encourage a culture where people feel valued, involved, and willing to take thoughtful risks.

Improv Strengthens Listening and Empathy

Most people listen to respond instead of listening to understand. Improv flips that completely.

In improv, listening is an active skill. You cannot plan your next line. You cannot mentally rehearse. You cannot avoid discomfort by escaping into your thoughts. You must listen fully so you know how to contribute in a way that supports the scene.

This form of listening strengthens empathy. It teaches people to slow down, tune in, and make space for someone else’s reality. When leaders listen this way, team members feel respected and the relationship becomes collaborative rather than hierarchical. This builds trust AND strengthens culture.

When teams listen deeply, conflict becomes easier to navigate. People feel comfortable sharing ideas or concerns because they know they’ll be heard. Listening becomes the foundation for meaningful collaboration.

Empathy grows from presence and listening. Improv nurtures both.

Improv Builds Comfort With Uncertainty

Leaders are often trained to prepare, predict, and plan. Preparation IS important and planning matters. At the same time, no plan survives in contact with reality. Change, ambiguity, and unpredictability show up regardless of how well someone prepares.

Improv teaches leaders to step into uncertainty with curiosity instead of fear. In an improv scene, you never know what will happen next, so you have to learn to trust the moment, your instincts and your teammates. By leaning into this trust, you learn how to move forward with confidence even when things feel incomplete.

This skill translates directly to leadership.

Leaders who are comfortable with uncertainty are less reactive. They make decisions with more clarity, and they communicate from a place of calm rather than panic. This ability to adapt quickly without spiraling into worry allows them to guide their teams through unpredictable circumstances with grounded confidence.

Improv helps leaders understand that uncertainty is not a threat; it’s an invitation to stay curious, collaborative, and open-minded.

Improv Encourages Psychological Flexibility

Psychological flexibility is the ability to adjust your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors in response to changing circumstances. It’s a core driver of resilience, creativity, and emotional intelligence.

Building an Improv Mindset strengthens psychological flexibility because it places people in unpredictable situations where they must respond creatively. Participants experience the sensation of letting go of control and discovering that they can handle whatever emerges. They learn to shift direction quickly and to embrace mistakes as a key part of the process. And crucially, they learn to stay open to possibilities as opposed to rigidly sticking to the script that feels safe.

Leaders with psychological flexibility tend to approach challenges with curiosity rather than defensiveness. They become the anchor that people need during periods of change or turbulence by showing the people around them that flexibility and adaptability are the partners of ‘possible’, while rigidity is stifling and limiting.

Improv Strengthens Collaboration

Collaboration is so much more than working alongside one another. It’s a powerful connection between human beings that requires trust, communication, respect, and shared ownership. Improv strengthens all of these through teamwork.

In an improv scene, everyone contributes, and everyone supports the group (at ALL costs!). A direction emerges as each performer builds on the ideas and contributions of the other actors on stage. The success of one person depends on the collaboration of the whole group. No one dominates, and no one hoards the spotlight, and the scene only works when the whole team is working together for the good of the story.

This type of collaborative mindset transforms team culture – we've seen it time and again. People feel accountable to one another, ideas flow more freely, and blame and resentment decrease as shared responsibility increases. Creativity becomes collective instead of individual.

Leaders who cultivate this style of collaboration create teams that are resilient, innovative, and engaged, while teams who learn to collaborate through the lens of improv develop stronger relationships and more effective communication.

Improv Reinforces the Value of Psychological Safety

One of the reasons improv works is that it creates a safe space for exploration where there’s no judgment. Everyone on the team knows that mistakes are welcomed and that the whole team has their back. This level of safety allows the nervous system to relax and the brain to shift into its higher functioning state.

Psychological safety is essential for any high-performing team. Creativity, learning, risk-taking, and honest communication are only possible when people feel safe to participate. Improv teaches leaders how to create the kind of environment where everyone on the team feels genuinely supported.

A team with strong psychological safety can navigate conflict, adapt quickly, and innovate consistently. Improv becomes a direct pathway toward building this foundation.

The Future of Leadership Looks a Lot Like Improv

AI will continue to grow in capability, and none of us can possibly know what that’s going to mean for us as a species in the coming years. AND it seems pretty clear that staying connected to what makes us human, trusting our instincts, and understanding how to navigate the nuances of human emotions are skills that every successful leader is going to need in their kit.

The leaders of the future will be those who know how to connect, communicate, collaborate, and adapt with empathy and authenticity. Improv techniques help to develop these skills in a way that is engaging, experiential, and deeply human.

If you’re ready to pack your leadership kit with this powerful set of tools, we’d love to help.  Connect with us here to talk about our corporate team training programs.