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Mining the Gifts of Improvisation Principles for Community Building
Posted by anne.grey
Presenters: Patrick Tangredi and Kerry Leek.
Summary
In this interactive presentation, Patrick Tangredi and Kerry Leek introduce improvisation as a set of practical skills for building stronger classroom and community connections. Rather than focusing on performance or comedy, the session uses low-stakes activities to help participants practice being present, listening closely, responding in the moment, and contributing without worrying about finding the perfect answer.
Participants begin with word association activities built around the idea that there is “no wrong answer.” These exercises encourage brainstorming, active listening, patience, and less judgment of both ourselves and others. The presenters also discuss how people participate at different speeds, using the playful idea of “hummingbirds” and “pandas” to remind groups that quick responses are not more valuable than thoughtful ones. Creating space for different participation styles can make group activities more welcoming and inclusive.
Another activity focuses on warming up the brain by rapidly naming objects and then deliberately giving those objects incorrect names. The exercise helps participants notice self-imposed rules, practice creative problem-solving, and observe how they respond when they feel pressure or uncertainty. These ideas can be adapted as class warm-ups, brainstorming activities, or ways to help a group become more present and ready to participate.
The session also introduces collaborative storytelling and the improv principle of “Yes, And.” Participants build sentences and stories together by listening to what has already been contributed and adding something that moves the shared idea forward. This practice reinforces collaboration, flexibility, and letting go of the need to control the final result. The presenters encourage educators to use improvisation principles as adaptable structures that allow everyone to contribute while strengthening creativity, trust, and community.
Slides: Mining the Gifts of Improvisation Principles for Community Building
Presentation Outcomes
- Describe how improvisation principles can support community building, classroom participation, creativity, and collaboration.
- Use low-stakes activities such as word association to encourage active listening, brainstorming, presence, and participation without focusing on right or wrong answers.
- Recognize that participants may contribute at different speeds and create space for both quick and reflective participation styles.
- Use brain warm-up activities to encourage creative thinking, identify self-imposed limitations, and practice responding to pressure or uncertainty.
- Apply the “Yes, And” principle to collaborative learning by accepting what others contribute and building on those ideas rather than replacing or rejecting them.
- Practice collaborative storytelling as a way to strengthen listening, flexibility, shared problem-solving, and group connection.
- Adapt improvisation exercises to different disciplines, classroom formats, meetings, and community-building situations without requiring participants to perform or be funny.
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