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Why Improv Now: Navigating the Hybrid Workplace
Humans avoid discomfort. We want to work, live and play in areas where we can show our expertise and feel safe. Yet, in…
Lead Like an Improviser: Flexibility, Influence and Change
Women Tech 2023 Global Conference Let’s talk Improvisation – I’m passionate about what improv brings to the business…
3 High Impact Skills for Facilitating Virtual Team Meetings
Facilitation isn't just for trainers anymore. We all need to think of ourselves as facilitators. As we move through a…
Humanity
This article was originally published in early 2022, and we still believe it’s still a timely and relevant discussion.…
ImprovEdge Blog
Understanding Your Derailers: How the Hogan Assessment Helps Leaders Anticipate Responses
Leadership is not just about strengths—it’s also about how you handle challenges, pressure, and…
New Beginnings: Why Trying Something New as an Adult is a Game-Changer
By Karen Hough, Founder and CEO, ImprovEdge When was the Last Time You Did Something for the First…
Revisiting Old Capabilities: How Past Skills Can Strengthen Your Present Role
By Karen Hough, Founder and CEO, ImprovEdge Career progression is often seen as a forward-moving…
How the Hogan Assessment Drives Executive Development
Executive development is a complex process that involves enhancing a leader’s ability to navigate…
Workplace Connections: The Performance Ripple Effect
At ImprovEdge, we've seen firsthand how strong workplace connections and relationships can boost…
Taking a ‘Skills Perspective’ for Leadership Development
Leadership is a dynamic skill that requires constant refinement. At ImprovEdge, we've seen…
Comfortable Discomfort: The Secret to Learning and Growth
Learning as adults often feels different from the ease with which we absorbed new ideas as…
The Power of Setting Learning Goals: A Path to Growth and Collaboration
With the new year, the season of goal setting begins – personally and professionally. While…
Improvisation and the Secret Art of Business Podcast
With so many opportunities in improvisation to connect left-brained and right-brained patterns and…
Andrea Thornton Bolden
Andrea Thornton Bolden
Facilitator
Andrea Thornton Bolden is a Facilitator with ImprovEdge. A recent addition to the Facilitator Ensemble, Andrea previously worked as a screenwriter and television producer. Her passion for building high-functioning, high-performing teams, as well as her experience utilizing improv to facilitate creatively safe writers’ rooms inspired her to pursue collaboration with the award-winning ImprovEdge team.
Prior to her work with ImprovEdge, Andrea was most recently a Co-EP on FREEMAN for Peacock and UTV. Prior to that, she Executive Produced and Co-Showran RING SHOUT for Netflix and Skydance based on the critically acclaimed book of the same name.
During the 2023 Writer’s Strike, Andrea proudly served as a Strike Captain, leading fellow picketers NBC Universal. In the spring of 2024, she was accepted into and completed the prestigious WGA Showrunner Training Program.
Before RING SHOUT, Andrea spent three years on the CW and Fake Empire’s NANCY DREW producing countless episodes on set. Her previous credits include LA’s FINEST for Charter, TELL ME A STORY for CBS All Access, THE SPANISH PRINCESS for Starz, and Syfy’s SUPERSTITION. She started her career as a writers assistant on LUCIFER.
Andrea has a Masters in Entertainment Industry Management from Carnegie Mellon University and has worked for Jerry Bruckheimer’s television division. In her spare time, she serves her community through such organizations as Girls, Inc. and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
eLearning Format
The Business Training You Need.
eLearning.
Experience video-driven, on-demand, interactive content that helps you harness the power of the ImprovEdge in your own time and space. Designed both to stand alone or supplement live workshop experiences, eLearning affords you the ability to gain a competitive edge when it’s most convenient for you.
Hybrid Format
The Business Training You Need.
Hybrid Events.
A live workshop experience with multiple ways to experience it. The ImprovEdge Hybrid approach offers the best of both worlds (in-person and virtual formats) to help “get the gang all here.” Dependent on the audio-visual technology in the space available, Hybrid allows participants and/or facilitators to be a part of the action remotely or in person—whichever works best.
Virtual Format
The Business Training You Need.
Virtual Events.
A dynamic, virtual experience that engages participants from start to finish, ImprovEdge Virtual Learning is hands-on fun in a hands-off way. Available on most major virtual platforms, Virtual Learning is a strategically designed, real-time learning experience that helps your people learn the key concepts of improv and how to apply them to their daily activities.
In-Person Format
The Business Training You Need.
In-Person Workshops.
Put your hands together for an in-person, live-action training event that is action packed with award-winning performances by none other than YOU (and your team). Offering customized workshop content and exercises to meet your unique needs, these events are strategically designed to teach key concepts that can be applied to the real world in real time.
Leadership Insight and Personalized Coaching via Hogan Assessment
Leadership Insight and Personalized Coaching via Hogan Assessment
Are you ready to take your personal and professional development to the next level?
As a certified Hogan Assessment provider, ImprovEdge offers transformative insights to help you uncover your strengths, identify potential challenges, and align your goals with your natural talents. The Hogan Assessment is a trusted, science-backed tool used by top organizations and leaders worldwide to improve performance and build stronger leaders.
What is the Hogan Assessment?
The Hogan Assessment is a comprehensive personality evaluation grounded in decades of research in psychology and behavioral science. It evaluates three critical aspects of your personality:
- The Bright Side: Understand how your everyday strengths contribute to your success at work and in life.
- The Dark Side: Identify potential derailers that might hinder your progress under stress or pressure.
- The Inside: Explore your core motivators, values, and interests to ensure alignment with your career and personal aspirations.
This holistic approach provides unparalleled insights into your behavioral tendencies and their impact on your performance and relationships.
Why ImprovEdge?
Just the assessment data without the application is the ‘what’ without the ‘why.’
As a certified provider, we bring not only the technical expertise required to administer the assessment and also the coaching skills to help you translate results into actionable strategies.
With the ImprovEdge approach you receive:
- Tailored Insights: We work with you to interpret your results in the context of your unique circumstances, goals, and aspirations.
- Actionable Strategies: Together, we’ll develop a customized plan to leverage your strengths and address potential challenges.
- Expert Guidance: With extensive experience in coaching and professional development, we provide you with the support and tools you need to achieve sustainable growth.
- Confidential and Supportive Environment: Your results are handled with the utmost care, ensuring a safe space for self-reflection and honest conversations.
Ready to help your women leaders thrive? At ImprovEdge, we’re shaping leaders who lead with courage and authenticity. Let’s elevate women leaders together.
Benefits of the Hogan Assessment
- Improved Self-Awareness: Gain a deeper understanding of how others perceive you and how you impact your environment.
- Enhanced Leadership Skills: Develop the confidence and skills to inspire, motivate, and lead effectively.
- Better Decision-Making: Align your decisions with your values and long-term objectives.
- Stronger Relationships: Foster trust and collaboration in both professional and personal settings.
How It Works
- Initial Consultation: We’ll discuss your goals and determine how the Hogan Assessment can support your development.
- Assessment Completion: You’ll complete the Hogan Assessment online at your convenience.
- Comprehensive Debrief: We’ll meet for a one-on-one coaching session to review your results and create a personalized action plan.
- Ongoing Support: Optional follow-up coaching sessions are available to track progress and adjust strategies as needed.
Let’s Get Started
Unlock your potential and pave the way for lasting success. Whether you’re an individual looking to grow or a leader seeking to enhance your team’s effectiveness, the Hogan Assessment is the key to meaningful development. Contact us today to schedule your initial consultation and take the first step toward achieving your goals.
Related Resources & Articles
Tackling the Hidden Costs of Unproductive Meetings
Meetings are an integral part of the workplace, providing a platform for collaboration, decision-making, and…
5 Outcomes to Empathetic Leadership
Empathy keeps showing up as a key topic of conversation for team offsites. The need to be understood, heard and…
The Collective Strength: A Focus on Resilience
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lkdODbr3oY In a world where the only constant is change, resilience is a key trait for…
Women’s Leadership Development
Women’s Leadership Development
Empowerment Through Improvisation
21% of senior leadership positions are held by women in the U.S., lagging the global average (24%) and China (51%) (Forbes)
Our women’s leadership programming leverages the principles of improvisation to help women show up as their most authentic, empowered selves in the workplace. It’s about thinking quickly, building confidence, and responding with purpose.
Improvisation is a skill, and like any skill, it can be honed. We focus on helping women harness their instincts, adapt to unexpected situations, and communicate with clarity and impact. Whether it’s navigating difficult conversations or amplifying their voice, ImprovEdge equips women leaders to step into any situation with confidence. With the sponsorship of internal stakeholders and support from the organization, we help women thrive.
- Improv as a Leadership Tool: Improvisation isn’t just an art form—it’s a mindset. Our techniques teach adaptability, resilience, and collaboration, essential traits for leadership.
- Tailored to Your Needs: We customize every program to align with your team’s goals, ensuring the experience is relevant and impactful.
- Dynamic Learning: Our experiential workshops create a safe space for women to take risks, make bold choices, and discover what works in real-time.
Program Highlights
Our programming empowers women to:
- Communicate with Confidence: Through improvisation exercises, participants learn to think on their feet and articulate their ideas with clarity and authority.
- Strengthen Relationships: Improv emphasizes listening and connection, key to building trust and influence in professional relationships.
- Embrace Uncertainty: Improvisation trains leaders to thrive in unpredictable situations, a critical skill in today’s fast-changing workplace.
- Lead Authentically: By exploring their values and strengths, women leaders gain the confidence to show up as their true selves.
Ready to help your women leaders thrive? At ImprovEdge, we’re shaping leaders who lead with courage and authenticity. Let’s elevate women leaders together.
Let’s improvise!
Reach out to learn how ImprovEdge training experiences deliver the biggest impact in the shortest time.
Related Resources & Articles
Tackling the Hidden Costs of Unproductive Meetings
Meetings are an integral part of the workplace, providing a platform for collaboration, decision-making, and…
5 Outcomes to Empathetic Leadership
Empathy keeps showing up as a key topic of conversation for team offsites. The need to be understood, heard and…
The Collective Strength: A Focus on Resilience
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lkdODbr3oY In a world where the only constant is change, resilience is a key trait for…
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Business training with an improv twist is about creating more flexible, agile, confident leaders and teams.
Following are frequently asked questions about ImprovEdge training:
ImprovEdge is a leadership and coaching consultancy that uses improvisational techniques to build better teams, improve communication, and create innovative problem-solving approaches. We offer training programs, coaching, and workshops to help individuals and organizations develop key leadership skills, foster creativity, and boost team dynamics.
ImprovEdge is the first company in the world to combine improvisational theater techniques with research in neuroscience, psychology and human behavior to create real-world business training and coaching that is sticky, deeply impactful and has results you can measure. Simply, it’s business training with an improv twist. Live virtual and in-person experiential learning experiences are customized to your organization and delivered by executive facilitators who have a blend of corporate work experience and theater performance experience. The result? More agile, confident, flexible leaders and teams.
ImprovEdge provides a wide array of services, including:
- Leadership Development: Programs and workshops designed to grow leadership skills using improvisation.
- Executive Coaching: Individual and group coaching to foster professional growth and goal achievement.
- Team Building: Customized sessions to improve communication, collaboration, and trust within teams.
- Keynotes: Inspirational talks and presentations on leadership, innovation, and culture.
For a full list of services, visit our Programs and Services page.
At ImprovEdge, we use improvisational theater techniques to help participants think on their feet, communicate effectively, and collaborate more efficiently. By embracing the principles of improv—like listening, adapting, and building on others’ ideas—participants develop skills that translate directly to real-world challenges in the workplace.
Improv is for everyone! Extroverts and introverts benefit from the tools and methods of improvisation. ImprovEdge programs are designed for:
- Leaders at all levels, from emerging leaders to c-suite executives.
- Teams looking to improve communication, collaboration, and innovation.
- Individuals seeking personal growth and professional coaching.
- Organizations aiming to enhance leadership, employee engagement, and company culture.
We help you draw the straight lines from the improv idea to the application to your work. Each workshop gives you everyday tools to help you and your team be agile, adapt to new ideas and innovate. Improv is a muti-sensory experience that engages mind and body for memorable learning experiences. Improvisation helps develop essential workplace skills such as:
- Quick thinking and adaptability: Respond to changes, challenges, and new information in real time.
- Team collaboration: Work effectively with others by listening, supporting, and building on ideas.
- Effective communication: Improve active listening and speaking skills, which are key in leadership and team dynamics.
- Creativity and innovation: Improv encourages thinking outside the box and solving problems creatively.
These skills are invaluable in fast-paced and complex work environments, making teams more resilient and adaptable.
We’re not here to make you an improv performer. ImprovEdge wants to help you be the best at what you do. Improv is not about being the loudest or funniest person in the room—it’s about listening, connecting, and being present in the moment. Introverts often excel in these areas, and improv provides a safe space to practice these skills in a supportive and non-judgmental environment. It can help introverts build confidence, improve communication, and feel more comfortable contributing to group discussions.
It’s natural to feel a little nervous about trying something new, but at ImprovEdge, we create an encouraging, safe and respectful environment. Our activities are designed to be fun and inclusive, with no pressure to “perform” in the traditional sense. The goal is to practice key leadership and collaboration skills, and everyone participates at their own comfort level. Many people are surprised at how much they enjoy it!
Yes! ImprovEdge tailors all programs to meet the specific needs of your organization. Whether you’re looking for leadership training, team development, or coaching support, we’ll work closely with you to design a program that aligns with your goals, culture, and unique challenges.
To schedule a workshop, training, or coaching session, visit our [Contact] page. One of our team members will help you find the right program and schedule a time that works for your organization.
ImprovEdge offers both in-person and virtual programs. Our live virtual workshops and coaching sessions are designed to be interactive and engaging, using a variety of digital tools to create a seamless learning experience.
ImprovEdge works with clients across all industries across the globe, including:
- Healthcare
- Pharmaceutical
- Technology
- Financial Services
- Education
- Retail
- And many more!
The length of our programs varies depending on the specific training or coaching package. We offer:
- Keynotes and Short workshops (1-2 hours)
- Half-day or full-day programs
- Multi-session leadership and coaching programs over several weeks or months.
We’ll work with you to determine the best format and duration for your needs.
Our pricing depends on the type and length of the program, the number of participants, and whether the program is in-person or virtual. For more detailed pricing information, please contact us directly through our Contact page or give us a call at 614-793-1738.
Absolutely! We offer a complimentary consultation to help you determine which of our services will best meet your needs. During the consultation, we’ll learn about your goals, challenges, and team dynamics and suggest programs that align with your vision.
homesample - ImprovEdge
Transform Performance
Agile, inclusive, confident leaders in half the time of traditional business training.
Programs
Through a combination of research, improvisation, and neuroscience, ImprovEdge provides customized, real-world business training solutions to transform your performance.
Business Training with an Improv Twist
Greatness cannot be achieved by being passive. It’s time to rethink the way you approach business training by stepping outside your comfort zone and learning how to think on your feet and confidently respond to every situation. Through a combination of improvisation and neuroscience, ImprovEdge can help make that happen—with customized, flexible business training solutions that give you an edge over the competition.
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Our Clients
"Nothing like hanging out w Karen Hough Majidzadeh from ImprovEdge! You’re definitely missing out if you’ve never crossed paths with her and her team. She’s special and what they deliver is meaningful, relevant and impactful in more ways than one. She’s won over every team she’s gotten in front of which is a unique accomplishment here at CCS."
Barbara Escalante Hess, CHRO, CCS Medical
"Our ImprovEdge experience included a full-day Presentation Skills workshop (beyond my expectations!) and 1:1 coaching for some of my leaders (what a difference in three sessions!). Their approach was thorough and customized to each individual – they helped my team leads build a confident, authentic presence for important presentations at our annual sales meeting. ImprovEdge heard our pain points and addressed the challenges in a thoughtful, efficient way."
Nicole Miller, AVP, Distribution Marketing, Nationwide
"These improvisational capabilities allow our leaders to be innovative and flexible and to collaborate on a radical level."
John Brock - Chairman and CEO, Coca-Cola Enterprises
"It was fantastic to have Karen with us at our sales conference, she got the team motivated and thinking – we’ve heard a lot of “yes AND” this week. Success!!"
Amy Gath - Vice President, North America Marketing, Formica
"The ImprovEdge Managing Tough Conversations program approach was the perfect solution for my busy team of property managers! Live virtual sessions combined with on-demand resources gave them timely tools to handle the variety of tough situations they face every day with positivity, empathy, and resiliency. ImprovEdge continues to be a great partner for our leadership development!"
Megan McGinnis - Founder and President, Eucalyptus Real Estate
