IA Innovation: Improv Asylum's Corporate Training Division
Take yourself back to the last leadership and employee training your company had. Was it exciting and memorable… or did you master the art of sleeping with your eyes open while someone talked at you for several hours?
It’s time to find a new training experience that will leave your whole team buzzing with energy and ready to innovate, without having to trust fall into the arms of senior management. IA Innovation has the perfect solution.
Working closely with your group, we’ll figure out the problem areas within the company to create an innovative training experience that is based on your needs and produces results unique to your company or organization. Using similar improvisational techniques to create ensemble comedy on our stages, we’ll inspire your team to work together, flex their creative muscles, and produce more innovative ideas… all while sharing a few laughs in the process.
Find out why organizations like Intel, Google, Twitter, PwC, Fidelity, Harvard, MIT, and MasterCard have all tapped into IA Innovation’s unique and effective training approach to help them continue to be leaders in their space. Now, what can we do for your team? Email our Director of Business Development Bob Melley, set up a call to discuss options, or submit your info below for more details on our program.
And now, we’re doing it all online! Find more about our Virtual Programs.
Watch Norm Laviolette and his team from Improv Asylum in action at the Arbinger Institute Summit!
Training Options
Signature Program
Google, Life is good, PWC, Liberty Mutual, Raytheon, Bank of America and Converse have all signed up.
Our most popular program. Effective communication, listening and team work skills. Everyone is up and doing. Not only do we drill down with the tools and techniques of improv but we also blend in the themes and messages that are important to your group.
Cyber Core
Our most popular program, the Signature Core Session, is now available online. This training highlights the importance of adapting in the moment and being able to change course as keys to survival.
Led by an expert facilitator, our Signature Core Session will show how the tools and techniques of improv -- the same skills that our seasoned performers use on stage -- will help everyone communicate and listen more effectively, build off the ideas of others, and think fast on their feet. These skills are needed now more than ever as teams are expected to adapt to remote workflows.
Our 60-minute Signature Core Session is customized to the culture and experiences of your organization to be interactive, fun and impactful. It can be delivered easily for a team of 25 to teams of 100. For larger groups, we add facilitators and utilize break out rooms. Our Cyber Core program can also be delivered via Zoom or your organization’s internal broadcast platform.
The Comedy Show Experience
Trip Advisor, Biogen Idec, and Silicon Valley Bank have all been part of a long list who have aspired to stardom.
Focusing on risk-taking, collaboration, and trusting your teammates, we will turn everyday corporate employees into comedy pros! This program is a hilarious way to have your team stretch a bit outside of their comfort zone while also focusing on camaraderie and shared experiences.
The Curriculum
Twitter does it! Why not you? A series of weekly/monthly improv workshops at your office or campus. Guaranteed to positively impact each and every group member in the organization.
Leadership Cascade
Google, Nokia and Carl Zeiss use it. Effective leadership skills maintenance program that ensures that you are communicating and listening to your team and, by your actions and example, giving them the tools to carry out the right process and values that are key to your organization.
Put Me in Coach!
Work one-on-one with our trainers to reap the rewards of improvisational training which can be applied to all areas of life. Intensive and impactful, and blending in the foundation of improv, we can focus on any theme and/or message.
The Tribute Roast
Is there a retirement on the horizon for a leader or team member? A milestone to recognize? How about simply honoring the contribution of an employee in a fun and unique way? Let us help you design and craft a tribute roast to an individual or team by engaging in a scripted and lighthearted program that will blend in specific and memorable career moments. Hosted by our facilitators/performers, the Tribute Roast will have everyone laughing as they honor.
A Room with a View
Our trainers are also performers who can adapt to any scenario or setting and portray a character and image that can be used to highlight differences in sales, management, or leadership techniques. Expectations and perceptions of what works in your environment can be viewed and approached differently when you are on the outside looking in.
Want to learn more about our training options? Or just to speak to real, LIve human?
Let’s Stay Together
Sick of hearing “in these uncertain times?” So are we. While there are things you can’t change about the state of the world right now, you can take active steps to keep up your team’s energy, motivation, and culture!
This virtual program will speak to everyone, whether it is an individual team or enterprise-wide, and will serve as a celebration of what lies ahead and a reminder that we made it this far by staying together!
This 15-minute high-energy online session will get everyone up and on their feet, ready to embrace the future while serving up some valuable and key tenets of how to balance being “present” while being “remote” and staying accountable to each other and our teams.
Diversity Awareness Training Program
Improv Asylum combines their interactive delivery of innovative communication skills with a special focus on Diversity and Inclusion Awareness, to create a stronger workplace culture. Our instructors will lead your team through a fun, thought-provoking program - one that unites the
group opens the door to finding common ground and establishes trust. By building on the principles of improvisation, this program will encourage participants to make new connections and bring awareness and appreciation for each other’s unique strengths. Read More…
The Off Keynote
Fidelity Investments, John Hancock, CBRE, and Deloitte have energized their conferences and meetings.
Let us kick off your agenda! We will set the tone from the start by demonstrating how the tools and techniques of improv can help your organization continue to lead in its space. Extremely engaging and interactive, we can also close the program with a hilarious finishing improv set.
Master Presenter Challenge
Whether you have a sales force, a small group of senior leaders or are looking to have your team best represent the organization, take the challenge!
We will challenge you and your group by asking each participant to present on subjects and situations that are provided in the moment by our instructors! The ultimate test of thinking fast on your feet, we will prepare you for any presentation in any environment.
The Real World
A favorite and repeat program for Harvard Business School, MIT, Boston University, and Northeastern to name a few.
Hands-on and interactive and specifically designed to prepare our future leaders with the skill sets they will need to be successful. Perfect for new hires, incoming graduate students, or intern programs, let us help you lead and succeed!
Start Me Up
From Mass Challenge (US&UK) to iZotope and Liboo, we’re helping teams prepare for the future.
Designed specifically for Start-Ups and rapidly growing organizations. The ability to adapt in the moment and tack to a new course are keys to survival. This intense program delivers the tools needed to navigate through the noise and focus on the objective.
To Your Health
Healthcare delivery systems depend on excellent teamwork and the top healthcare facilities know that investing in their teams is a top priority. Research shows that good team functioning is positively correlated with improved staff satisfaction, reduced burnout, and improved patient outcomes. Whether you want to bond a newly merged unit, improve communication skills on an established team, or even work through a unique challenge facing your department - we have a workshop for you.
Venue Partners
Looking for a place to host your training? In Boston, we’ve partnered with Improv Asylum and Laugh Boston to bring you the best training experience possible. In New York at Asylum NYC.
A fantastic opportunity to take the team out of their usual surroundings and into a setting that will help their innovative and creative self flourish. Create a new comfort zone and transform the workplace for your division, department and company by giving them the tools to continue to succeed.
Improv Asylum
Laugh Boston
Asylum NYC
About
Norm Laviolette, Co Founder
As the co-founder and CEO of Improv Asylum, IA innovation and Asylum Gaming and Esports (AGE), Norm brings the experience of building companies from the ground up into multi-million dollar businesses. Norm understands first hand why culture is integral to long-term success and has built a team that exemplifies why communicating, listening and trusting are so important.
Norm is on a never-ending quest towards the continued development and expansion of Improv Asylum’s theatrical and IA Innovation’s business divisions and leads Improv Asylum and IA Innovation's strategic business and artistic vision locally, nationally and globally.
The team has developed and implemented thousands of innovative training programs across the globe.
As actors, writers and producers, our team of instructors have written and produced several renowned television pilots. As lead instructors and facilitators with both Improv Asylum and IA Innovation, they have also created and developed a series of innovative and customizable training programs geared toward the corporate learning and development world.
Bob Melley, Managing Director
Bob is the Managing Director for IA Innovation and is responsible for client relations, day to day operations and business development throughout Europe and the globe.
As a former EVP and COO of major revenue companies across the entertainment and technology industries, Bob brings a wealth of business development experience and knowledge.
Testimonials
“We had a terrific experience. Thank you so much to the team, our group came away very energized and positive about each other and working together. It is interesting that we have a group that is deathly afraid of volunteering, but they don’t mind at all being called on, and we appreciate that because it allows them to participate. It was nice that your facilitators read the room and pivoted away from volunteers to “you, you, you”, that was definitely good for us. Similarly, many in my group were intimidated by the theatrical nature of the venue, and then were so delighted that it was such a safe and inclusive experience. Thank you for a wonderful afternoon for my team.”
“I recommend Improv Asylum to anyone in the corporate world who is trying to find a unique way to help leaders build on their teamwork, listening skills, communication and camaraderie! The techniques used were very effective and educational while being fun for everyone! Even the people who were most skeptical came away surprised and happy that we used the experts at Improv Asylum to bolster our team dynamics for future success!”
“We were looking for something unique… a different twist on corporate training. It was the highlight of our sales kick off! Very different from your more traditional corporate training workshops… It was a rousing success.”
“Our leadership session was perfect! Our facilitator really did an excellent job guiding us through the exercises and facilitating our afternoon discussion! It really was just what we were looking for!”
““With IA Innovation and Robert Melley and his team we have found a partner for leadership communication which provide us with ideas and programs that even exceed our expectations. In 2012 they supported us at the Zeiss Strategy Summit which was held at Harvard Business School – with more than 100 top executives from all Zeiss entities participating in a full-day program on leadership and communication. In 2013 we were happy that they joined our Vision Care Business Group Leadership Summit in Frankfort, also with more than 100 executives in attendance, and provided the leadership team with a customized, entertaining and very instructing program that addressed the main challenges of our business.
The days with IA Innovation have made lasting impressions and the general feedback from the vast majority of participants is that they learned something sustainable for their work and their own professional development. We are deeply convinced that the way IA Innovation has defined to take leadership communication to the next level is unique in its approach and in its sustainable outcome for participants and company . . . “ ”
“We recently participated in MassChallenge’s 2014 Boot Camp and provided our innovative and interactive Keynote training program for up to 180 start up companies. Helping early stage entrepreneurs win with MassChallenge, Improv Asylum kicked off day 1 of the Boot Camp by teaching valuable skill sets to help them get ahead of the pack and to stay there!
“Check out what MassChallenge and the boot campers had to say about us and our program! Some great video too!”
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““We loved working with the energetic, creative, and agile Improv Asylum team at our annual Store Leader Conference in Las Vegas. They delivered “Yes, And” training to help every store team build rapport and to authentically create guest value. Over 5,000 leaders learned how to use focused listening for building rapport and sales, and they learned how to create a culture that exceeds guest expectations with social confidence, agility and creativity “”
““Wow! Your team was GREAT! “Yes, and…” resonated with staff and we are hearing it used daily. We appreciate your team’s enthusiasm in helping us build a culture of excellence.””
Globoforce @workhuman conference in Phoenix-5/31/17
Harvard University’s New Venture Competition- April 2017
Northeastern’s Center for the Adv of Vets and Servicemembers – 5/17
DTCC January 14, 2016 Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce- 1/26/16 @ Laugh Boston
Intel EMEA in Sopot, Poland on 9/15/15
Healthcare Source. 10/27/15. Orlando, Florida
WestJet on June 2, 2016 in Calgary, Canada.
The Boston Foundation, Boston Massachusetts
@websummit2014 Dublin
Fidelity Investments-Boston
Press
Irish Times
Using Comedy Tools to Drive Creative Ideas and Serious Results,
January 30, 2015
Slate
Getting to “Yes And,”, March 30, 2014
Metro
Veterans Use Improv Classes to Gain Confidence Back in Civilian Life,
May 08, 2017
Boston Magazine
Boston’s Most Unique Corporate Team Building Experiences,
October 2017
BBC News
No joke: Why the business world is embracing comedy
March 10, 2016
Entrepreneur Magazine
Improv and Comedy Can Infuse Companies With an Inventive Spirit,
July 31, 2014
Inc. Magazine
Want to Be More Creative? Think on Your Feet, April 2014
Yahoo! Finance
IA Innovation and Improv Asylum Launch IA Innovation West, October 2017
IA Innovation West
IA Innovation, an Improv Asylum company, is pleased to announce that they have established IA Innovation West in Los Angeles, California to better serve the growing demand for their world-renowned employee and leadership training services. As the global leaders in innovation and performance, IA Innovation will be positioned to respond and implement its impactful and engaging programs across the west coast.
“We are extremely excited to take this step,” says Norm Laviolette, Co-Founder and CEO of Improv Asylum. “By having our facilitators, who are well-versed in our unique approach and methods, ready to work with some of America’s most innovative and forward-thinking organizations, it will allow IA innovation to continue to be a leader across the country.”
“We have been helping to transform workplace cultures by teaching the tools and techniques of improv since 1998,” says Laviolette. “And now with a solid and agile presence in Los Angeles, IA Innovation will continue to work globally with companies and organizations like Google, Fidelity, Nokia, and Harvard Business School. This new hub helps facilitate that even more.”
Improv Asylum is a comedy theater that features improvisation and sketch comedy, located in Boston's historic North End. The theater’s shows have been described as Whose Line is it Anyway? meets Saturday Night Live. Opened in 1998, Improv Asylum has performed over 6,000 shows, for over 2 million people. Improv Asylum has been featured on HBO. The company has performed in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Austin, Aspen and throughout the country. Improv Asylum also offers unique corporate training, hilarious customized corporate shows and a student training center.
IA Innovation works with corporations of all sizes to create innovative corporate training experiences that are unique to each organization. Drawing from similar improvisational techniques that are used on stage, IA Innovation inspires corporate teams to work together and produce more innovative ideas, all while sharing a few laughs in the process.
Contact
Looking for Next steps? Feel free to schedule a call to discuss training options, or use the form below to request further info!
IA Innovation East
216 Hanover Street, Boston MA
IA Innovation West
5419 Hollywood Boulevard, Suite 383, Los Angeles, CA 90027