Leading with Applied Improv by Izzy Gesell – Leading Through Play, Presence & Connection

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Product Overview (by Elutify):

Discover Leadership through the Lens of Improv

In an ever-changing, unpredictable world, the best leaders don’t merely respond — they adapt, improvise, and co-create. Leading with Applied Improv by Izzy Gesell offers a transformative approach to leadership that draws on the principles, mindset, and practices of improvisational theater. You’ll learn to lead with curiosity, presence, trust, and spontaneity — even in uncertain environments.

This course isn’t about entertainment or performance skills. Instead, it’s about applying improv tools to real leadership challenges: team dynamics, communication, decision-making, psychological safety, and adaptive resilience.

Meet the Instructor: Izzy Gesell

Izzy Gesell is a recognized organizational alchemist, coach, facilitator, and improv practitioner. He co-founded the Applied Improv & Humor Club and authored multiple courses on leadership, team-building, and workplace humor.

With a background as a former stand-up comedian, teacher, and facilitator, Izzy integrates humor, playfulness, and deep insight. He helps professionals and teams reclaim presence, heighten connection, and lean into improvisation as a leadership strategy.

He holds credentials like CSP (Certified Speaking Professional) and is known for making serious transformation feel engaging and playful.

Why This Course Matters

The Leadership Shift You Didn’t Know You Needed

Traditional leadership models emphasize control, planning, and certainty. But in volatile times, the ability to pivot, sense, and co-create in real time becomes a distinct advantage. Applied improv fosters:

• Presence & listening: being fully in the moment

• Acceptance & yes-and mindset: validating ideas before judgment

• Trust & psychological safety: letting others show up with vulnerability

• Adaptability & creativity: surfacing novel responses under pressure

Real Tools, Not Just Theory

Izzy doesn’t teach improv tricks for showmanship. He brings practical games, group practices, and mindset shifts you can immediately apply in meetings, conversations, and leadership challenges. These tools are used in real organizations, not just in theaters.

What You Will Learn

By the end of this course, you will:

• Understand the core principles of Applied Improv and its relevance to leadership

• Cultivate presence and vulnerability in communication

• Lead with curiosity through inquiry-based approaches

• Use “Yes, And…” stance to foster psychological safety

• Apply improv games and practices with teams to spark creativity

• Adapt decision-making under uncertainty with improv mindsets

• Integrate these practices into daily leadership frameworks

Course Structure & Module Overview

Foundation: Principles of Applied Improv

Explore the fundamental pillars of improv: acceptance, curiosity, spontaneity, and energetic attunement. Learn how these map to leadership muscle.

Inquiry & Adaptive Leadership

Develop the art of asking better questions. Learn to lead from inquiry rather than directive authority — fueling conversation over monologue.

Improv in Practice

Engage in improv games and partner/group exercises adapted for teams and work settings. Practice spontaneous responses, building trust, active listening, and co-creation.

Mindset & Culture Shift

Adopt a mindset that sees uncertainty as opportunity. Use improv stances to shift team culture toward psychological safety, experimentation, and co-leadership.

Integration & Application

Map out how to bring improv tools into your workplace — meetings, strategy sessions, feedback conversations, conflict resolution. Create a plan to sustainably embed these practices.

Who Should Enroll & What to Expect

Ideal Participants

• Emerging and seasoned leaders wanting more agile impact

• Team leads, managers, and department heads

• Coaches, facilitators, and workshop designers

• Professionals seeking to enhance collaboration, creativity, and trust

No prior improv or theater experience is required — only openness to engage, play, and experiment.

Course Format & Experience

• Self-paced video lessons, demonstrations, and guided practices

• Improv games you can play solo, in pairs, or with your team

• Reflection prompts and exercises to integrate learning

• Support for applying tools in your real work context

• Lifetime access or long-term access (depending on platform)

Benefits You Can Expect

• Greater confidence in leading uncertainty and change

• More engaging, inclusive, and responsive team dynamics

• Improved capacity for listening, curiosity, and generative dialogue

• A shift toward experimentation, trust, and psychological safety

• Practical improv patterns you can deploy immediately

Many participants report more energy in meetings, more connection with their teams, and fresh creativity after just a few practices.

Tips to Maximize Your Learning

• Practice regularly — even short improv prompts in daily work

• Use reflection and journaling to capture insights

• Try teaching or leading a mini-improv exercise with your team

• Ask for feedback and refine your style

• Integrate improv mindset, not just exercises — shift how you listen and respond

Testimonials & Social Proof

“Izzy Gesell shows how improv is not just for performers — it’s a leadership superpower. This training transformed how I lead in chaos.”

“After applying just two improv games in meetings, our team engagement soared. We became more spontaneous, creative, and trusting.”

Ethical Use & Best Practices

Applied Improv is not a magic fix — it’s a relational method. Use it with respect, consent, and care. Always frame improv exercises as experiments, not pressures. Be mindful of psychological safety and group readiness.

Call to Action

Are you ready to lead with more presence, creativity, and trust? Enroll in Leading with Applied Improv by Izzy Gesell and begin transforming your leadership through play and improvisation.

Bring curiosity, not control — lead from the co-creative edge.

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