Improvisation is the heart of coaching. It’s being in the moment, listening and responding. Play and creativity are not just fun features – they’re fundamental to powerful coaching. In this session, we use improv rules and structures from theatre and comedy, as well as those tailored just for coaches, to experiment, play and learn.

These techniques build comfort with not pre-planning or getting ahead in coaching conversations and trust in the bottomless well of ideas and possibilities that we all have access to all of the time. There are no scripts in coaching; we improvise throughout every session. However, improv and coaching both have structure (often hidden from the audience or client) in which we can explore and play.

The American Academy of Pediatrics said, “Play is not just about having fun but about taking risks, experimenting and testing boundaries.” These elements are also integral to improvisation. Just as children and animals learn through play and experience so do adults.

Play fosters creativity, problem-solving and social connection. Starting with a set of rules and agreements, we co-create. Because play is also fun, participants can easily enter a state of full engagement, or flow. Having a shared structure is not enough. We must practice with it.

Holding play as the best practice for learning coaching and communication skills enables coaches to grow into empathic, deeply present partners.