Posts by aceallen@earthlink.net
Previous Teams that Led to the Creation of the Suicide Squad
The Despondent Detachment The Plaintive Patrol The Melancholy Militia The Bleak Battalion The Really-I’m-Fine Regiment The Paxil Platoon The Ennui Echelon The Doleful Division The There’s-No-God Garrison The Angst Armada The Saturnine Sortie The Morose Marines The Inconsolable Infantry The Bummer Brigade The Cutting-MySelf-to-get-Attention Corps The Woeful Wing The Forlorn Fleet The...
Read MoreSuperman v. Tennessee Williams: A Streetcar named Justice
So here we are, Mister Superman, just you and I, face to face on the crumbling veranda of my ancestral home. It’s very kind of you to respond so promptly to my threats to kill you. It speaks well of your character. Care for a bourbon? This will be my ninth. You have some catching up to do. You must be pondering why I, Tennessee Williams, noted American playwright, would call you out, why...
Read MoreCovert Ops: The Battle to keep Phil from Dating Again
ATTEN-SHUN! I’m your commanding officer, Colonel Pod-Based-Espresso-Machine. We are about to embark on a critical black-ops psychological warfare mission. Make no mistake – this is a fight for our very way of life. And not all of you are going to survive. It’s been six months since Phil and Betsy broke up, and Phil is dangerously close to regaining his self-esteem. He’s dressing...
Read MoreWelcome to Refugee World!
The Second City Network picked up this piece I wrote during the height of Syrian Refugee paranoia – enjoy! http://www.secondcity.com/network/welcome-to-refugee-world/
Read MoreWhere Great Lines Come From
A lot of improvisers get this question: “How do you come up with all those funny lines so fast?” Brace yourself. I’m going to reveal a MAJOR secret of improv… We don’t. To be fair, I suppose there are some that do – a few mental geniuses who could have been calculating the metric density of plutons in a collapsing black hole, but dedicated themselves to spontaneously creating fart...
Read MoreThought Leader, or Lazy Jackoff?
If you’ve read many business articles or resumes in the last few years, you’ve probably seen this term: Thought Leader Sounds impressive, doesn’t it? But what does it mean? For far too many people, it means someone who sits on their ass and thinks – that’s it. They come up with ideas. Maybe they share those thoughts, but they don’t DO them – otherwise they’d be known for...
Read MoreRisk and Failure part 3 – The Failure Revolution
In part 1, I talked about why failure was critical to success. In part 2, I talked about how you can make yourself take more risks and be more failure tolerant. But it’s almost impossible to take risks and fail in an environment that doesn’t support it, especially in the workplace. Most businesses don’t support risk taking and failure. They WANT people to take risks -that’s how...
Read MoreRisk and Failure – Part 2
In part 1 I I talked about why risk and failure are critical to success. In fact, chances are that if you succeeded without any failures along the way, you may be in trouble – that success is likely built on luck more than honed through the flames of failure, and it may be a matter of time before it faces something it can’t handle. By the way, I’ve known a few people who...
Read MoreRisk and Failure – Part 1
If at first you don’t succeed… Most home-run hitters also strike out a lot. When you tee off on a pitch with enough power to knock it clear the park, you’re also going to miss…a lot. Most big success stories start with a lot of failures. They had to screw it up before they got it right, Apple was recently named the most valuable brand in the world. Just...
Read MoreBe Obvious
I’ve always been a pretty smart guy. Sometimes that’s to my benefit, other times, well, not so much. But we are what we are. You’re smart too. I know, because you’re reading this! (Okay, I don’t know you personally, so you MIGHT be a complete idiot…but you’re a complete idiot with good taste in blogs.) Being a smart person, you’ve probably been in situations where you’re...
Read MoreHave Fun!
I’ve looked at 5 major improv principles so far: Overaccepting Co-creating Yes, and.. Keeping it real But if there’s only once principle you pay attention to, it’s this: Improv Principle: Have Fun Business Reframe: If you’re not enjoying what you’re doing, do it differently or do something else – your enjoyment or lack thereof will speak volumes your customer “What...
Read MoreKeep it real, and have some depth
I accidentally skipped ahead last time – even though my master-list of principles isn’t in any particular order. Acting on impulse is an occupational hazard for an improvisor To recap so far: Over-accept Make your partner look good Say “Yes, and…” But this principle is something that’s often gets overlooked, and it’s something that’s getting more and more...
Read MoreBecoming a “yes man”
Improv Principle: Yes, and… Business Reframe: Take in what your customer \ associate says, and add a little something of your own. Quote from a bigwig who gets it: “Creative teams, the participants are told, now need to behave more like improv actors – story building’ instead of storytelling – so they can respond in real time to an unpredictable audience. “ Fast Company Magazine...
Read MoreThe Joy of Co-creation
After a broad overview of how to use improv principles in your business, I talked about making your partner look good. And now the next principle… Improv Principle: Discover the joy of co-creation Business Reframe: Your business is built creating a dialogue WITH others, not by doing a monologue Quote from a big-wig who gets it: “Self sufficiency appears to be a worthy goal, but it’s now...
Read MoreOur Annual Report in the Style of Tennessee Williams…
Improv has suddenly become a very hot topic for business. Sometimes improv is mentioned directly (like in Fast Company Magazine, or in Chris Brogan’s bestseller “Trust Agents”). Others like Gary Vaynerchuk and Seth Godin, have focused on some principles of improv as new paradigms of business (without mentioning improv by name). I recently attended a presentation by David Sibbet (founder...
Read MoreDefining “Win”
A new book about video games and society explains the benefits of the "flow" state gamers often get. Improvisors get it too, but how can we get better at getting into "flow" and how can we get more "flow" in everyday life.
Read MoreElsewhere on the web…
