Training and Events
Since 2005
Improv School
Improv School
Corporate Improv Training
Working all over Europe since 2005
Hoopla is the UK’s 1st improv theatre and the UK’s biggest improv school.
For almost 20 years, 1000s upon 1000s of students have passed through our classes.
Students leave our classes more effective communicators, more confident storytellers, and better team-players. We can help grow people in your business in the same way. Our experience is unrivalled. We have a track record of great results with a huge range of big corporate training clients. We’ve delivered improv for business workshops for clients including Google, Facebook, Accenture and Unilever and many more.
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Corporate Training
Testimonials
Bringing your team back together? We can help with that!
Our Corporate Training Clients Include:
Improv Techniques for Business
You want a corporate training solution that offers profound learning, fast. And from our experience you also want training that engages participants, so that not only do they enjoy learning: it sticks. Improvisation ticks all these boxes.
Improvisers are:
- Brilliant listeners.
- Fantastic collaborators.
- Engaging storytellers.
- Great communicators.
- Confident people who thrive in uncertainty.
- Creative thinkers.
And improv for business training can manifest these qualities and skills in your people.
Improvisers also work in teams which:
- Are defined by trust and support.
- Put a high value on emotional intelligence and active listening.
- Innovate constantly.
- Celebrate diversity and make full use of everybody’s ideas.
- Are open, honest and feedback rich.
Improv techniques for business training can create a similar culture at your organisation.
Improv for Business Workshops
Hire us for your event
Whether you’re looking to engage and energise guests at your next conference, strengthen team communication and culture, build skills or add some fun to your next meeting, we will work with you to create a memorable event.
Our offerings include:
- Breakout Workshops
- Interactive Keynotes
- Talk Shows
- Event Hosting
- Mass Participation Corporate Training
- Improvised Entertainment
- Scripted Scenes
Hoopla Business specialist in delivering improv for business events and corporate storytelling experiences at large scales. We are market leader in delivering to big audiences, from 100 to 2000 and beyond. We’ve done it for hundreds of big clients. From retail clients like Ralph Lauren and Chanel; FMCG brands like P&G and Unilever; through to media brands like Hearst and Trinity Mirror.
We bring almost 20 years experience to help you design an event that will live long in the memory, and-crucially-land the messages in an engaging way.
We aren’t just the funny people: we make learning stick and help you produce events that make your audience say ‘wow.’
Online improv workshops for business
We are delighted to offer our acclaimed improv for business workshops online.
These workshops are:
- Online-first: designed for the medium they are delivered in, not a normal workshop just
whacked on Zoom! - Short and sharp: suitable for people working from home.
- Available all over the world: we have delivered these across multiple time-zones and so this is perfect for geographically dispersed teams.
Online Team Building
Our improv team building workshops are the perfect way to [re]connect a hybrid or remote team. Our interactive and fun workshops are designed to bring your people together in a very human way – and to get everyone smiling. Plus, in our virtual improv workshops they’ll learn collaboration and communication skills that will last a lifetime. To find out how we deliver our virtual workshops, get in touch now.
To see how we can help with your brief email us now.
Short of time?
Here are 5 reasons why Hoopla improv for business workshops and corporate training will deliver a clear ROI:
1 – Inclusivity
All participants will learn inclusive behaviours that bring everybody into the conversation, so that we celebrate and create using the diversity of the group. We call it Group Mind. It’s founded in listening, respect and the passionate belief that we are greater than the sum of our parts.
2 – Innovation and change management
Innovation is the buzzword of our times. Disruptive technologies are changing the world, and everyone either needs to create their own or respond to the change they’ve unleashed. And they need to do it fast. Improvisers create hundreds of ideas together at speed, adapting to each new concept as they move. They are great people to look to for how you can achieve the same result at scale.
3 – Employee engagement
Employee engagement and retention is a key challenge for every organisation. Talented people are attracted to (and stay at) organisations that are invested in their growth. But what’s more, they want to enjoy their learning. Fun, experiential learning is central to what we do. And we walk the walk.
4 – Culture
A strong culture is fundamental to a successful business. Every company in the world, has their ‘values’ sprawled on the walls in lurid colours. But what about the behaviours that manifest these values? We can help you bring them to life and make them stick. Plus, you want a culture where people collaborate closely and open their mind to new ideas. At Hoopla we default to ‘yes, and’ rather than ‘no, because…’ We can help you have the same culture.
5 – Inspired by the arts, grounded in science
Everything we do is fun and inspired by our heritage in the world of improvisational theatre. However, we sense check every principal and exercise with research from behavioural economics, social neuroscience and performance psychology to make sure you get the corporate training outcomes you want. Plus there are practical work-place takeaways landed at every turn.
Corporate Training Resources
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VIDEO - Why you should care about improv
In this short video, Max Dickins explains why improv matters, and shares some tips you can use in your daily life.
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Facilitator interviews
Get an introspective on our workshops with these interviews with our trainers.
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How improv fits into the creative process of a workplace
Improv, playfulness and spontaneity can be used in the workplace to great effect.
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Improv techniques for business
Some practical things to try, along with some business improv theory to think about.
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Using improv as part of your innovation strategy
Combining an improvisers ideation skills with more traditional creation models can really boost your innovation.
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Facilitator Bios
Learn a little bit about the backgrounds and teaching philosophies of our corporate workshop facilitators.
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Student perspective: how improv fits with an MBA’
Sabine Rutili, who has taken a variety of Hoopla’s improv course, writes on the benefits of improv in a business setting.
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Client Case-Study: IDEO - Improv and Design Thinking
IDEO Communication Designer Luca Ponticelli speaks on his company's experience with Hoopla Business workshops, and about the relationship between design thinking and improvisational theory.
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How to make a personal impact when meeting someone
Six tips on how to make a profound personal impact on a first meeting.
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How to rediscover your creative confidence
Use the secrets of improv to get your creative swagger back.
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The Art of Improvisational Listening
How to listen better at work and build stronger relationships.
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How to think of your feet: lead better with the secrets of improv
Tips and tricks on how to lead with the skills of improv!
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Why is improv great for business?
Our Founder, Max Dickins, explains the basics of improv, and why they were so well in the corporate world.
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Why the ‘Yes, and’ rule can improve your business relationships
How you can create and sustain long-lasting business relationships with improv!
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All you need to know to give great feedback
Our top tips on how to give and receive feedback like a pro.
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5 ICEBREAKERS YOU CAN USE AT WORK RIGHT NOW!
Our five best icebreakers you can use at work today!
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5 MORE IMPROV TIPS TO HELP YOU BREAK THE ICE IN MEETINGS!
We share five improv techniques that will help you excel in work meetings!
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Work with what you’ve got w/ School Teacher Teresa Senyah
We talked to school teacher Teresa Senyah about how improv has helped her remain calm in spite of challenging circumstances, how to focus on the things that you can control and why improv might be beneficial to children.
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Using improv to find a new direction in life w/ Jennifer Longden
We talked to Jennifer Longden, lead HR in a Fintech company as well as a Drama graduate. She talked to us about how improv changed her direction in life as well as how it’s changed her perception of work.
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Using Improv to Counter Perfectionism w/ Chris Rosser
Chris told us about how improvisation has given him the head start over his peers on the course and how his using the power of creativity to counter his perfectionist tendencies.
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Interview with our founder, Max Dickins
An interview from Ravi Iyer's podcast with our founder, Max Dickins.
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Improv for Children’s Stories w/ Mara Alperin
We talked to Story Producer Mara Alperin of Wonderbly, a company which specialises in creating personalised children’s books.
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Adapting to an online world w/ Freya C
We talked to Freya C. who started doing improv with us this year. After taking some time off of work at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, Freya found herself in a Black Mirror-esque world where all of her interactions with her peers were online.
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Give yourself permission to be big w/ Kate Heward
Kate talks about giving herself permission to be big when it comes to ideas and how improv helped her to create an LGBTQ+ clothing brand.
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We’ll have to improvise our way out of this
How improvisation skills can help you navigate a post-Covid world.
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How to Boost your Communication Skills Post-Lockdown
Some improv tricks and tips to freshen up your communication game!
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Graham Allcott with Max Dickins
Beyond Busy #93 with Max Dickins, a transcript of an interview with our founder, Max Dickins.
Want to know more?
Get in touch with our team!
Our Trainers
Our corporate trainers are amongst the most experienced improvisers in the UK. Our main trainers are listed below, and we have lots more that we work with to enable us to take on bigger events than any other improv company in Europe.
Max Dickins
Max Dickins is the Company Director and co-founder of Hoopla Business corporate training. He is an award-winning comedian who has both written for and performed on television in both the UK and the USA.
Steve Roe
Steve Roe is the Co-Founder and Director of Hoopla Impro and Hoopla Business corporate training. He previously worked as a Management Consultant at Accenture and is currently studying an MBA.
Monica Gaga
Monica is an experienced presenter, comedian, producer and actor. She is one of the key figures behind the regular sell out show ‘Do The Right Scene’, a BAME comedy night on the Hoopla Impro mainstage.
Maria Peters
Maria Peters is storytelling and personal impact trainer who has worked with corporate training clients all over the world for more than 15 years. Maria is also an improvisation veteran, regularly producing and performing in sell out show ‘The Playground’.
Katy Schutte
Katy Schutte is an author and critically acclaimed performer. Katy is a Funny Women finalist and both nominee and winner of the Brighton Festival Fringe Best Comedy Show award.
F.A.Q.s
What is improv?
Improv is the art of making things up in the moment as part of a team. The core improv skills are listening, accepting and building on offers in order to create new ideas and stories as a team.
How can improv corporate training help me run my business more effectively?
Improv builds creative and motivated teams with better relationships between staff. Our training gives your team a shared understanding of a creative process that can be easily remembered and used every day at work. Individuals benefit from better creative skills, listening skills and teamwork skills.
What will individuals get from it?
Confidence in speaking up within a team. Better creative skills, spontaneity, listening skills, teamwork skills, storytelling skills and thinking on your feet. Also an understanding of a creative process that can be used throughout their career.
Is it scary?
Not at all. Nobody is on a stage in front of an audience. We do everything in exercises together as group or in pairs. We also warm into everything slowly so nothing feels like a big leap. The feedback we get at the end of workshops is how warm the environment is and it's something we really focus on. This is definitely NOT a comedy workshop. No one needs to know jokes and no one will be telling jokes. And it is definitely NOT a drama workshop. No one is going to be pretending to be a tree either! Everything is tied acutely into day-to-day relevant. The exercises and games are simply tools allowing participants to embody the learning.
Do I have to have any experience?
Not at all. No acting, improvising or any sort of performing experience is necessary whatsoever. You don't have to be funny either. You just have to be yourself.
Sounds kind-of weird. Is this a normal thing to do at work?!
Absolutely. We've worked with a huge range of corporate training clients across a gamut of industries. By using improv as a training tool you'll be following in the footsteps of Google, Twitter and Apple. Plus, improvisation training is now part of most leading business school programmes worldwide. In fact, we’ve worked with London Business School on their MBA programme.
Do you work abroad?
Absolutely. We’ve done conferences and workshops in Berlin, Copenhagen, Paris and Barcelona recently.
How many people can you cater for?
Anything from 5 to 200 for workshops, and at conferences we’ve done keynotes to audiences of up to a thousand. We have a number of coaches trained in our ideas and method and so we can cater for any scale.
What about venue?
We can do both off-site and on-site. We are happy to travel or we can help you arrange a suitable space.
How long do the sessions last? Can you vary the length?
We’re flexible with time, we usually do either half-day or full day sessions. We can also do short, fast and fun team-building and ice-breaker sessions of an hour or less. We can also get more involved with your company and do a longer run of sessions or regular ongoing weekly sessions to keep the improv skills alive in your company.
What are your fees?
Fees depend on size, duration and location of workshop, please get in touch and we’ll be able to send you a quote.
Can you adapt sessions to suit the needs of my company?
Yes. We meet with you before the sessions to fully understand your company and design corporate training to specifically suit your needs.
Can you get more involved with my company on an ongoing basis?
Yes. We can come back regularly and do a string of sessions, or get more involved with creative processes in your company.
What do you do in a workshop?
It depends from company to company. Generally we start with an opening chat about improv and its core concepts, and how they can fit into the workplace. We then do some friendly warm-ups and ice breakers with participants working in pairs or small groups. We then do some exercises to teach core improv skills like listening, ‘Yes, and’ and spontaneity. We then teach some applied exercises to show how improv can be used to build creative teams in the workplace. We end with a creative challenge where everyone puts the skills learnt into practice. Want to learn more? Drop us a line to see some case studies from our clients.
Will it work with shy people and people who don’t want to be in front of an audience?
Yes. We have over 14 years experience of teaching complete beginners. Our speciality is teaching improv skills to people with no previous experience. We don’t force people to do anything they don’t want to do, and we create a very fun, safe and supportive environment where people are free to be themselves.
Who else have you worked with?
We’ve worked with various corporate training clients from a huge variety of industries. Including Google, Apple, Facebook, Accenture, ITV, Unilever, LinkedIn, KPMG, AMV BBDO and more.
Do you have experience of my industry?
Probably. In addition to expertise in improv and comedy our trainers also have experience of working in TV, Advertising, Law, Sales, Business and IT.
Do you provide any supporting materials?
Yes. We can design handouts and booklets for each company that the participants can keep and refer to after the session.
Are there any physical restrictions?
We can vary the exercises to suit everyone’s physical needs.
What are the best things to wear on the day?
There are no special clothing requirements.
How do I book a workshop?
Please contact us.