Improv is having a moment. What was once considered a slacker art form for college students and actors is now taught to businesses worldwide as leaders discover the transformational power of active listening, agreement, and play that improv offers its practitioners.

One of the art form’s greatest practitioners and instructors is John Sweeney, owner and director of the oldest comedy club in the U.S., the Brave New Workshop in Minneapolis, Minnesota. We’re happy to have him as our closing keynote speaker at this year’s VenueConnect on Monday, July 25, 4:15 p.m.

Sweeney believes that innovation is always a reflection of individuals reacting from a mindset of fear than one of discovery. His keynote will focus on how to apply improv-based behaviors and skills to positively influence innovation in the workplace.

We recently asked Sweeney a few questions about discovery, innovation, and improv.

What is the Mindset of Discovery?

John Sweeney: It is a state of being in which you are able to gather information and instinctual data very fast, reduce the level of initial judgment, and increase your ability to be nimble and action biased. It is when we are behaving as our most innovative selves and working at our most our most innovatively productive level.

Why do so many companies have difficulty in creating a culture of innovation?

JS: Culture is the sum of the behaviors of the many individuals who make up the team. Their individual behaviors are hard to metric, hard to mandate, and sometimes even hard to encourage. That is why I see so many companies focusing on the tools they can build and buy (like software and other technology) and the specific skills they can teach (like design thinking or brainstorming techniques). They miss the mark on the behavior part of innovation and allow it to fall off the radar.

What is the biggest challenge business professionals struggle with when learning improv concepts and how do you overcome the challenge?

JS: It is a tie—reducing judgment and fear of failure. Our recommendation is that they find ways to practice both in a safe environment that allows them to slowly build up the behaviors needed for innovation at work

How has a career in improv and public service changed you over the years?

JS: I try to live a life that embraces “Yes And.” This helped me on stage and continues to help as I grow our business and give back as much as I can. Our family and our company continue to ask two questions, “What can we build and who can we help?” As an improviser, I know that I have everything I need at all times to deliver innovation. That drives me to live a life of service.

(Image: Facebook)

If you’re sitting in one of these four available seats, I’d argue that yes, they are the best seats in the stadium.

The Samsung Slider will debut at the HSBC London Sevens at Twickenham Stadium (May 21-22) and will move fans up and down the touchline.

“Featuring a ‘revolutionary aluminum technological design,’ Samsung’s specially designed sliding bench will be fitted onto a track that runs the entire 100-meter length of Twickenham’s playing field, giving four lucky fans the chance to stay close to the action throughout the entire game,” Trevor Mogg reported for Digital Trends. “And with a top speed of 20 mph, they should be in for quite a ride.”

The slider has already seen action in Australia in 2014 during a rugby match.

Securing a sliding requires an entry in Samsung’s online contest. And look, a video!

Coming soon to #TwickenhamStadium, a quantum leap in viewing experience. Watch this space. #SamsungSliderpic.twitter.com/DH5g7LNyAE

— Samsung Sport (@samsungsport) May 5, 2016

(Image: Samsung)

IAVM is pleased to announce that Pam Borton, the winningest coach in the University of Minnesota women’s basketball history, will speak at VenueConnect 2016 as the Women in Leadership keynote address speaker on Monday, July 25, at 9:45 a.m.

Borton is a top‐performing, ICF executive coach, keynote speaker, and author who is dedicated to taking individuals, teams, and organizations to the next level.

She stands apart with 27 years of high‐level, Division 1 coaching experience, including 12 years as head coach at the University of Minnesota. She led her teams to a Final Four, three straight Sweet Sixteen’s, and six NCAA Tournament appearances. Having successfully navigated the pressure and expectations of a highly visible position in an ultra‐competitive environment, Borton now brings that unique background to her C‐suite, senior-level leaders and coaching teams in business.

A multiple award‐winning recipient, Borton has been honored with the Top 10 Global Women of Leadership Pillar Award, the Ann Bancroft Dream Maker Award, the (Real) Power 50 Award, the New England National Coach of the Year, and was a two‐time Naismith National Coach of the Year nominee. To further expand her life’s purpose and passion, she co‐founded TeamWomenMN in 2011, a non‐profit dedicated to empowering women to reach their full potential. In 2014, she also founded a leadership academy for girls in grades 5‐12, a non‐profit whose mission is to develop leadership skills among girls and young women. As a result, she was honored with the creation of the Pam Borton Endowment at the University of Minnesota in the College of Education and Human Development, the only endowment of its kind in the world.

In addition to founding Borton Partners in 2014, an executive coaching firm, she delivers keynote presentations nationally and has authored a book titled ON Point (spring 2016). Borton has a master’s degree in sports management from Bowling Green State University, an advanced certification in personal and executive coaching from the College of Executive Coaching in Santa Barbara, California, is certified in the Everything DiSC and customized 360 assessment tools, and is certified and a member of the International Coaches Federation.

Some of you may be aware of the proposed changes in the Department of Labor’s (DOL) Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) in regards to overtime pay and are asking what can be done about it.

WHAT IS THE PROPOSED RULE CHANGE?

The DOL is seeking to change the salary levels for “white collar” exemptions to increase from the current minimum of US$455 per week ($23,660 annually) to $970 per week ($50,440 annually). Employees paid below the $50,440 threshold would be entitled to overtime on any work over 40 hours per week.

WHY THE PROPOSED RULE CHANGE?

According to the DOL, the rules that establish which workers are exempt from overtime pay have not kept up with the cost of living. Today, certain professionals and managers are exempt from overtime pay if they make more than $23,660 annually and perform specific duties. This is less than the poverty threshold ($24,008) for a family of four.

HOW CAN YOU BE INVOLVED?

The Partnership to Protect Workplace Opportunity was formed in response to the proposed rule changes and created a simple, two-minute process to show support of two bills in the U.S. Congress that would require the DOL to conduct an analysis of the impact on businesses and nonprofits before moving forward with the overtime rule changes.

STEP 1:

Visit http://protectingopportunity.org/take-action/
Click on the appropriate button (e.g., non-profit, business, higher education)
Fill in your contact information
Hit submit to email letter (already written) to the U.S. Office of Management and Budget

STEP 2:

Fill in your contact information again
Hit submit to email another letter (already written) to your appropriate members of Congress

The proposed overtime rule changes would make nearly five million exempt employees eligible for overtime pay, including employees in many of your venues. We are staying on top of the latest news concerning its legislation and will keep you informed of any changes that directly affect you. Please feel free to reach out to me for more information or with questions.

(Image: casserpiller/Creative Commons)

Live Nation, NextVR, Hulu, and Vice Media have teamed together to stream virtual reality (VR) concerts starting this summer.

“We have these magical two hours happening, and we have access to the environment, whether on stage or backstage interviews,” Live Nation President and CEO Michael Rapino told Bloomberg. “We’ve been on a quest to take those two hours-plus and start bringing those to life online, on TV, and any screen we can monetize.”

NextVR’s deal with Live Nation is for five years, and the VR streams will eventually include pay-per-view content.

“NextVR is planning to bring quite a few acts to the platform at no cost and initially, all programming will be free,” a NextVR spokesperson told Variety. “Pay-for-view programs will likely follow – at a time determined by NextVR and LiveNation.”

The broadcasts will be available via Samsung’s Gear VR and other, future platforms, and the goal is to have high-quality video.

“We’re not trying to sell two hours of dental work,” Rapino told Bloomberg. “This is a very shareable, consumable piece of content. There are only so many people who can get to a certain show, that tour; it drives more awareness.”

Just tell me when I can VR stream Hamilton. I’m ready to hand over my cash for that.

(Image: s13n1/Creative Commons)