COURSE NUMBER: EWMBA 296-14

COURSE TITLE: Improvisational Leadership

UNITS OF CREDIT: 1 Unit

INSTRUCTOR: Cort Worthington

E-MAIL ADDRESS: cort@haas.berkeley.edu

CLASS WEB PAGE LOCATION (HTTP URL):

MEETING DAY(S)/TIME: Sundays 4/21 & 5/5, 9:00AM-5:00PM

PREREQUISITE(S): EWMBA Core

CLASS FORMAT: Course content is covered through approximately one-third lecture and discussion, two-thirds interactive class exercises.

REQUIRED READINGS: Primal Leadership, Improv Wisdom, People Skills

BASIS FOR FINAL GRADE: Two short written assignments (30%), final paper (30%), and class participation (40%)

ABSTRACT OF COURSE'S CONTENT AND OBJECTIVES: 

IMPROVISATIONAL LEADERSHIP is an introductory course in the theory and application of improvisational techniques to business communication situations. This course explores the broad principles of improvisation: a performing art form that has developed pedagogical methods to enhance individual spontaneity, listening and awareness, expressive skills, risk-taking, and one’s ability to make authentic social and emotional connections. Such skills grow increasingly critical as leaders rise within organizations, and this course strives to develop students’ business communication leadership skills while enhancing both interpersonal intuition and confidence. No prior experience with improvisation or performance is necessary or presumed.

Specific topics include (1) introduction to improvisational theory,(2) speaking and spontaneity, (3) listening and awareness, (4) emotional intelligence, and (5) status and influence. In all of these topic areas the emphasis will be on applied business communications.

Lectures and discussions comprise approximately one-third of each session. Interactive exercises comprise the remainder, giving students considerable opportunity to strengthen their own improvisational, in-the-moment decision making skill set. Additional role-plays will provide practice applying class material to leadership and communication situations. Readings and outside assignments supplement each unit.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH: 
Cort Worthington has taught business communication courses since 1987. He holds an MA in Communication from Stanford, an MBA from Columbia (finance), and an MBA from UC Berkeley (leadership). An active facilitator in the popular leadership course Interpersonal Dynamics at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business, his organizational client list includes Mobil Oil, Sumitomo Bank, the city of San Francisco government, Kaiser, and Sun Microsystems.

Prior to work in leadership development, Cort was a political activist in Latin America, a co-founder of toy company Primordial, LLC, and also spent several years leading crews fighting wilderness forest fires as a parachuting U.S. Forest Service Smokejumper. He has been actively utilizing improvisation as a methodology for enhancing personal communication and leadership skills since 1997.