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.