Fun at Work, by Lauren Stein

New! A wide ranging and intriguing interview with Lauren by Guelph’s Bill Hulet: https://guelph-back-grounder.blogspot.com/2021/11/will-improv-fix-capitalism-or-is-it.html

Hear Lauren’s interview with CBC Ontario Morning!

CBC Ontario Morning

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Lauren Stein…takes readers through the process of teaching business professionals to improve their personal and professional functioning… people…focus on exploring actual feelings rather than on performing for entertainment…a very interesting book that shows the value of taking people outside the box to increase their perspectives.
Randy B. Lichtman for Readers’ Favorite

Eavesdrop as novices improvise scenes. Lauren Stein’s Fun at Work, published by Arboretum Press, offers entertaining insights into team building and mental wellness. Through improvisational performances she facilitates a group of eight corporate co-workers as they build interpersonal connections, strengthen self-confidence and discover spontaneous problem-solving.
At a time when personal stress is on the rise and the challenge to maintain life balance is increasingly difficult, Stein demonstrates that improvisation has significant benefits….She teaches that when in doubt the important thing is to so something… anything. Be the expert in our own life.
Marion Reidel, author of Cafe Conversations

Fun at Work pushes the bounds of Art-As-Research by using the arts as the subject, the method, and the presentation of research. Improviser Extraordinaire Lauren Stein leads eight co-workers of a Toronto tech firm through explorations in improv, ranging from simple games to multi-character plays, asking them to journal their responses. Meanwhile, the author becomes pleasantly surprised by the effect this has on her world. Follow Lauren’s journey of development in confidence, self-perception, balance, and empathy. Everything you need to know about the history of improvisational theatre, and comparative theories in therapy and theatrical healing, is artfully told between accounts of the six sessions. Discover the findings of Lauren’s original research presented in an accessible, amusing manner you will not soon forget. Following up with her participants five years later, Lauren delights in discovering the long-term impact of her fun and deceptively simple workshops.

This is what they had to say: “I truly believe that improv has a huge impact on how people can work together. For us, it was a fun way to play for two hours a week, and that was it for me. I went about my business. It transformed us in ways we didn’t even realize.”

“It helped me empathize with others, and see that I’m not the only one with imposter syndrome. Because of the workshop, I’m more able to put myself in others’ shoes. That’s helped with my career, especially when I disagree with my boss.”

Now that the corporate workplace has overwhelmingly shifted to people’s homes, there’s no better time to rethink corporate culture and what the office will look like when people return.

Lauren Stein has been improvising all her life. She shares her craft as a performer, teacher, writer,speaker, improv therapist, Hebrew Priestess, and Sacred Fool. Her formal education in Theatre and improvisation began at age five and includes a Bachelor’s degree in Drama, Associate of Trinity College of London in Speech and Drama, and Master’s in Expressive Arts Therapy. She has been teaching improv since 2008.

Lauren lives in Guelph, Ontario, where she sees clients for curiosity coaching and improv therapy. Her principal focus is making the world a
better place by improving communication and
connection between people, growing community,
and making everything more fun.

She firmly believes that more gets accomplished when people are having fun. Lauren loves helping groups and workplaces improve their flow and morale through lighthearted yet game-changing fun. She now runs The Slightly Better Theatre Group. Learn more and contact her at SlightlyBetter.ca

Stellar reviews for Fun at Work!

“Lauren shows us how to gain freedom in our expressions and experience, and use creativity to get what we want in life and business, and she shows us how to do it in a way that supports everyone around us. I HIGHLY recommend this book.” Barnes and Noble review