GUEST BLOGGER: Kat Koppett At the Applied Improvisation Network’s  2011 annual conference in Baltimore, a bunch of us got together to explore the nuts and bolts of choosing, running and debriefing improv activities in organizational settings. “We want a Top -10 Tips list,” one of the participants commented. Perhaps I should already have had such a thing, nicely designed and laminated, but I didn’t. Still, an offer is an offer, and we’re all improvisers, so we made one up as we went. Here it is with a few embellishments based on conversations and musings since. Much of it comes down to practicing what you preach when you are teaching applied improv, and therefore link back to principles discussed here previously.  What resonates for you? What did we miss? We look forward to you comments and input. Then we promise to laminate. Know your objective.  Improv is no… …

Love contributes to health. It doesn’t stop with counting blessings. It’s not abstract. It’s deeply physical. Let’s follow the argument made by Barbara Fredrickson during the IPPA World Congress. Broad and Build Review Barbara Fredrickson’s Broaden and Build theory explains why humans have evolved to have positive emotions. What good are they? What is their functional value? Positive emotions expand awareness. Minds can open or close, and positive emotions lead to openness. Positive emotions build resources. We are all socially connected, and positive emotions are nutrients, like fruits and veggies, for these relationships. Positive emotions unlock other-focus and help us break self absorption. With positive emotions, connections become more salient. Perspective taking improves, and divisions fade. What Love is Not Building up to a description of what love is and does, Fredrickson was careful to talk about what love is… …