Everything you (might) want to know before you book a workshop

Applied improvisation uses the principles and exercises of improv theater as a framework for professional development. Unlike stage improv, it has nothing to do with performance or comedy. It uses structured exercises to practice real workplace skills — active listening, adapting to unexpected situations, building on others' ideas, and communicating with clarity and confidence. The methodology is used by organizations worldwide, backed by research from institutions including Harvard, Stanford, and MIT.

Applied improvisation uses the same foundational principles as stage improv — 'Yes And' thinking, active listening, making your partner look good — but applies them to professional contexts like leadership, team communication, and innovation. There are no performances, no audience, and no requirement to be funny. Participants learn to be more present, adaptive, and collaborative in their actual work.

Yes. Research from Harvard, Stanford, MIT, and organizational psychology studies consistently shows that experiential learning creates stronger behavioral change than passive instruction. Applied improv specifically has been shown to improve creative thinking, reduce anxiety in communication situations, increase psychological safety on teams, and develop adaptive leadership. CSz Portland has refined this methodology over 30+ years and 800+ organizations.

Applied improvisation develops: active listening (hearing what's actually being said, not just waiting to talk), adaptability (responding to change and uncertainty with composure), trust and psychological safety (creating environments where people can take risks and be honest), creative problem-solving (breaking habitual thinking through 'Yes And' instead of 'Yes But'), resilience under pressure (staying effective when things don't go as planned), and supportive communication (building colleagues up rather than competing with them).

CSz Portland is a professional development training company based in Portland, Oregon. We have delivered applied improvisation workshops and keynotes since 1993 — over 30 years — to 800+ organizations across private industry, healthcare, education, government, and nonprofits. We are part of CSz Worldwide, one of the largest applied improv networks globally. Our 8 facilitators are certified through the Applied Improvisation Network.

We work with organizations of all sizes across every sector. Our client list includes Fortune 500 companies (Kaiser Permanente, Nike, Google, Intel, Microsoft, Columbia Sportswear, Dell, IBM, Apple, Comcast, FedEx), universities (Portland State University, Oregon Health & Science University), nonprofits, and government agencies. We adapt to any team — whether engineers, sales teams, healthcare workers, executives, or individual contributors.

Since 1993 — over 30 years. CSz Portland's founders began applying improv to corporate settings in the late 1980s, with their first corporate client (Apple) in 1989. The organization formally launched in 1993 and has been training teams continuously since then, making CSz Portland one of the most experienced applied improv organizations in the country.

All CSz Portland facilitators are certified through the Applied Improvisation Network (AIN), the global professional body for applied improv practitioners. We have 8 certified facilitators. Our co-founders hold an MFA in Theater from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and are co-authors of a published guide to improv for business. Facilitators have backgrounds spanning theater, organizational development, corporate training, and adult education.

98% of CSz Portland workshop participants say they would recommend the experience to others. Feedback consistently highlights that the experience feels unlike typical professional development — engaging, immediately applicable, and surprisingly effective even for skeptics. Clients include Strategic Contact, Portland State University, TriQuint Semiconductor (now Qorvo), and hundreds more.

CSz Portland offers eight core workshop programs: Leadership Development, Communication & Collaboration, Team Building, Customer Service Training, Design Thinking, Presentations & Public Speaking, Diversity & Inclusion, and Applied Improv Fundamentals. We also offer keynote presentations. Every program can be customized for your team's specific context, goals, and industry.

Workshop engagements range from half-day sessions (2–4 hours) to full-day workshops (6–7 hours) to multi-session series for deeper skill development. The right format depends on your goals. A discovery call with our team helps identify what will work best for your group and timeline.

Our workshops are effective for groups ranging from 10 to 100+ participants. For larger groups, we may bring additional facilitators to ensure quality. We regularly run workshops for executive teams of 8–12 and department-wide sessions of 50–100 people.

Both. Most clients prefer on-site delivery because it reduces logistics for their team and allows us to work within your environment and culture. We also offer training at our Portland studio and deliver workshops remotely via Zoom. Remote sessions are highly effective and have been well-received by distributed teams.

Yes — customization is the norm, not the exception. We begin every engagement with a conversation about your team's specific challenges, industry context, and goals. Our exercises are adapted accordingly. A healthcare organization working on patient communication gets different content than a tech team working on cross-functional collaboration, even if they book the same base program.

No. Workshop pricing depends on group size, format, duration, location, and customization. We don't publish rates because every engagement is scoped to your specific needs. Book a free 15-minute discovery call to discuss your situation and we'll provide a proposal.

No. This is the most common concern — and it's unfounded. Our exercises are group-based and collaborative. No one is put in a spotlight, there is no audience, and participants are never asked to perform. Exercises are designed to feel like collaborative problem-solving activities. Participants work together in small groups, not in front of each other.

Applied improv is uniquely well-suited for introverts. The methodology emphasizes listening and observation — skills where introverts often excel — over talking and performing. Our exercises are designed so every personality type participates at their comfort level. Introverts regularly report being among the most surprised and positively affected by the experience.

Yes — and analytical teams often get the most out of it. Left-brained, analytical thinkers tend to quickly identify the structure and logic behind our exercises, and then experiment with how to optimize within that structure. They approach applied improv systematically, which is entirely compatible with how the methodology works. We regularly deliver workshops for engineering teams at companies like Intel, Microsoft, and Google.

We welcome skeptics — and we convert almost all of them within the first two minutes. Our exercises are designed to feel like collaborative problem-solving, not touchy-feely activities. We don't ask people to trust us; we let the experience speak for itself. The biggest skeptics in a room are often the most enthusiastic participants by the end. This is one of the things clients comment on most consistently.

Trust falls are a single dramatic gesture. Our workshops build real, transferable professional skills — listening, adapting, supporting colleagues — that participants use in meetings, presentations, and everyday interactions for months afterward. Team outings are memorable for the day and forgotten the next week. Our workshops create lasting change in how people work together, as confirmed by manager feedback after sessions.

No. Applied improvisation is empirically grounded and results-oriented. We don't do anything that isn't directly connected to a professional skill outcome. Participants don't share personal feelings, do anything physically uncomfortable, or engage in activities outside their professional comfort zone. The exercises are designed to feel purposeful and directly applicable to work — because they are.

Yes. All exercises can be adapted for participants with different physical abilities, communication styles, language backgrounds, and comfort levels. We design for inclusion from the start and can discuss specific accessibility needs during our discovery call.

Start with a free 15-minute discovery call. We'll learn about your team, your goals, and your situation, then recommend the right program and format. There's no obligation. Book at cszportland.com/book-discovery-call or email [email protected].

We recommend booking 4–6 weeks in advance to ensure facilitator availability and allow time for customization. For large engagements or multi-session programs, 2–3 months is ideal. That said, we can often accommodate shorter timelines or last-minute bookings — contact us to check availability.

For an initial proposal, we typically need: the number of participants, your preferred format (half-day, full-day, multi-session), your delivery preference (on-site, remote, or at our studio), your general goals or the challenges you're trying to address, and any preferred dates. A discovery call covers all of this in 15 minutes.