Kathy Klotz-Guest - Trust, Improv, & Humor for a More Innovative Culture

In this episode, Maria and Kathy discuss:Creating an environment of trust in the workplace and why it matters. How to use improv techniques to enhance innovation and creativity.Using comedy and improv to create a safe space. Key Takeaways:When trust goes up, humor goes up, and when humor goes up, trust goes up. It’s a virtuous cycle! If we are not hitting that minimum viable culture of safety, you will never get to the good stuff - ever. Trust is both a short-form improv game and a long-form improv game - you're playing for both.You've got to build the muscles of empathy first, and then humor becomes safer and easier and less scary for people to express. If you have a humor problem, you don't have a humor problem, you have a trust problem and an empathy problem.  "The thing that is so important to remember is that when teams ‘Yes, and’ each other, they're going to, over time, come up with far better ideas and more ideas. It's a force multiplier." —  Kathy Klotz-Guest About Kathy Klotz-Guest: A former Silicon Valley marketing executive and a trained improviser for over 20 years, Kathy Klotz-Guest, MA, MBA combines her business team management and comedy backgrounds to help people, teams, and brands be more human, super creative, and joyful every day. Trained at ComedySportz and at LA’s Second City, she has been featured in Forbes and The Huffington Post. Inc.com named her book, “Stop Boring Me!” a CMO must-read. Her company - Keeping it Human, Inc - provides speaking, consulting, and play-based experiential workshops to ignite collaborative creativity and storytelling results by helping teams work better together. She still performs and teaches improv and comedy. Connect with Kathy Klotz-Guest:  Website: KeepingItHuman.comBook: Stop Boring Me! - amazon.com/Stop-Boring-Me-Kick-Ass-Marketing/dp/1684191092/YouTube: youtube.com/user/kathyklotzguestTwitter: twitter.com/kathyklotzguestFacebook: facebook.com/KeepingItHumanLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kathyklotzguest/Instagram: instagram.com/klotzguest/SlideShare: slideshare.net/klotzguest Connect with Maria: Get the podcast and book: TheEmpathyEdge.comLearn more about Maria’s brand strategy work and books: Red-Slice.comHire Maria to speak at your next event: Red-Slice.com/Speaker-Maria-RossLinkedIn: Maria RossInstagram: @redslicemariaTwitter: @redsliceFacebook: Red Slice

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Failed product launches. Furious customers. Dysfunctional teams. Many of the problems we face in the business world (and frankly, society) stem from the same root cause: Lack of empathy. Speaker, author, strategist, and empathy advocate Maria Ross shares keen insights and inspiring interviews that prove empathy and compassion are the new paths to market-winning performance. Leveraging both inspiring stories and hard data, Ross connects empathetic leadership, cultures and brands to innovation, engagement, and bottom-line results. You’ll walk away with actionable strategies to amplify your impact, and learn how compassionate business tactics can transform your organization from the inside out. The Empathy Edge podcast provides a quick dose of motivation, wisdom, and practical actions that executive leaders, entrepreneurs and changemakers can use right now. Ready to infuse YOUR organization with more empathy? Tune in to learn why cash flow, creativity, and compassion are not mutually exclusive.