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We give your organization the competitive edge, through creativity, collaboration, and effective communication!

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How We Can Help

When our techniques and training are woven into the culture of a company, they instill a safe place for creative change-makers to energize, collaborate, and work towards a shared vision.

 

Our professional development courses, curriculum and coaching give participants a way to discover the importance of teamwork, effective communication skills, creativity and innovation.

Here’s some of what we offer

Creative Problem Solving & Ideation Training

Presentation Skills & Public Speaking

Effective Communication Fundamentals

Onboarding & Professional Development

Team Building

1:1 Coaching

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Founder of The Improv Effect

JESSIE SHTERNSHUS

Jessie Shternshus

The Improv Effect was founded in 2007, by Jessie Shternshus.

Her goal was to help businesses reach their full potential by means of interpersonal-communication skills training. Throughout the years, Jessie has become a key player in internal culture transformations for global companies such as Capital One, Coca-Cola, The United Nations, Johnson & Johnson, Mayo Clinic, The PGA Tour, Crayola and many more. Utilizing an array of experiential techniques, some of which she learnt on the job at Disney and Sesame Street, she leads teams and organizations in their endeavors to achieve teamwork, creative problem solving tools, onboarding, presentation skills, and product development ideation sessions. 

Jessie also co-authored the books, CTRLShift: 50 Games For 50 ****ing Days Like today and No More Meetings. These books are both filled with interactive exercises that can help you make learning and development more sticky and fun.

Read more about CTRL Shift

The Improv Effect Partners

Rob Schiffmann

Rob Schiffmann

Corporate Trainer

Rob is a professional improviser and corporate trainer / host who has worked with such companies as Celgene, Olympus, Cisco, Folgers, Microsoft, Solvay, Goldman Sachs, Hewlett-Packard Bank of America, Pepsi, Dannon and many more.

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Sean Ely

Sean Ely

Corporate Trainer & Videographer

Sean is a videographer and reporter for RedEye of the Chicago Tribune. He produces ‘Funny Talk’, the Tribune Company’s most successful comedy interview series, as well as working as the writer, producer and editor of ‘RedEye Rundown’.

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Lia James

Corporate Trainer

Lia is a facilitator and coach. Lia helps executives improve hiring strategies and skills development training to build more inclusive and productive teams. Through her extensive background in people development and personal branding, Lia helps professionals fine-tune their brands through storytelling and goal aligning to improve leadership quality, communication, and team dynamics.

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Anthony Catanese

Anthony Catanese

Corporate Trainer

Anthony has spent the past 5 years as a facilitator and technical product manager designing systems and workshops to help individuals communicate and solve problems.

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Get the book

CTRLShift: 50 Games For 50 ****ing Days Like today

What kind of day are you having? Is it a ****ing day? Or is it a ****ing day? What are you going to do about it? Mike Bonifer and Jessie Shternshus, who teach companies around the world how to apply improvisation to business, have created 50 original improv games tailored to the kind of ****ing day you’re having. From the bathroom to the board room, and every stop in between, this fun and engaging book helps you get the craziness under control.

book
five-stars

“CTRL Shift is the reset button you need to stay on track.”

five-stars

“An exceptional and very fun read.”

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Looking for a dynamic speaker and author, that can have your audience laughing and learning at the same time?

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Upcoming Events

    Applying Improv to Agile and Lean Startup models with Jessie Shternshus

    hanselminutes.com

    Podcast courtesy of hanselminutes.com

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    A Few Of Our Happy Clients

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    What They Are Saying…

    • Our team enjoyed the departure from our standard business presentations, and became really engaged in how the presentation skills concepts played out in some humorous ‘real-life’ scenarios. A positive and fun way to get the themes across.

      Trent Gavazzi Vice President and CTO of Availity, LLC

    • I will be able to read people better, listen more and think better on my feet. Jessie made Improv fun and I will definitely be able to apply these concepts professionally.

      Jason Seifer Web Developer at Twistedmind Inc.

    • We had a great time! You did a great job and I recommend this program especially for organizations that need to let their hair down and get to know each other.

      Steven Balukoff CTO Blue Box Group LLC

    • It was a great workshop! One of the best we’ve had in our 15 years at Aerostar!

      Dawn Blackledge Principal Engineer - Aerostar Environmental Services

    • Jessie brings about change to a group with humor, humility, and fun. Jessie conducts her session hubris free, and failure free. Because every failure you feel is merely an opportunity to laugh and grow. What a painless way to address some of the harder to break habits, and behaviors. Thanks for all that you have taught us, and the change you help bring about.

      Chef K Tyson Foods

    • The Improv Effect is an excellent way to build teamwork within any organization.

      Gust G. Sarris, M.B.A. J.D. Attorney At Law

    • Jessie has provided her Influential Communications improv workshop to our Summer interns here at the PGA TOUR for the past few years. Every year our interns walk away from her session raving about how much they have learned and what they have taken away from it. She has them engaged from the start, and by the end of the workshop, they are eager to go out into the world and use the important communication tools Jessie has just taught them. Jessie is great at what she does and we will continue to use her services in the future.

      PGA Tour Marketing

    • It was just perfect and I know everyone enjoyed it. As you know, humor goes a long way in helping to ease anxiety, stress, depression and pain, and we are all candidates for all of the mentioned.

      Anne Multiple Myeloma Group Jacksonville

    • Great exercises around creative thinking and collaboration. More creative thinking can add great value to the product and the company as a whole.

      Software Developer Pipedrive

    • The Improv Effect tied team-building, brainstorming, communication skills and creativity all in the same session that helped us move forward more strategically with our initiative

      Director of Development & Community Relations Visit Jacksonville

    Let’s Get Started!

    Let us know what you’re interested in or if you have any questions or comments.