Karen Hough, founder and CEO of Improv Edge, encouraged students to use networking and the concepts of improvisation in their professional and personal environments in a presentation in the Memorial Union Colonial Ballroom, Kellen Jenkins/ The Bulletin

Karen Hough, founder and CEO of Improv Edge, encouraged students to use networking and the concepts of improvisation in their professional and personal environments in a presentation in the Memorial Union ballroom last night. Hough was hosted by LEAD.

            “If it weren’t for ‘yes,’ improv wouldn’t work,” Hough said. “’Yes’ is just as important in the business world as well. We are critical people at our core, and our first instinct is to say no a lot of the time.”

            Hough began her presentation with the concept of the “Yes! Deck,” a four step method that can be applied to the business and improvisational comedy world. She used interactive games to illustrate the steps.

            “The idea of involving the audience on a very personal level helped to get the points across better,” said Matthew Crome, freshman management and information systems major. “I think it speaks to your audience a lot more if you get them involved, and the involvement helps get the ideas better stuck in the audience’s mind.”

            Audience participation was essential, and Hough made sure the audience participated when she said she was perfectly comfortable with silence.

            “The improv games were a great opportunity,” said Adam Wright, junior business administration major. “Everyday people are put in those situations and don’t know how to deal with those situations, so her presentation made it accessible to people.”

            Hough also claimed that people only listen to 50 percent of every sentence before they begin to think about what they are going to say next, or are otherwise distracted by something else.

            “People want to be heard, want ideas, collaboration and give and take,” Hough said. “If you figure out how to connect with people at an elemental level at this age, your success in your relationships and business ventures will be phenomenal.”

            The emphasis on connecting was demonstrated through the elevator pitch demonstration and improvisation game.

            “The ones who get promotions, or the jobs they want, are the ones with good people skills,” Hough said. “The elevator pitch should tell someone what you do, your name and why they should care within the time it takes an elevator to go seven floors.”

            Students were reminded at the end of the presentation of the importance of the elevator pitch.

            “The elevator pitch was a very nice touch,” Crome said. “I am a business major, so I’ve had similar lessons. I liked how she said it should be natural.”

            Networking’s importance as making legitimate connections, and not just handing out business cards was reiterated through Hough’s stories.

            “I made my first major business deal on a kid’s soccer field while it was pouring down rain with a woman I thought was just another soccer mom,” Hough said. “You never know when a relationship you build will mean something down the road. This room is your first powerful network, and I have friends I made in college and we have stayed connected for many years.”

            Even some individuals who were not going into the business field considered the presentation’s lessons helpful for their future careers.

            “I thought the presentation was informative and insightful,” said Kaitlyn Jarvis, freshman history major. “My dream is to one day work in museums, and a good part of that is being able to walk up to people you don’t know and introduce yourself. That’s something I am not comfortable with yet, and I think this presentation helped move that direction.”

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