Better Teams Through Improv is an interactive corporate team-building workshop from Shoe Cake Comedy and The Halls of Ridiculous, using the principles of improvisation to help teams communicate better, collaborate more effectively and become more confident working together.

Perfect for company away days, conferences, leadership events and team development sessions, our improv workshops combine genuine business learning with an experience people will actually enjoy.

And before anyone starts worrying…

Nobody needs to be funny. Nobody gets put on the spot. And nobody is going to be dragged onto a stage to “perform”.

This isn’t about turning your team into comedians.

It’s about taking the skills that make great improvisation work — listening, trust, communication, adaptability, creativity and supporting the people around you — and showing how those same principles can make a real difference in the workplace.

The result is a team session that feels genuinely fun and different, while still delivering meaningful business outcomes.

Why Improv?

Good Improvisation Only Works When People Work Together!

You have to listen properly.

You have to accept other people’s ideas.

You have to contribute rather than compete.

You have to adapt when things don’t go according to plan.

You have to trust the people around you.

And sometimes you have to take an idea you weren’t expecting
and say:

“Yes, and…”

Those behaviours sound remarkably similar to the ones behind
successful teams.

Our workshops use simple, inclusive improv exercises to explore
those skills in a relaxed environment where there are no scripts,
no wrong answers and no pressure to be the funniest person in
the room.

Participants learn by actually experiencing better communication and
collaboration — rather than sitting through another presentation
telling them about it.

What Can Your Team Get From It?

Every workshop can be adapted around the organisation,
team and objectives, but sessions typically explore:

Communication & Listening

Learning to properly hear what someone else is saying rather
than simply waiting for your turn to speak.

Collaboration

Building on other people's ideas and creating something
together rather than trying to have the best individual idea.

The “Yes, And…” Mindset

Exploring what happens when we acknowledge an idea before developing it — and how quickly conversations stall when the
first response is always “yes, but…”

Confidence

Encouraging people to contribute, speak up and trust their
instincts in a supportive environment.

Adaptability

Becoming more comfortable reacting when situations change or
the unexpected happens.

Creativity & Problem Solving

Removing some of the filters that stop people exploring ideas
and encouraging more flexible thinking.

Trust

Learning to support colleagues, share responsibility and know
that somebody else has your back.

Learning From Mistakes

Improv goes wrong all the time.

That’s often where the best moments come from.

We encourage teams to become more comfortable with mistakes, recover quickly and move forward rather than becoming stuck trying to avoid failure.

And importantly…

people have fun together.

That matters too!

Team Building

Without The Cringe

We know the words “team-building exercise” can occasionally cause an entire office to suddenly discover they have an urgent appointment.

So this isn't forced fun.

There are no trust falls.

No one gets humiliated.

And nobody is expected to suddenly become an extrovert.

Our sessions are deliberately relaxed, inclusive and non-competitive.

People can participate at their own level while the workshop gradually builds confidence across the room.

You don't need any acting or comedy experience — and you definitely don't need to think you're funny.

Some of the people who enjoy the sessions most are the ones who arrive convinced improv isn't for them.

What Happens in a Workshop?

Choose The Right Session For Your Team

A typical Better Teams Through Improv session develops gradually, beginning with simple group activities before introducing some of the techniques used by professional improvisers.

Depending on the length of the session, this can include:

• Relaxed introductions and warm-ups

• Listening and communication exercises

• Collaborative storytelling

• “Yes, And…” exercises

• Confidence and creativity activities

• Building and supporting ideas

• Simple short-form improv games

• Exercises exploring adaptability and quick thinking

• Group reflection and workplace application

We then connect what has happened in the room back to everyday working situations.

How well were we listening?

What happened when somebody supported an idea?

What happened when an idea was immediately blocked?

Who naturally took control?

Who created space for somebody else?

What changed once people stopped worrying about getting something wrong?

There is plenty of laughter along the way — but underneath it are some surprisingly powerful lessons about how teams work.

Choose The Right Session For Your Team

The Improv Energiser

60–75 minutes | From £650

A fast-paced introduction to improv-based team development.

Perfect for conferences, meetings, staff events and away days where you want something interactive that immediately lifts the energy in the room.

Better Teams Through Improv

2–2.5 hours | From £1,095

Our flagship workshop.

A deeper exploration of communication, collaboration, listening, confidence, adaptability and the “Yes, And…” mindset.

Ideal for individual teams, leadership groups, departments and company development days.

The Team Lab

Half Day | From £1,595

More time allows us to explore team behaviour in greater depth.

The Team Lab combines practical improv exercises, group challenges, discussion and reflection, with the session adapted around the objectives of your organisation.

The Improv Away Day

5–6 hours | From £2,195

A complete team-development experience.

A full day gives us the opportunity to explore communication, trust, collaboration, creativity, confidence and adaptability through a much broader range of exercises and activities.

The programme can be tailored around particular challenges, behaviours or objectives within your organisation.

Workshop + Live Comedy Show

From £2,250

For something genuinely different, combine a team workshop with a live performance from The Halls of Ridiculous.

Your team spends part of the day discovering how improvisation works — then watches professional improvisers put those same principles into practice in a completely unscripted comedy show.

Audience suggestions inspire characters, sketches and scenes created entirely in the moment.

It makes a fantastic finish to an away day, conference or company event.

Bigger Team?

No problem.

Workshops can be adapted for different group sizes, venues and event formats.

For groups of 60+ people, conferences, multi-team events or bespoke requirements, we'll create a format specifically around your event.

Prices can vary depending on group size, location, duration, preparation and facilitation requirements, so talk to us about what you're planning.

Meet Your Facilitators

Award Winning Comedians With Leadership Experience

Phil Allan-Smith

Phil combines professional comedy and improv experience with substantial real-world leadership and management experience.

Before moving full-time into entertainment, Phil spent more than 12 years with ASDA, working across project management, energy and sustainability and ultimately becoming Head of Energy in a Home Office environment.

His work involved multimillion-pound programmes across ASDA's UK store and distribution estate, working with senior stakeholders, suppliers, stores, project teams and operational colleagues.

Before ASDA, Phil spent almost five years in senior retail management with Marks & Spencer, including Store Manager and Commercial Manager positions.

That means when Phil talks about communication, leadership, behavioural change, collaboration and working within teams, it isn't coming solely from the world of performance.

He's been on the other side of the meeting room too.

Chris Lumb

Chris is an experienced professional improviser, performer and workshop facilitator who has trained in improvisation with the internationally renowned Second City.

Alongside Phil, he forms award-winning improv comedy duo The Halls of Ridiculous, performing improvised comedy for theatres, festivals, corporate events and cruise audiences.

Chris brings years of experience in improv performance and teaching, with an instinctive understanding of how to make participants feel comfortable enough to get involved, experiment and enjoy themselves.

The Halls of Ridiculous

Phil and Chris perform together as The Halls of Ridiculous, an award-winning improvised comedy double act.

Their shows are created entirely from audience suggestions, with characters, sketches and stories invented live in the moment.

They've performed at huge comedy festivals, theatres, corporate events and on cruise ships, as well as sharing bills on the UK comedy club circuit with established TV comedians including Russell Kane, Josh Pugh, Rob Rouse, Lou Sanders, and Larry Dean.

That experience sits at the heart of Better Teams Through Improv.

Because improv isn't something we've simply turned into a team-building exercise.

It's what we do.

Could Improv Help Your Team?

Whether you're planning a team away day, leadership event, staff conference, wellbeing day or simply looking for something more engaging than the usual corporate team-building session, we'd love to hear what you're planning.

Tell us a little about your team, what you'd like to achieve and where the event is taking place.

We'll recommend the format that works best.

Better communication. Better collaboration. Better teams.

Through improv.

Get in touch with Shoe Cake Comedy to discuss your team.

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