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We’re passionate about helping companies improve employee engagement and accelerate professional development. From our leadership, to our facilitators, to our production crews, we’re constantly exploring new ways to inspire better performance.
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The Second City and Audio Platform Vennly Inc. Announce Exclusive Content Partnership

The Second City, the world’s premier comedy theater and school of improvisation announced an exclusive partnership today with Vennly, Inc., an audio platform that enables businesses to seamlessly and securely share audio content to their preferred communication channels.

Leaders: The Frontline in the Battle with Burnout

Burnout doesn’t manifest because employees aren’t working hard enough to prevent it. Burnout is a result of a work environment that doesn’t provide employees with the resources needed to meet their organizations’ expectations.

The Cost of Burnout

Job stress is cited as an increasing source of anxiety for many, and when unmanaged, it causes employee burnout. Check out this infographic on the emotional and financial toll associated with the pervasive problem of burnout.

Humor Me: How Comedy Helps Learning

Comedy has the power to disarm people. You can make the toughest subjects digestible through a comedic lens, even workplace harassment.

[Webinar] Hybrid Work: New Communications for New Challenges

How do you effectively convey key expectations that will keep people safe and comfortable about being in the workplace again?

July 27-28: HCI Employee Engagement VIRTUAL Conference

Join us for HCI's Employee Engagement virtual conference to learn how to create open lanes of communication in the virtual workplace.

The Second City's Commitment

Updates from The Second City.

Engaging Remote Employees With Breakthrough Communications

There are specific risks associated with today’s work environment—data security and inappropriate social media posting, for example—in which it is important to communicate about best practices with far-flung employees.

[Webinar] From Yes And To Thank You: How Improvisation & Behavioral Science Make Work Better

Kelly Leonard to deliver webinar 'From Yes And To Thank You: How Improvisation & Behavioral Science Make Work Better' presented by The Institute for Performance and Learning.

Ethisphere Aligns with Second City Works to Offer Real Biz Shorts

The Ethisphere Institute, a global leader in defining and advancing standards of ethical business practices, announced today a new alliance with Second City Works.

Try These Improv Exercises To Practice Resilience in the Time of Coronavirus

Here are three exercises that can help individuals discover and implement a resiliency practice for themselves and their work teams - virtual or otherwise.

3 Ways To Help Your Virtual Teams Thrive During A Difficult Time: An Improvisational Approach

In improvisation we are taught to play the scene we’re in, not the scene we want to be in which forces us to embrace uncertainty, unease and disconnectedness.

Leaders: The Frontline in the Battle with Burnout

Burnout doesn’t manifest because employees aren’t working hard enough to prevent it. Burnout is a result of a work environment that doesn’t provide employees with the resources needed to meet their organizations’ expectations.

The Cost of Burnout

Job stress is cited as an increasing source of anxiety for many, and when unmanaged, it causes employee burnout. Check out this infographic on the emotional and financial toll associated with the pervasive problem of burnout.

Humor Me: How Comedy Helps Learning

Comedy has the power to disarm people. You can make the toughest subjects digestible through a comedic lens, even workplace harassment.

Engaging Remote Employees With Breakthrough Communications

There are specific risks associated with today’s work environment—data security and inappropriate social media posting, for example—in which it is important to communicate about best practices with far-flung employees.

Try These Improv Exercises To Practice Resilience in the Time of Coronavirus

Here are three exercises that can help individuals discover and implement a resiliency practice for themselves and their work teams - virtual or otherwise.

3 Ways To Help Your Virtual Teams Thrive During A Difficult Time: An Improvisational Approach

In improvisation we are taught to play the scene we’re in, not the scene we want to be in which forces us to embrace uncertainty, unease and disconnectedness.

How 20 Minutes of Improv Can Increase Uncertainty Tolerance

It has long been accepted that practicing improv helps people better adapt to change and think more creatively, but there was little scientific evidence to back it up...until now!

Lennox and Second City Works Collaborating to Make a Difference

Second City Works collaborated with client partners Lennox International, GE, and others to produce Real Biz Shorts Anti-Harassment video content.

How To Stay Resilient During Uncertain Times: Lessons From An Improviser

I’m writing this from my home. I’ll be here for awhile. Doesn’t feel great. But some of my colleagues at Second City Works reminded me that these can also be lemonade days where we try something new and different.

Why So Serious? How Humor Can Boost Your Compliance Training

There is an ever-increasing amount of data and research that shows humor is a vehicle for insight and behavior change. I wouldn't believe us either, so we have proof!

Event Wastes Not And Wants Not At The Second City

ReFED, an innovative nonprofit committed to reducing food waste, wanted to celebrate a year of milestones with their stakeholders in a memorable, entertaining, and uniquely-Chicago way, so they turned to The Second City to host a festive bash for guests.

What’s Feedback Got To Do With Creating An Ethical Workplace?

When building ethical cultures, leaders need to model the behaviors we desire for our employees: we need to operate in a mode of value and respect; we need to be radically candid with one another; and we need to do all of this in a useful and timely manner.

How To Use Improv To Up Your Legal Marketing Game

The tenets and skills of improv aren’t just for the budding comedy star. In a recent National Law Review article, legal marketers were encouraged to “unlock their Yes, And” as a way to stay relevant and agile in the ever-evolving industry.

Future-proof Your Workforce (or How To Not Let Robots Win): LinkedIn's 2020 Emerging Jobs Report

In LinkedIn’s third-annual LinkedIn Emerging Jobs Report, soft skills (or as we like to call them, human skills) are listed as 1 of 3 trends set to define the jobs of tomorrow in 2020.

Why Netflix Practices Failing In Order To Succeed

Stanford University lecturer Dan Klein was recently interviewed by This Working Life regarding failure, Netflix, and why more offices need improv training.

Play The Scene You’re In, Not The Scene You Want To Be In

Kelly Leonard and Anne Libera speak at the Coca-Cola CMO Leadership Summit about how they managed their daughter Nora's cancer journey with deliberate practices that created an ensemble out of caregivers.

Improvised Conversations: Sarah McEneaney, PwC

Sarah McEneaney is a Partner and the Digital Talent Leader for PwC who joins Improvised Conversations to discuss infinite learning, the Digital Accelerator program, and using improv as a lens to practice the human-centered skills centered around the change strategy at PwC.

Ethics And Compliance: A Method For Insight And Action

Humor is a vehicle for insight and improvisation provides a practice in applying that insight into real-world situations. In other words: comedy grabs the attention and improv improves the action.

5 Things To Know from Learning 2019

Members of Second City Works enjoyed a packed three days of learning and development content, got our steps in, and basked in the sunshine at the Woodstock of learning, aka Learning 2019, held at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort.

How Improvisation Changes the Brain

A recent article in Psychology Today by Clay Drinko, Ph.D., examines the brain activity while improvising (or being totally focused and present) and suggests how we can utilize improv thinking to make our work and daily lives richer.

Is Your Workplace A Joke? A Comedy Club Might Help

Comedy clubs are more than just laugh factories these days. Increasingly they are making cameos in your office with workforce and leadership training initiatives.

We Should Take Humour in the Workplace More Seriously

Humour is something that the majority of us use and enjoy instinctively, but there is plenty of scientific research to confirm what those natural impulses tell us: humour is good for us.

An Innovative Approach

The Washington Post examined how an increasing number of workplaces are relying on new methods to tackle anti-harassment training. Second City Works was featured in the story as an industry innovator using humor and empathy to create safer environments.

The Future of Aging

Kelly Leonard presented at the 2018 NIC Conference (National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care) last month on the future of aging. Kelly talked about Second City's Improvisation for Caregivers program and how it has helped him during his own caregiving story.

The Link Between Empathy and Leadership Performance

What is the link between empathy and leadership performance? Find out in a new and interesting podcast with Deloitte's Kim Christfort.

How to Build Connections Through Comedy in Marketing [Podcast]

Bumper Carroll, VP of Creative at Second City Works, joins the Content Experience Show to discuss comedy in marketing and risk-friendly environments.

Want to Run a Good Meeting? First, Take a Comedy Class

Harvard professor and behavioral scientist Francesca Gino writes about what improv training can teach leaders about having meetings that actually accomplish something.

Cox Automotive Canada’s Women With Drive Event Celebrates Progress, Drives Equality

Cox Automotive Canada's annual Women With Drive event is an inclusive movement built to support female successes and aspirations. This year's event did not disappoint and Second City Works was there.

Twitter plays a massive game of one word at a time

What happens when 55 million followers engage in an online game of one-word story? Twitter decided to find out with a simple less-than-280-character tweet.

How the Smartest Companies Use Learning to Engage, Compete, and Succeed

"Critical skills and expertise are imperative for companies and their employees to succeed in the future, and the most forward-thinking companies are being proactive in adapting to the shift in the workforce."

How an improv class is helping the anxious

An estimated 12% of all US adults experience social anxiety disorder at some time in their lives, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. If you take the current population, that's nearly 40 million people. Find out how an improv class is helping the anxious.

The Theory of Applied Improvisation

The Innovation Crush podcast provides all the “who-to-know” and “what-to-know” you'll ever need to know. Kelly Leonard joins long-time idea maker and host Chris Denson to talk about Second City’s evolution as a business and how improv often leads to the best innovation.

Second City Works Site Wins Awwwards Mobile Excellence Site of the Week

Second City Works is pleased to announce that our new site is the winner of the prestigious Awwwards Mobile Excellence Site of the Week. We are excited to see our work recognized for its innovative concept and execution!

If Comedy Is Making You Feel Bad, You’re Not Paying Attention

New York Times critic and author Jason Zinoman ultimately makes the case for the power of comedy. ("Comedy has become essential to how we see ourselves.") In the article, Second City Works is referenced as an effective, on-trend way to improve the bottom line.

Behavioral Science + Improv = Better Communication

A behind the scenes look at The Second Science Project: A collaboration between Second City and The Booth School of Business that blends insights from Behavioral Science with applied improvisational exercises to inform and engage people to be better communicators.

Caring Across Generations + Cleveland Clinic: Improvisation for Caregivers

Improvisation for Caregivers is a unique and compelling collaboration between Second City Works and Caring Across Generations.

Heartland Dental Introduces a New Leadership Summit for Dental Students

A career as a dentist means balancing a passion for patient care against the perils of overseeing the business side of a dental practice. These competing priorities can trip-up even the most seasoned dental professionals...

Improvisation is ‘yoga for your social skills’

It turns out improv isn’t just about comedy — in fact, it didn’t even start out that way.

M&M'S® Empowers Chicago Teens To Step Up To The Mic In Support Of Fourth Annual Red Nose Day

For the fourth year in a row, M&M'S is partnering with Red Nose Day to help America come together to raise money for children in need.

This Comedy Group and Brand Consultancy are Bringing an Improv Event to Atlanta

When it comes to getting ideas and creativity flowing, sometimes laughter is the best option—at least, that’s what leaders at Kantar and The Second City have found with their new collaborative improv-based event coming to Atlanta.

[Webinar] Hybrid Work: New Communications for New Challenges

How do you effectively convey key expectations that will keep people safe and comfortable about being in the workplace again?

July 27-28: HCI Employee Engagement VIRTUAL Conference

Join us for HCI's Employee Engagement virtual conference to learn how to create open lanes of communication in the virtual workplace.

[Webinar] From Yes And To Thank You: How Improvisation & Behavioral Science Make Work Better

Kelly Leonard to deliver webinar 'From Yes And To Thank You: How Improvisation & Behavioral Science Make Work Better' presented by The Institute for Performance and Learning.

The Wednesday Works Break

Every Wednesday, join us for a 30 minute show. You bring the lunch and we'll bring the laughs.

[Webinar] Developing Leadership At Every Level: An Improvisational Approach

Kelly Leonard to deliver webinar 'Developing Leadership At Every Level: An Improvisational Approach' presented by Chief Learning Officer.

January 22-24: HRPA Annual Conference & Trade Show

Second City Works is attending the HRPA Annual Conference & Trade Show. Visit us at Booth #633 to discover the different ways Second City Works can power up your HR department.

October 29: SITE Canada Education Day 2019

Attend our Interactive Breakout Workshop and connect with Second City Works attendees at SITE Canada Education Day 2019

October 27-30: Learning 2019

Second City Works to host 2 sessions and opening entertainment for Learning 2019 in Orlando, FL

October 21-22: People + People Marketing Conference

Second City Work to host the People+People™ Conference at Second City October 21-22, 2019 with Red Caffeine.

October 14-16: Chief Learning Officer Symposium

Second City Works to lead pre-networking edu-tainment and session at Chief Learning Officer Symposium.

October 8-10: I4PL 2019

Visit Second City Works at booth #50 and attend our session, "Improvisation for Leading Through Change" at I4PL 2019 in Toronto, CA

LEADING WITH LAUGHTER: HOW VERIZON USES IMPROV TO DEVELOP EFFECTIVE LEADERS

How do you equip leaders to improve their collaboration, innovation, and empathic communication capabilities? Register for this webinar and learn how we brought Verizon our unique perspective on ideation, collaboration, agility, and embracing the unknown.

September 22-24: ILSHRM HR Conference & Expo

Second City Works takes to the stage at the ILSHRM HR Conference & Expo. Interested in learning how the fundamentals of improv can help you become a more effective communicator? Stop by our session or visit us at our booth to learn more.

September 25-27: LinkedIn Talent Connect 2019

Stop by our interactive keynote or visit with Second City Works attendees at LinkedIn Talent Connect in Dallas, TX

September 15-18: 18th Annual Compliance & Ethics Institute

Second City Works is attending the 18th Annual Compliance & Ethics Institute! Visit us at Booth #217 to hear more about how Second City Works uses those same methods to create professional development, content, and events that drive personal growth and organizational improvement.

September 10-12: HCI Learning & Leadership Development

Second City Works to lead session at the HCI Learning & Leadership Development conference

August 27-28: IL CPA Summit 2019

Stop by and visit Second City Works at our booth, keynote, and flash sessions at the Summit19 hosted by the Iillinois CPA Society

August 13-14: Canadian Meetings & Events Expo

Second City Works takes to the stage at the Canadian Meetings + Events Expo. Our own Sandy Jobin-Bevans will emcee Canada's largest and longest running conference for meeting and event professionals.

July 29-31: HCI Employee Engagement Conference

Stop by the SCW booth or session at HCI Employee Engagement Conference July 29-31 in Denver, CO!

July 26 Webinar: All the World’s a Brandstage (Or, This Little Piggy Went to Market Research)

Join Second City Works for an unconventional and interactive live webinar featuring the power of improv and Brandstage on July 26, 2019.