Education Of Emotional Intelligence Proving To Be More Intentional Than Improv

Acknowledgment – This reporter advises Stand Up & Learn, a non-profit that teaches public speaking and self-confidence to youth through a stand-up comedy curriculum. Segments of this article and associated quotes are attributed to this reporter's working knowledge and pre-existing relationship with the founder, Kevin Flynn.

The average person spends 90,000 hours at work throughout their life, equating to roughly one-third of their entire existence. With such considerable time dedicated to one's job, it’s unsurprising that people are looking for more out of their careers. Data suggest that individuals are not only opting for jobs that pay well and offer flexibility but also opportunities that fulfill their purpose and allow them to impact the world positively.

When we think of jobs that make a positive impact, careers in medicine, teaching, and charity work quickly come to mind. According to the 2022 U.S. News List of Best Jobs, among the top ten highest-ranking occupations in the United States, nurse practitioner, physician assistant, and speech-language pathologist are listed.

Impacting others, while traditionally segmented to the helping professions, is broadening in application to encompass the effort one puts forth for self-care and in the spirit of professional development for career advancement.

Andrea Flack-Wetherald is an entrepreneur who has traveled to offices, boardrooms, churches, community centers, and more to inspire business leaders and employees to make positive changes in their lives and communities. In addition, she is a social worker turned comedian, author, and speaker whose ability to lead with her heart has allowed her to impact lives across the country positively.

Her book, The Funny Thing About Forgiveness, is used by businesses, leaders, and companies committed to shifting company culture and making an impact. As an Amazon #1 Bestseller in Leadership Training, and three-time recipient of a 5-Star critical review from Readers' Favorite, her book continues to garner positive responses across the business and entertainment worlds. Leaders at Google, Fred Rogers Productions, Women in Bio, Mattingly Solutions, and many others have offered acclamations, including a foreword by Colin Mochrie of Whose Line is it Anyway.

“My intention and deepest desire was for the book to not just speak to my heart of helping people restore relationships, speak bravely in times of confrontation, and show up for themselves and what they believe in while honoring their scene partner, but I also wanted it to be funny, enjoyable and full of personality,” she says.

In her book, she dives into mindful improv thinking, something born out of her own experiences, that she uses to remind people and professionals that all life is improv. Her teachings provide individuals with the framework for brave collaboration, resilient joy, and solving the world's most critical problems.

Enriching Lives with Comedy

Her work enriches people’s lives and teaches them how to be happier when the world needs it most. According to Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace: 2022 Report, only 33% of workers voted that they are thriving in their overall well-being.

Kevin Flynn, professional comedian, actor, and founder of the non-profit Stand Up & Learn, teaches young students the art of stand-up comedy to support robust and confident communication skills. Flynn shares, “Comedy is a fantastic way to connect with others because it often demonstrates that we have so much in common no matter how different we are. When telling a story comedically, in school or professional settings, you demonstrate how you have overcome a difficult or trying experience and how you have currently adapted a healthy response.” and have now you have learned to laugh at it.

Flynn and Flack-Wetherald agree that telling a comedic story lets an audience empathize with the storyteller and identify with the joke teller through shared common experiences.

Flynn continues, “It also demonstrates that the person does not take themselves so seriously and demonstrates how they have learned to laugh at some of their setbacks and challenges no matter how hard it may have been at the time.”

The Standup & Learn Program, like most professional development programs, insists on public participation and often finds a reticent audience at the outset. “In the first class, the common refrain is, “I have nothing to talk about.” Yet, when one student talks about his dog or cat or older brother or sister, suddenly, everybody has a funny story of their own to tell,” says Flynn.

Application of Emotional Intelligence (EQ)

As K-12 and higher education continue to support EQ through SEL and comprehensive academic programs and support networks, many early-career professionals are integrating said lessons into day-to-day applications.

Flack-Wetherald attended Bluffton University and began her social work practice in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. There, she participated in a research study where veterans were introduced to mindfulness practice, optimism, and motivational interviewing as a part of their intervention. During the time of her research study, she conjured up an idea for an app that would go on to introduce her to the concept of improv.

A 23-year-old Flack-Wetherald pitched a Share Closet app at Startup Weekend in Pittsburgh. The app allows you to upload clothing items you want to share with others. In contrast, the app's back end learns what people like and makes visually similar suggestions from a database of ethical manufacturers Flack-Wetherald compiled.

She won the competition and attended offerings by the Pittsburgh Tech Council, including a course called Improv for CEOs. With experience in human behavior research and behavior modification coaching, she observed the overlap between the disciplines and created conscious improv thinking.

These observations included a commitment to the present moment, trusting the process of building something big, listening beyond your comfort zone, looking past failure, cultivating faith in your instincts, and finding the courage to be publicly playful and speak and present in meaningful and productive ways.

Flack-Wetherald’s discoveries led her to write her book, speak to audiences nationwide, and work one-on-one with individuals to help them overcome their challenges.

Richard Gerver, a noted disciple of the late and famed TED Talk speaker Sir Ken Robinson and award-winning speaker and author, speaks globally about leadership principles and the power of public participation.

Gerver says, “The art of oral communication stems back to the tribal. Can we express a vision and values that galvanize a sense of purpose and shared action? Great oratory is about emotional engagement, constructive challenge, and a call to arms. What sets great speaking apart is the ability to challenge without threat, to push without exclusion, and to make people’s hearts beat faster - humor is the access point. Great leadership is about empowerment; great speaking is the catalyst for that.”

Leadership Use

Gerver and Flack-Wetherald understand that emotional intelligence in business settings can often outpace traditional forms of interaction and procedural outputs void of connection. In teaching others about mindful improv thinking, Andrea Flack-Wetherald has demonstrated that you can change lives and positively impact no matter what job or career path you choose because, as she teaches, all of life is improv.

“I think that there are so many people that want to make a difference in the world, and I think that the process of doing that can be joyful. We can progress on what we care about if we find a way back to each other,” she concludes.

“The leaders who lean into EQ and monitor their internal emotions, focus on others’ needs, and lean into a more conscious state of leadership are the ones who are more in control of the situations at play. This, in turn, positively impacts business results,” says Melissa Banek, director of human resources at IMC - Trading.

Flack-Wetherald agrees and finds that the art of EQ resides in the ability of professionals from all levels of achievement to embrace forgiveness within the business arena. “It’s clear that every one of us gets to decide what type of person we want to be and the type of impact we want to make, both in the workplace and outside of it,” contends Flack-Wetherald.

The art and proverbial science of what it means to mature through life continue to overlap in professional settings. Forgiveness may have been a notion most exercised in one's personal life only to find a renewed sense of purpose for working professionals aiming to understand the voice inside their head and the one that motivates, leads, and reflects with co-workers and leaders. Flack-Wetherald, Flynn, and Gerver understand the value proposition of authenticity and may just call on you the next time you see them on a professional stage.

Be ready.

Interviews have been edited and condensed for clarity.