From the Stage to the Boardroom: Dallas Comedy House Revamps its Corporate Training

Dallas Comedy House is celebrating the rebrand and relaunch of its corporate division, DCH Pro, which was founded by Amanda Austin. Originally created for the business community, DCH Pro serves as a tool for corporate training and has helped over 5,000 executives improve their boardroom performance, according to the company.

DCH Pro workshops cover a variety of topics and are customizable for groups, giving executives and other team members the opportunity to expand their improv skills for professional purposes. The workshops offer a combination of classic theatre exercises, improv games, and specifically designed DCH pro exercises created to connect team members while encouraging collaboration, creative choices, and critical thinking in the workplace.

“The tenets of improvisation help bring out the leader in all of us,” Austin told Dallas Innovates via email. “When we listen from a place of being present and open to new ideas, we can create new products and services, we can develop solutions to problems that are holding us back, and we can create trust with each other.”

Comprised of four main curricula—improv, stand-up, sketch writing, and storytelling—the workshops are designed to push professionals out of their comfort zones. DCH Pro believes in a ‘learn by doing approach,’ while encouraging interactive debriefs, as well as personal and professional reflections during the workshops. This approach can “help drive the energy of the workshop and make sure everyone benefits from their time with us,” Austin says.

The pros know all too well that a major tool of improv is the “Yes, And” approach. The approach is a useful method for improving both boardroom and company culture, according to the Dallas Comedy House. DCH Pro’s two-part approach to the philosophy of “Yes, And” helps professionals understand the important rules of improv and how to implement those rules in professional and personal life.

“The skillsets you learn in our workshops are applicable to everyone. Large or small organizations, for profit or not for profit, we’ve covered it all,” says Austin. Companies such as Capital One, the Dallas Regional Chamber, Half Price Books, and various colleges have already taken advantage of DCH’s workshops.

DCH Pro seeks to offer an impactful workshop through the tenets of improv.

“It’s amazing what can happen when just one person starts interacting in their workplace from a positive, “‘Yes, And’ place,” says Austin. “To think what is possible when an entire organization starts leading from a supportive and creative place, that’s really inspiring.”