CORPORATE IMPROV TRAINING
Interactive workshops that help teams communicate more clearly, collaborate more effectively, generate better ideas and feel more confident — in a fun, supportive environment.
The Pretend Company delivers corporate improv training and workshops for businesses, organisations and teams in London and beyond. We help tackle common workplace challenges around communication, collaboration, creativity, confidence, and adaptability through practical, playful experiences that give people the chance to practise these skills together and build psychological safety within teams.
“Improvisation isn't just about being funny. It's about what happens when you have to listen, decide and respond without knowing exactly what's coming next.”
We use the practical skills of improvisation — active listening, clear communication, collaboration, creativity, adaptability and decisive action — to help people work more effectively together, build more psychologically safe teams, and unlock creative problem solving.
Our workshops combine live improvisation, discussion and practical exercises, giving participants the chance to experience these skills rather than simply talk about them. Sessions are playful, supportive and highly interactive, with clear learning points that participants can take back into their everyday work.
Scroll down to see some of the specific workshops we offer.
SEVEN THINGS IMPROV CAN BRING TO YOUR TEAM
COMMUNICATION
Improvisation trains people to listen carefully, process information quickly and respond clearly.
COLLABORATION
Improv is fundamentally collaborative: participants learn to accept ideas, build on them and contribute without needing to control the outcome.
ADAPTABILITY
Because nobody knows exactly what will happen next, improv develops comfort with uncertainty and the ability to respond constructively when circumstances change.
CREATIVITY
Improvisers generate ideas without waiting for the perfect answer. This can help teams become more comfortable contributing ideas and exploring possibilities.
CONFIDENCE
Improvisation gives people repeated opportunities to speak, make decisions and act without having every detail worked out in advance.
DECISION-MAKING
Good improv requires choices. Participants learn to make clear decisions rather than getting stuck searching for the perfect one.
PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY
Improv creates a supportive environment where people can take risks, share ideas and make mistakes without fear of getting it wrong. This can help teams become more comfortable contributing, experimenting and learning together.
WORKSHOPS WE OFFER
We offer a range of off-the-shelf workshops aimed at using improvisation to develop key business skills, as well as being able to tailor a workshop to your business’ specific needs. Click through to find out more, or email us for our full workshop catalogue.
UNLOCKING YOUR TEAM’S CREATIVITY
What if your team felt more comfortable sharing the first idea, rather than waiting for the perfect one? This playful workshop uses improv to deepen psychological safety, unlocking creative thinking, encouraging risk-taking and turning unexpected ideas into opportunities.
COMMUNICATION & ACTIVE LISTENING
Great communication starts with listening. This workshop explores how we can listen with greater attention, respond with intention and make our contributions land — helping teams communicate more clearly, confidently and collaboratively.
HIGH PERFORMANCE COLLABORATION
Putting the ‘performance’ in HPC. Great collaboration isn't about everyone doing the same thing — it's about knowing when to lead, when to support and how to make your colleagues look good. Use improv to explore trust, responsiveness and collective success.
CREATE A TAILOR-MADE WORKSHOP FOR YOUR TEAM
Every team is different, so sometimes the best workshop is one built specifically for you. We can work with your organisation to understand your objectives, challenges and people, then create a bespoke improv workshop around them.
Whether you want to improve communication, build confidence, spark creativity, strengthen collaboration or explore something completely different, we'll create a session that is practical, playful and genuinely relevant to your team.
WHY THE PRETEND COMPANY
We're professional theatre-makers who understand how improvisation works — and how to translate it into useful skills for the workplace.
The Pretend Company is led by three experienced improvisers, directors and teachers: Ali James, Chris Mead and Liam Webber. Between them, they've performed, directed and taught improvisation across the UK and internationally, working everywhere from major theatre stages and festivals to classrooms, rehearsal rooms and corporate teams.
We bring that experience into our workshops. Rather than simply talking about communication, creativity or collaboration, we give people the opportunity to experience those skills in action — through playful, practical exercises led by people who have spent years understanding what makes teams work brilliantly together.
MEET YOUR TRAINERS
Ali James
Improviser, director and movement director. Ali is best known for her work with Olivier Award-winning Showstopper! The Improvised Musical, as well as directing, producing and teaching across theatre and improv.
Chris Mead
Improviser, director and teacher, and a senior teacher at one of London’s largest improv schools. Chris has taught and performed internationally for many years and is known for his thoughtful, joyful approach to theatrical improvisation.
Liam Webber
Improviser, theatre-maker and producer. Liam has performed and taught internationally, was shortlisted for BBC New Comedian of the Year, and is co-founder of the UK’s largest improvised comedy festival - the Robin Hood International Improv Festival.
Between them our three expert trainers have worked with a huge range of companies including MasterCard, Google, Unilever, Nestle, NHS, Barclays, Shell, KPMG, Louis Vuitton and Paramount Comedy.
READY TO PRETEND?
Bring your team together, give them something unexpected to do, and watch what happens.
Whether you're planning a team day, conference, away day or professional development programme, we'll help you find the right format for your people and your objectives.
Tell us a little about your team, what you're hoping to achieve and when you're looking to run your session. We'll take it from there.
Use the form or get in touch at hello@thepretendcompany.com
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs)
What is “corporate improv” training?
Corporate improv training uses ideas and exercises from improvisation to develop workplace skills such as communication, collaboration, creativity, adaptability and confidence, in a fun, laughter filled, and supportive environment.
Do participants need improv or acting experience?
No. Our workshops are designed for complete beginners as well as people with performance experience.
What size groups can you work with?
We can work with almost any group size, from small teams of 4–5 people through to large conference audiences.
The size of the group doesn't change type of content we can teach — it simply changes how we deliver it. Smaller groups allow for more individual attention, discussion and hands-on exercises, while larger groups may use multiple facilitators, different room layouts, larger-scale exercises and a combination of demonstration and audience participation.
How long are your workshops?
We offer a range of 60 minutes, 90 minutes, half-day, full-day workshops, and have built longer continuous courses before as well.
Can you tailor a workshop to our organisation?
Yes. We can adapt our workshops around your team's objectives, challenges and industry.
Do you run workshops outside London?
Yes - we have ran multiple workshops and classes across England and Internationally.
Can you run workshops at conferences?
Yes. For larger events, we can adjust the balance between performance, participation and learning depending on your objectives, venue and schedule. We'll work with you to make sure the format is engaging, practical, and suitable to the event you’re running.
Is this team building or professional development?
Both — depending on the format and what you want your team to get from it.
Our workshops can be a fun, energising part of a team day, helping people build trust, connect with colleagues and collaborate in a different way. They can also be structured as CPD-style professional development, using improvisation to develop practical skills such as communication, presentation skills, active listening, creativity, adaptability, confidence and decision-making.
Often, they're both at once. The difference is in the emphasis: a team-building session might focus more on connection, energy and shared experience, while a workshop aimed at providing personal professional development will have clearer learning objectives, reflection and opportunities to apply the skills to your everyday work.
We'll work with you to shape the format around your objectives — whether you want your team to connect, learn, think differently, or all three.
What does improv have to do with business?
More than you might think. Improv is essentially practice for working well with other people when you don't know exactly what's going to happen next.
Great improvisers listen carefully, communicate clearly, make decisions quickly, build on other people's ideas and adapt when circumstances change. Those are the same skills that help teams navigate meetings, solve problems, develop ideas and respond to the unexpected.
Our workshops take these principles out of the theatre and into the workplace. Through practical exercises, live demonstration and reflection, participants get to practise communication, collaboration, creativity, adaptability, confidence and decisive action in a supportive and genuinely fun environment.
You don't need to become an improviser to benefit from improv. You just need to become a little better at listening, responding and working with the people around you.