Engage, Adapt & Influence… Get the Improv Edge in Business!
Communicate with Confidence. Listen with Impact.
Joe Hammer partners with forward-thinking organizations on interactive improv-based training and team-building workshops that build real skills in listening, collaboration and adaptability under pressure. Some engagements open with Joe’s high-energy keynote presentation, a great way to set the tone at a conference, offsite or leadership summit before the team moves into hands-on training, while others move right into Joe’s interactive taining.
Joe opens your conference, offsite or leadership summit with a high-energy overview of today’s communication and the skills that make interactions more effective.
Joe’s hands-on team building training in listening, adaptability and collaborative communication, built around your team’s real challenges… and in a fun way!
Your participants leave with practical communication tools they can use immediately… for listening better, thinking faster, collaborating more effectively, and handling the unexpected with confidence.
What If Your Next Team-Building Experience Actually Changed the Way Your Team Communicates?
Forget another bland teamwork session. INFLUENTIAL INTERACTIONS uses the principles of improvisation to build the communication skills that drive stronger teams… listening, collaboration, adaptability, creativity, confidence and leadership.
Why bring in a distant training provider when experienced corporate communications expertise is right here?
Joe Hammer is a Scottsdale-based professional speaker, business-development expert, author and improv coach with decades of experience helping professionals communicate, present and perform more effectively.
As founder and director of The Outcasters Improv Training Center, Joe brings improv training directly from his Scottsdale training center to organizations throughout Arizona and beyond.
He is also the author of THE IMPROV EDGE and BLANK TO BRILLIANT, two best-selling books exploring the power of improvisation well beyond the stage.
Unlike comedians who are attempting improv corporate training, Joe has spent decades working in the professional speaking and business world. He understands the corporate landscape and knows how to turn improv principles into practical business skills.
Business Doesn’t Come With a Script.
Your people can’t always prepare for what happens next… they need to know how to respond.
INFLUENTIAL INTERACTIONS gives participants an engaging, hands-on way to practice exactly that!
LISTEN BETTER. Be present instead of preparing your next response.
COMMUNICATE CLEARLY. Express ideas with greater confidence and impact.
COLLABORATE EFFECTIVELY. Build on ideas instead of shutting them down.
ADAPT QUICKLY. Stay effective when circumstances change.
THINK CREATIVELY. Generate possibilities when the obvious answer isn’t enough.
LEAD WITH CONFIDENCE. Stay composed, connected and responsive under pressure.
It isn’t improv for the stage… It’s Communication Training.
Let’s get to work!
No Joke: Why the Business World is Embracing Improv Comedy
How Improv Helped a Dollar Shave Club Founder Sell His Startup for $1 Billion
Why Improv Training is Great Business Training
How to Grow Your Business by Letting Go
Using Improv to Transform How You Lead
When the Art of the Deal Includes Improv Training
Need more assurance Joe is the right choice for your training needs? Check out the testimonials from his clients and students!
These are just some of the dozens of kudos we have on file from our many students...
"Joe Hammer’s Outcasters Improv classes are the best in the biz. Joe’s fun and engaging style of teaching Improv will enhance your game big time. Whether you are new to Improv or an experienced performer, Joe will take you to higher levels quickly. I highly recommend The Outcasters Improv classes, and Joe’s book The Improv Edge."
"I love how the program is so well organized into different exercises that end up getting one into a more flowing state of creativity! I am loving each second of the class."
"You're a great Improv Coach (and a great guy)! The games we played were 'spot on' for fine tuning all the top tools to facilitate the 'magic' in our improv scenes. Your Director Notes are really helpful too!"
"The way it was run, professionally, no ego from anyone, great fun and we learned a whole bunch of new funny stuff!"
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"I loved learning more about flashbacks and how we can put that into our performances. It was very insightful. The class was fun and we did a lot of fun games."
"I enjoyed learning so much from Joe! He reminded me how even the small things in a scene are what truly bring it to life."
"I very much enjoyed how positive and supportive Joe is when he runs the class. This is NOT a competitive environment and it attracts a wide range of interesting, kind students from various backgrounds."
"Everyone was extremely welcoming and Joe was a fantastic teacher. I felt comfortable participating and didn't feel I had to worry about any judgement, we were all in it together. The warmups and exercises were engaging and hilarious. I can't wait to go back!"
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"The Outcasters improv classes are a great way to build your interactive skills that you can use in any life situation. It is a fun way to learn how to listen and build off someone else's input, a priceless skill in the world of business. It is a safe, non-judgmental, encouraging environment!"
"The best class I’ve ever participated in! I can’t wait until next Wednesday! Laughter is the best medicine. Thank you Joe and everyone there."
"A great group of very talented individuals. I very much look forward to the next class."
"I came to The Outcasters having never done Improv. One night and I'm hooked!"
"I've hit rock bottom in terms of social interactions so many times and finally made the decision that enough is enough. I need to get better. This is exactly what I've been needing. I feel so happy and thankful to have been a part of it and will be attending every chance I get."
"I found myself looking forward to class every week! The games are always playful, fun and yet challenging and instructive."
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"If you have been considering diving into the art of Improvisation, take the plunge now with Joe Hammer’s, The Outcasters Improv Troupe, in Scottsdale. Joe is an excellent instructor and improvisor. His exceptional methods of teaching are more like lessons in fun."
"I have been attending improv classes with The Outcasters for six months and have found them to be an enjoyable diversion from my regular routine. Joe runs the class effectively, introducing games to hone our skills, providing insightful tips, and facilitating a welcoming and friendly environment. Mistakes and blunders are inevitable yet forgiven and I highly recommend the class for anyone looking to experience some laughs and develop their interpersonal skills."
"I loved how Joe related to people in a non-judgmental way. Totally "yes, and" posture. I also enjoyed his style of directing during the exercises as needed. The folk in the class were awesome, accepting, welcoming."
"I would definitely recommend Joe Hammer's classes , workshops, trainings after attending this first one. I plan to make this a habit. I'm not an actor, don't play one on TV, not a goal. I'm a psychotherapist at the VA working with vets diagnosed with PTSD, and all kinds of trauma related challenges. I teach Improv in virtual groups to help them heal, improve their life skills. Personally I find it improves my life if I intentionally practice the principles in my daily life. I am a part of an international post-modern therapeutic community that has been using performance therapies for many years."
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Joe Hammer has been actively presenting powerful personal and business development seminars and entertainment programs for decades. Complimenting his books, THE IMPROV EDGE and BLANK TO BRILLIANT, Joe’s improv classes and workshops deliver high-impact content from his extensive training with Magnet Theater, Upright Citizen’s Brigade and Impro Theatre, including disciplines with fellow improv authors, Mick Napier of The Annoyance Theater and Will Hines of UCB.
Joe’s classes go beyond simple improv games; you’ll discover practical and constructive principles of both short and long form improvisation – all while enjoying ample stage time, personalized coaching and considerate feedback. There’s something new in every class!
And it’s all taught in a safe, respectful, and non-judgmental setting. No egos. No harassment. No criticism. Just progressive improv training in a positive environment!
As a perceptive chameleon, Banter recognizes the importance of being adaptable. Banter came to be the Outcasters’ mascot after trying to find a place to cool off from the blazing Arizona sun. He stumbled inside a drop-in improv class and, after seeing what The Outcasters were all about, he quickly realized he was home! Whether you’re an experienced improviser, just beginning your improv journey, or attending one of our shows, Banter invites you to join us!