Patty Mathews

One of the biggest obstacles in communication today is distraction. When we are in conversation, many times our minds are elsewhere, and we are not really paying attention. As a result, people don't feel heard, and communication breaks down. Employing techniques used by improvisational actors you can hone your listening skills, strengthen your creativity, and discover new and better ways to reach employees and business associates...all while playing and having a little fun.

Have you ever been faced with a “forced transition”? New job, divorce, health crisis, or something else that wasn’t in your master plan? Is there something in your life you would like to achieve, yet have no idea how to begin? These challenges are similar to the ones facing an actor who is taking on a new character. By employing your imagination and creativity, with a little dash of improvisation, you can figure out the details needed to make any role YOUR role of a lifetime. This presentation/workshop will give you a little insight into how actors become their characters, as well as allowing you some time to play with some of the techniques yourself. Take the pressure off these transitions, and approach them from a light-hearted, “let’s pretend” angle. No fear, just FUN!

When I spent a week climbing Kilimanjaro, I had the opportunity to not only visit an awe-inspiring place, but also revisit some basic life lessons that the Universe felt I hadn't quite learned yet. Things like mind over matter, that you are able to do just about anything if you set your mind to it. Asking for help is not only advisable, but necessary sometimes. And anything can be made easier when it is broken into pieces. Most of these lessons are things that we learn as young people, and then we carry them through our lives. But some have a challenge holding onto some life lessons. Sometimes we have to be hit over the head with a ton or two of bricks to really have it sink in. Life brings a lot of challenges, all with lessons attached, but some of the most profound lessons come from communing with Mother Nature. We have so many places in our own cities that we can explore After all, you don't necessarily have to climb a mountain to learn a lesson or two...but it sure is fun!