Communication & Personal Impact Skills . . . for Individuals, Teams & Organisations.
"In January 2010 participants from the NHS Top Talent programme as part of their final event visited and worked with colleagues from the Comedy School.
To say the day was a success would be an understatement.
The programme was meticulously planned and from the first minute the participants were made to feel comfortable and relaxed.
The laughter started soon after.
Many of the participants were anxious about what would be expected of them as they unable to see the relevance of comedy to their everyday lives in the NHS. How wrong they were.
The programme showed them how to improvise, how to think on their feet and how to feel confident when standing up in front of colleagues, all skills highly relevant to senior leaders in the NHS.
The comedy school might not at first seem a natural personal development choice for serious NHS managers but in the event it turned out to be one of the most highly evaluated and popular development modules on the programme."
Yvonne Coghill OBE, Director,
NHS, National Breaking Through Initiative.
This Stand Up Comedy course ranks among the best personal development courses I've been on.
Firstly, the tutors know their stuff - some are household names - and they know how to communicate.
Secondly, the skills that are taught and practised are easily transferable to the workplace - what "boo" (no) and "hooray" (yes) actually mean, active listening, how to communicate with clarity and structure, and of course plenty of material on public speaking.
The vehicle for learning is humour, but the implications for the workplace are wide-reaching and practical. Thirdly, from a corporate social responsibility perspective, Keith Palmer's Comedy School is a social enterprise, and I know that the money I paid is making a tangible difference to the more vulnerable and disaffected in society.
Olivia Landsberg, Landsberg Coaching
"The best way to predict the future
is to create it"
"There are 2 reasons we have found the comedy school to be such a great personal development partner.
Firstly, the theory behind comedy techniques is powerful, accessible and can be put into practical application.
Secondly, there is something magical about comedy which unlocks the authenticity in people, literally freeing them from their own barriers, inhibitions and ways of being.
And of course it is hugely energising.
A+++++++ as they say on Ebay!"
Kevin Chapman
Partner, Tinder-Box Business Coaching
"I heartily recommend The Comedy School to anyone, who spends a lot of time in front of an audience.
I do a lot of public speaking and use humour to build rapport with audiences all over the world. But there's a big difference between using humour and being funny. So I wanted to learn how to use humour more intensively, with more punch and in different environments than management conferences and lecture halls.
The Comedy School course helped me build on my natural humour and irreverence. I learned timing, how to structure jokes more effectively and how to achieve greater comic impact through fewer words.
I started to apply some of these lessons in my day job and received immediate positive feedback. About half-way through the course, I was told by one audience that this was the most entertaining workshop they had ever attended!
I've learned to capture and work on the quirky observations I so often make, turning them into something stronger and more biting."
Professor David Clutterbuck,
Clutterbuck Associates, 'World leading experts in mentoring and coaching'
What I saw was a group coming together through laughter (and we don't do a lot of that in the NHS) and yet equally getting some personal insights and development too.
From a personal point of view I would like to extend a big thank you to you and all your team for making us all so welcome, the day ran very smoothly."
Dave Thornton Ltd
'Stand Apart Not Alone'
"The team thoroughly enjoyed the experience and I thought it was most interesting as well as fun. It certainly set us up for a very good evening! Thank you very much I thought the service provided was professional, thoughtful and fun! I will certainly keep you in mind for any future events / training and tell others how good you are!"
Nathan Wimble - European Sales Director
"Wanted to say a huge thank you for the session that you run, feedback from the team was that everyone took a great deal out of the session and really enjoyed it.
Glowing reviews, you did is proud!
It was great to work with you and we really felt like you understood the brief and purpose for why we decided to run the session.
I appreciate it was not the most conventional location and really appreciate you guys doing such a fantastic job!"
"Happen.com - 'Turning Ideas Into Value'
Becki Haskins - Innovative Agent
"I signed up with the Comedy school because I wanted to become a more relaxed and effective public speaker.
Any expectations I had were met and then some!
Within 4hours, I went from dreading the thought of speaking in front of large groups, to confidently delivering a 5-minute routine in front of over 100 guests at the showcase.
It was the most amazing experience.
The Comedy school team are fun, supportive and bursting with creative ideas and useful feedback.
I would highly recommend the school to anyone looking to improve their communication skills, build their self confidence or even just to learn a new fun skill that is a great talking point at dinner parties."
Natalie Richards
Management Consultant
