Karen Hough
Ohio, USA
Community Member AuthorContact Karen Hough
Karen Hough is the Amazon #1 bestselling author of The Improvisation Edge: Secrets to Building Trust and Radical Collaboration at Work. Her book also made the Top 25 Business Books on 800-CEOREAD. Karen is the founder and CEO of ImprovEdge, which creates corporate training using improvisation. ImprovEdge won the silver International Stevie Award for Most Innovative Company of the Year 2012 and has received the Athena PowerLink Award for outstanding woman-owned business. She is a regular contributor to The Huffington Post.
Karen’s first life was as a professional improviser and actor. She trained with Chicago’s Second City, performed in more than one hundred theatrical productions, and was featured in radio, TV, and film. She lived a second life as a successful executive in IT for network engineering start-ups. She finally became an entrepreneur. ImprovEdge has a presence in six cities nationwide and a client list that includes ESPN, JPMorgan, OhioHealth, Turner Broadcasting, Coach, and Nationwide Insurance, to name a few. Karen is a graduate of Yale University and La Sorbonne, Paris IV. She serves on several boards and is deeply committed to volunteer activities. Karen lives with her husband and three children in Ohio.
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ImprovEdge provides corporate training using improvisation as the learning catalyst. We provide workshops, keynotes, virtual learning integrating social media, technology, and cross-geographic live events. We provide engaging, fresh content in areas such as Executive Presence and Presentation Skills, Creativity and Innovation, Negotiation, Diversity and Inclusion, Affinity Group Content such as Gender and Negotiation, Leadership, Managing Tough Conversations, Sales.
Workshops and services are priced based on number of attendees, amount of content delivered, etc. Investments begin at $8500. Keynote investment for Karen Hough is $10,500. For specific investments, please call Lisa Tennenbaum, Director of Marketing, 614-306-2222, lisa@improvedge.com.
These improvisational capabilities allow our leaders to be innovative and flexible and to collaborate on a radical level.”
- John Brock, Chairman and CEO, Coca-Cola Enterprises
“I am still practicing what ImprovEdge taught me, even more so now. Just last week I was in a healthy discussion in a group setting and one the folks kept saying ‘I hear you but…,’ and I kept saying ‘ I can see your point AND…’ I purposely polled the audience visually and I can truly tell that the AND word conveyed a positive tone and as such their reaction was more positive towards me … (Not to rub it in, but I ended up convincing the decision makers to support my recommendations.)”
– Raj Harricharran, VP & Product Line Manager, Battelle
ImprovEdge has brought a whole new way of thinking to both my Marketing Department and our Executive Committee. They know how to bring creativity to an exceptional new level and get a team to really think ‘outside the box.’ Their approach is both fun and innovative! This workshop exceeded my expectations.”
- Jill Beraud, Executive VP, Victoria’s Secret Stores
“Our experience with ImprovEdge was great! Their team spent a great deal of time getting to know our needs and built a program that was well received by our management team and our employees. The sessions were interesting, fun and interactive. Our associates came away with the feeling that they learned something valuable about our brand and our culture.”
- Shawn Alexander, Senior Vice President, JPMorgan Asset Management
