Kelly Leonard on How to Use 'Thank You, Because' to Disarm Disagreement
In a world of increasing polarization, Kelly Leonard is working to bridge the divide and bring people together by teaching the power of improv. In this episode you will learn:
1. The importance of play, especially as we get older.
2. The power of "Yes, And" to create agreement and understanding.
3. The importance of a shared humanity that includes people who may not think or vote like we do.
"The world we live in right now, no one wants to work together. It's never been this bad, in my experience. If we could just enter rooms with curiosity instead of blame, if we could enter rooms with a 'Thank You, Because' orientation, I think we have a shot." - Kelly Leonard
Kelly Leonard is the Executive Director of Learning and Applied Improvisation at Second City Works. His book, “Yes, And: Lessons from The Second City” was released to critical acclaim in 2015 by HarperCollins and was praised by Michael Lewis in Vanity Fair who called it “...an excellent guide to the lessons that have bubbled up in Second City’s improv workshops.”
Kelly is a popular speaker on the power of improvisation to transform people’s lives. He has presented at The Aspen Ideas Festival, The Code Conference, TEDx Broadway, Chicago Ideas Festival, The Stanford Graduate School of Business and for companies such as Coca Cola, Microsoft, Twitter, Memorial Sloan Kettering and DDB Worldwide.
Kelly co-created an initiative with the Center for Decision Research at the Booth School at the University of Chicago, The Second Science Project, that looks at behavioral science through the lens of improvisation. He also hosts the podcast, “Getting to Yes, And,” for Second City Works and WGN radio that features interviews with academics, authors and leaders such as Brene Brown, Adam Grant, Michael Lewis, Lindy West, Ash Carter and Amy Edmondson.
For over twenty years, Kelly oversaw Second City’s live theatrical divisions where he helped generate original productions with such talent as Tina Fey, Stephen Colbert, Amy Poehler, Seth Meyers, Steve Carell, Keegan-Michael Key, Amy Sedaris, Adam McKay and others.
In 2019, Arts Alliance Illinois awarded Kelly and his wife Anne Libera with their Creative Voice Award.
Paul Vato is an on camera and voice actor, improvisor, podcaster and entrepreneur.
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