Ciao, Roma: Rachel Bids Us a Final Farewell

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Ciao, Roma: Rachel Bids Us a Final Farewell

Working at improve it! has been quite an adventure. I started out about seven months ago feeling like a small, shy girl having her first real world experience in the work life. And now, I’m sitting here on the last day in the office, feeling sad because it’s the last day, but more courageous, confident, experienced... who am I kidding, the list goes on. I have had so many memorable experiences with improve it!, but I would like to share my favorite parts.

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What My Mother’s Italian Cooking Taught Me about Sales and Improv

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What My Mother’s Italian Cooking Taught Me about Sales and Improv

Every year around the holidays my mother, Mama Booth, slaves away in the kitchen for hours preparing a feast for the entire family and friends; appetizers, mains, desserts, the whole shebang.  Every year, she complains after the meal that she’ll never do it again, and yet the following year, she’s back in the kitchen trying out new recipes in an attempt to outdo herself.  Mama Booth is the master of large Italian meals.  She succeeds because she’s not afraid to take risks and always leaves us wanting more.  If you want to succeed in sales and improv, take some notes from Mama Booth.

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Four Ways Improv Can Make You a Better Networker

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Four Ways Improv Can Make You a Better Networker

You just moved to a new city where you are out of your comfort zone, nervous and alone.  It’s your first day at your new job, and you think you’ve accepted a role that you aren’t quite qualified for.  Or maybe you’ve just started a new graduate program and your teacher assigned you a challenging group project.

In all of these situations, you want to build not only a professional network but a new social circle.  Where in the world do you start? Here are four ways the art of improvisation can help you overcome your fears, make connections and establish new relationships, all while having fun in the process. Networking is really NETing a new outcome based on the WORK you put in. Follow these four simple tips to help jump start the process:

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Team Building with Youth from WorldChicago

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Team Building with Youth from WorldChicago

Last week we worked with WorldChicago, an organization that facilitates professional and personal interactions for international leaders during official visits to Chicago through U.S. Department of State exchange programs.

We worked specifically with their youth delegation from South Korea and Japan to enhance this all female group's comradery during their two week stay in Chicago. This group was brought to Chicago to develop a community program to take back and implement in their own communities. We found these women to be supportive, imaginative and know that this great group of women will go on to be top leaders in whatever field they so choose!

This group of young woman surprised us with how creative and fearless they were from the beginning to the very end of the workshop. We could not have been more honored to be a part of their Chicago experience and wish them nothing but the best in their future endeavors!

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We Did It! improve it! is a RedEye Big Idea Awards Winner!

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Over three hundred people came out on Friday, November 14th to The Chop Shop in Chicago to find out who would be announced the winners of The RedEye Big Idea Awards. improve it! was the winner of the Art & Design category and we could not be more thrilled!

We are so thankful to have had such a great group of friends, family and supporters in attendance. We passed out our improve it! hand clappers with our tagline "Applause for a Cause," members of The Spotty Truth performed improvised games found in our workshops, and we raffled off tickets for our public workshop on Wednesday, November 19th. We had fun with friends and were able to introduce others to what improve it! is all about! 

If you missed it, be sure to check out the recap video. We look forward to what the future has in store!

 

 

The RedEye Chicago Big Idea Finale! →

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The RedEye Chicago Big Idea Finale!

We did it! We made it to the final round of the RedEye Chicago Big Idea Awards! Thank you so much for the support we received from so many of you during the semi-finals --- we seriously can't thank you enough for your kind words, encouragement and votes!!

We would like to personally invite each of you to the final round which consists of an in-person event at Chop Shop on Friday, November 14th at 7:00pm. The event will feature each of the sixteen finalist companies and the winners from each category will be selected based on votes that are cast at the event! 

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