When things get tense in the office, Fortune 500 companies call the Four Day Weekend crew.
Based in Fort Worth, Texas, the small comedy troupe specializes in teaching improvisation to business leaders and corporations. The group has operated for 20 years and conducts about 350 corporate events each year. Southwest Airlines, FedEx, and Hilton Hotels are some of its clients.
Four Day Weekend’s corporate services offer team building workshops and game shows using clean comedy (that some might find cheesy) catered to “a corporate-minded audience.” They say their techniques are particularly valuable during company mergers and acquisitions when conflict is likely to arise.
“You get one by-the-book, white-collar company, while the other has a jeans and T-shirt type of culture,” says co-founder David Wilk. “So you have to build a new culture. We give them tools to create a ‘Yes and’ culture.” “Yes and” is a principle of improv that emphasizes building upon what someone has just said instead of ignoring them and going in your own direction.
In the video above, watch Fortune’s staff participate in a game of “Yes and” and learn how improv is being used at the office.