2009 State of Oregon Training Summit Keynote:
Everything's an Offer: Communication Strategies from the World of Improv
Presented by On Your Feet
On Your Feet (OYF) is a collaboration between business and the arts. Drawing heavily on ideas from improvisational theatre, OYF helps organizations with collaboration, creativity and dealing with change.
OYF has worked recently with Intel, Nike, the Portland Trail Blazers, Disney, Portland State University and GE.
Keynote Handout: OYF-Keynote.pdf
Brad Robertson
What do you do after owning a shave ice business for 14 years and then teaching at a business school for 5 years? Keep on improvising. Brad was first the owner of Snow Dee Lite, a Portland shave ice company (shave ice is the Cadillac of snow cones) from 1987-2000 and then ran the Business Outreach Program at Portland State University from 1999-2004, bringing his snow cone perspective to helping businesses in Portland's Inner City become more profitable.
After leaving PSU in 2004, he jumped in with both feet to OYF and has worked recently with companies like GE, Nike, Intel, Disney, and others.
Shelley Darcy
Shelley is a writer and performer living in Los Angeles, CA. She and her material can be seen weekly in the Improv Olympic West's long running show "Big News" which the Chicago Tribune called "The best show to see in LA". Her training includes Second City Los Angeles, The Groundlings, Improv Olympic West and Upright Citizens Brigade. Shelley has led OYF sales training with GE world wide sales forces.
Daryl Olson
The fabric of Daryl's life is completely woven into the world of improvisation. He has been performing improvisational comedy professionally for almost 18 years and is the founding member of Portland's premiere improv troupe, Brainwaves. With Brainwaves, he has used his quick wit and impressions to help make audiences laugh throughout the United States. The Oregonian writes, "There's a naturalness, but also a point, to his humor and interactions with the cast and the audience."
Daryl discovered his talent for Improvisational Theatre while he was a student at Portland State University, where he earned a degree in Speech Communications (the University did not offer Improvisational Comedy as a major). Besides his work with Brainwaves, Daryl has toured many Countries, except Canada, performing other types of interactive theater. He survived several years as a Stand-Up Comedian and has been seen in Television and Feature Films. By Feature Films, we mean one film in which Burt Reynolds likens Daryl's character to 'A boring piss ant!' "Burt's acting was so good," Daryl recalled, "I believed that I was a boring piss ant for several months after the movie was released."