Improv & Storytelling for Business Professionals

As a business owner, founder, or rising-star executive, when someone asks you, “How did you get into this line of work?” How do you answer that question? Do you meander and produce a LinkedIn resume response? Does nervousness about public speaking get the best of you? Or, do you want to share a story that shows your WHY- you-do-what-you-do-instantly, but don’t know how to start it?

This is where your refined storytelling skills come into play.

This 6-week course combines the science of storytelling with the spontaneity of improv to help you build a "Story Library" of your leadership wisdom that turns listeners into believers. You’ll leave class with at least two of these three stories:

Origin Story: Look back to early life moments that showed your natural talents in action. Were you a marketing wiz with your first lemonade stand? Could you predict future outcomes before anyone else? Did you invent something and it worked, and now you have patents?

Customer Success Story: How did you solve someone’s problem? Who was involved? What happened that made you the hero?

Lesson Learned Story: We’ve all made mistakes, so sharing an honest and vulnerable tale where you “failed”, but definitely learned from it, makes you relatable and more magnetic. Learn to bravely and confidently tell it.

Those are “must-have” stories that you (and your team) can tell in multiple work scenarios.

Improv will help you tap into your playful side, ultimately building stronger listening skills, the ability to think quickly on your feet, and improved confidence in public speaking.

You will learn how to create "Mind Movies" that keep your audience from distraction, use sensory details to make your business stories memorable, and develop the moxie to share your most impactful leadership stories with confidence.

Class Details

Date and Time: 6 Wednesdays, Sep 23 to Oct 28, 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm

Location: 1315 Northwest Mall Street, Suite 4, Issaquah, WA, 98027

Maximum Students: 12

Tuition: $599

Prerequisites: This class is designed for executive leaders, rising stars, and founders seeking investment--who face public speaking situations or aspire to improve their own skills.

Meet Your Instructor: Melissa Reaves

Melissa Reaves is a proud Unexpected Productions ensemble member since 2015. She brings a unique blend of five decades in theater and over twenty-five years in enterprise ad-tech sales to her coaching. After years in the high-stakes world of technology start-ups, Melissa authored The Storyteller’s Mind Movie Method™, a storytelling framework that has helped founders and executives raise over $170M in funding.

Her deep coaching experience includes eight years with the Seattle University Business Plan Competition and serving as a lead pitch coach for Founders Live. She is also the host of The Storyteller’s Mind Movie Makers weekly podcast, which explores storytelling elements for leaders to be cognizant of to hold their audience’s attention. And, Melissa is the producer of MISSY AI, an innovative app that provides public speaking leaders with 24/7 on-demand presentation coaching.

Beyond the boardroom, Melissa is an award-winning storyteller featured on national stages including PBS, NPR, and The Moth Grand Slams. Whether she is performing at Ignite Seattle or mentoring a C-Suite executive, Melissa’s mission is to help leaders find the moxie to share their "why" and expand their leadership empowerment.

What to Bring

This class involves movement, so please dress comfortably and bring a bottle of water. Bring a notebook for writing.

Cancellation Policy

We are unable to offer refunds.