talent

Hosting a talent show at work is a great way to build a community, have some fun, and give individuals and teams a different kind of recognition.  But what if you don’t want to spend the time it takes to get a talent show up and running?  Or what if you have an organization-wide meeting and are looking for an interesting team-building event?

Hosting an improvised talent show is a great way to have fun without needing to do as much pre-work up front.  An improvised talent show is just a show where the participants have little time to actually prepare a talent, and instead rely on teamwork and quick-thinking to present something to the audience.

Here’s how to do it.

Step 1: Gather a Group of People

In order to have the show, you need a group of people together in a single area.  During an off-site meeting or all-day training is an ideal time for this.  The number of people doesn’t matter too much, though it’s ideal to have at least 10 and no more than 100.

Step 2: Explain the Rules

The rules of an Improvised Talent Show are pretty simple.  Everyone in attendance will be divided into teams.  The teams will have a set amount of time to come up with something to present to the group–a skit, a song, an interpretive dance–whatever they choose.

After the set time has passed, each of the groups will then perform what they have prepared for all of the other groups.  At the end, a winner will be chosen and they’ll receive a prize.

Step 3: Let the Groups Prepare

The amount of time the groups have to come up with something is entirely up to you as an organizer–it can be as short as 10-minutes or as long as 2-hours.  The shorter time, the more improv the groups will have to use.

It’s important to mention to the groups that having the “perfect” skit or song isn’t important, the point of the exercise is to create something together as a group and have fun presenting it to everyone.

Step 4: Add Any Additional Requirements

To make things more interesting, you can add a few more rules to the performances.  Some example rules that have worked out well in the past include:

1. Allow groups to use some type of prop in their performance.
2. Require that everyone in a group must be involved in the performance in some way.
3. Set minimum and maximum time limits for each performance (such as it must be between 1 to 3 minutes in length).
4. Throw in additional constraints such as the group must include certain key catchphrases or only one person in the group is allowed to speak.

Step 5: Let the Show Begin

Once the set amount of time has passed, randomly select an order in which the groups will perform, and call them up one-by-one.  You can then either have a panel of judges rate each group to decide a winner, or use an unofficial applause-o-meter to pick the best group.  Depending on your budget, the winning group can either win a small prize, or just the respect of their peers.

Final Thoughts

An improvised talent show is a great way to bring a group of people together for some goofy fun.  By making it an improvised show, you remove any fears from the performers that their performance has to be perfect–it’s more about the fun of creating something unique.

Interested in a more structured talent show?  Check out How to Host a Work Talent Show.

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One of the most impressive things about the people I work with is the talent that they have.  And I don’t just mean at the work that they do, but in what they do outside of the corporate workplace.  I’ve met with people who can sing, dance, perform magic, race cars, and build furniture out of wood.

I would imagine that your workplace is similar–rarely is what we do at our jobs the only thing we have a talent for.  And given all of this talent waiting to be unleashed, it makes sense to share it.  Not only do you get to see some great talent, you build a community, get to know each other, and have some fun in the workplace.

To host your own talent show, here’s what you can do:

Step 1: Find the Talent

The first thing you want to do is find the talent at work–find out who has a hidden skill that can be showcased on stage.  While the guy I know at work who also races cars is great at what he does, it’s not exactly something he can do on stage.  So you want to find people who have a talent suitable for a talent show.

The easiest way to do this is to send out an email.  Simply send out a message asking for people who have a hidden talent and are interested in being a part of a fun, exciting and unique opportunity to build the work organization.  Example talents include: singing, dancing, rapping, poetry reading, acting, magician-ing, etc etc.  The more diverse talents, the better the show.

Step 2: Find the Venue

Once you know you have enough people for a talent show, find a venue.  The space should be big enough to seat your organization and give your performers enough room to do what you need to do.  Most of the time a large conference room (with the tables removed) or any place you normally hold site-wide meetings should be sufficient.

Step 3: Find the Date

Find a date where you can get the venue and where the majority of the talent can perform.  You generally want this date to be at least a month in advance to give your performers time to rehearse their talent, as well as for you to get your marketing done to get people excited for the upcoming show.

Step 4: Advertise the Show

After you have all of the details set, start advertising for the show.  You can start off with “teaser” emails that just reveal that something exciting is happening soon.  You can then send out any clips some of the performers may have, or brief excerpts from readings they might do.

Two weeks prior to the event, start posting fliers in the common areas for people to see.  Make sure to talk about the event to people during lunch and while passing them in the hall–you want to create a buzz that this is going to be a fun event.

Step 5: Let the Show Begin

When the day comes, simply just follow a pre-defined plan for how the show will go–what order people will perform in, what you’ll do in between acts, whether you’ll have judges or an audience meter, if there will be prizes etc.  Then sit back and enjoy the show.

Final Thoughts

While hosting a Talent Show takes some organization and initiative from a variety of people, the stronger community, work/life balance, and work satisifaction is definitely worth it.  Not only do you get to take a day and have some fun, but people get to express themselves creatively and work together as a team.

Think a planned talent show requires too much planning up front?  Try an improvised talent show instead.

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