Creativity, Collaboration & Connection
SUVI KOIVUSALO
Creativity and Collaboration Skills Coach
MSc in International Business Communication
Multilingual Actor
I believe that more listening and less talk makes wonders happen. There's so much beauty in genuine active listening. It's often the key to reaching mutual understanding and successful collaboration. I also believe that collaboration and creativity are skills that can be practiced and learned.
A big Google research summarized that the most successful teams are not the ones built with specific personality types, talent, or backgrounds. It's the teams who work well together that thrive. The "who" doesn't matter as much as how the team members interact with one another. I teach the "how" so the "who" can make great things happen together.
To get the best results in teaching collaboration, communication, and creativity skills, I use applied improvisation as the method. It works wonders in creating a supportive and safe atmosphere where participants can practice these vital skills hands-on.
"Leaders trying to create collaborative cultures tend to focus on instilling the right values or designing the right space. They overlook the fact that collaboration requires certain skills."
- Harvard Business Review 11-12/19, Professor F. Gino
SITRA HERÄÄMÖ 2020
Suvi Koivusalo was invited by Sitra, the Finnish Innovation Fund, to give a speech about "Creative methods for tackling uncertainty - Applied Improvisation as a solution".
The speech is in Finnish (Suvi starts at 05:10).
"Suvi is an expert at building trust within a group. Suvi knows how to create a safe and respectful space where everyone can explore their inner creativity and their potential. If you get the opportunity to work with her, seize it!"
- Noemi Poget, Life Coach
PATRICIA RYAN MADSON
Stanford Professor Emerita
interviewed by Suvi Koivusalo (2019)
Patricia Ryan Madson is a Professor Emerita at Stanford University. She’s the pioneer of teaching improvisation skills to students from various disciplines.
Patricia is the author of Improv Wisdom: Don’t Prepare, Just Show Up - and currently teaches at Stanford’s Continuing Studies.
Suvi was honored to have this conversation with Patricia Ryan Madson. Together they talk about improvisation at Stanford and why there should be more improvisation taught at all levels of education.
“Engineers, probably more than anybody else, need improv to get out of their linear minds”.
"University administrations are coming to understand that we’re not going to get through the 21st century unless we find ways to help students exercise their creative imagination.”