Welcome to

ImproCOG

Comedy-powered cognition

ImproCOG

Content

ImproCOG
Services

Workshops

ImproCOG

Story

ImproCOG Content

ImproCOG workshops utilise improvised performance games (comedy, drama, music, storytelling) to teach about cognition, divergent thinking and the cognitive verbs embedded in primary-secondary school curriculums.

ImproCOG also focusses on Applied Improvisation techniques which can be utilised in other contexts such as role play simulation in Health Science and other undergrduate degrees.

ImproCOG content supports graduate capabilities such as collaboration, innovation, communication, empathy and creativity.

ImproCOG Services

ImproCOG offers bespoke and tailored educational services including:

Workshops for university academics and students
Workshops for primary/secondary students
Workshops for on-campus college students and uni' residential living
Professional development workshops for primary/secondary teachers
Workshops with Arts/Drama focus for performing arts students
Communication/empathy/collaboration training for corporate groups

Workshop prices are available on request.

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Why ImproCOG?

ImproCOG training is needed in today's educational and corporate landscape for a number of reasons incuding:

To address the decline of soft skills (communication, collaboration, creativity etc) amongst younger generations
To build personal relationship networks and social capital which were diminshed during Covid distancing and remote learning/working
To stop the disconnect from person-to-person narrative storytelling by building empathy, personal agency and collaborative understanding
To provide an environment for authentic human creativity during the rise of AI
To show the positive benefits of humour in a climate of anxiety and stress

There are a number of potentially negative mega-trends in post-Covid working & learning environments. ImproCOG seeks to provide outcomes which push back towards the positive.

ImproCOG Resources

ImproCOG resources include a range of training games and exercises including:

Games with yes...and. The use of yes...and is fundamental to improvising; ImproCOG uses a range of activities to build an understanding of the collaborative power of this philosophy.
Using The Narrative Generator - this is a hybrid combination of several improvising games developed by ImproCOG and played in pairs, focussing on active listening and personal narrative.
The importance of back story. ImproCOG training has a number of activities to develop back story and given circumstances which also align to applied improvisation setting resources such as medical case files, commercial product timelines and legal disputes.

Workshops/BLOG

ImproCOG content has been presented in workshops to students and educators in Australia and internationally since 2012. Workshops include UNSW gifted and talented program, Drama Australia and Drama Queensland conferences, Qld Gifted & Talented Association conferences, Lutheran Education teacher PD, and ACU Allied Health Care Simulation conferences.

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Impro', the offer, and the general public

I have been improvising in role since the early 1990's. Much of this work has been done in scaffolded/controlled clientele environments like corporate events, festivals and theme parks where the audience is primed for performance - they have purchased a ticket and therefore consent that entertainment will be part of their upcoming experience. When working with the general public however this priming and acknowledgement of performance has not happened. This can lead to problem

ImproCOG Story

ImproCOG is an Australian company speciailising in educational services based on applied improvisation. It is the passion project and brainchild of ImproCOG Director Alastair Tomkins, a performing artist and Arts educator based in Brisbane, Australia.

Alastair has been an improvising performer in Australia and overseas since the early 1990's, and has been involved in Arts Education focussing on improvising/Theatresports since the early 2000's.

Alastair holds a number of degrees including a Masters of Education. He is also a member of the Applied Improvisation Network, and a Fellow of Advance Higher Education.

Alastair Tomkins

B.Comm(UNSW) M.Ed(UTS) ATCL Cert.TESOL(Cambridge) FHEA

In improvisation

there are no mistakes

/ Miles Davis