“Carrie is amazing! Her lessons, timing, delivery, and application is spot on and applicable to all levels of supervision and management. Life lessons with meaningful use at all levels of your organization.” —Matthew Smolecki, AbD, MBA, CPP; Director of Learning, Development & Safety
“She captured our attention right out the gate. The audience was on edge of their seats, not quite sure what was next. She spoke with clarity and focus. She demonstrated great respect for all her participants. She conducted several large group activities highly effectively, which would have seemed impossible. She had people laughing, learning, engaging, hugging, some on the verge of tears as they learned. Her teaching style and inclusiveness speckled with humor and moments of seriousness that made the experience totally engaging and elevating. You won’t find a better speaker on coaching issues than Carrie. She is truly a treasure!” —Cliff Walters, MD, MBA, ACC
“What a refreshing experience to show up—tired!—and have a presenter say NOTHING at first but manage to absolutely quiet the room and rivet her audience! The entire session was mostly experiential, and extreme fun and learning through improv: our improvisation exercises were challenging, exciting, and oh so filled with learnings! Carrie was also masterful at debriefing each exercise in a dynamic, engaging, and controlled way which led to amazing ‘AHA’ moments, and a great sense of belonging and camaraderie. She drove home some essential points by leading [us] through powerful experiences. The room was brimming with excitement, and people left energized … and changed. Thank you Carrie!” —Pascale Brady, PCC
“Loved the energy, loved the focus, loved the improv. You have to hear Carrie.” —Peter James, PhD, ACC, President, ICF-Chicago
“After attending Carrie’s program Improvisation for Coaches, I knew she’d be a great fit as a facilitator at our 2 day offsite with my fellow Google Lead peers in Staffing. Carrie designed and facilitated a session that opened our perspectives about our work as leaders using improv skills such as being present in the moment, deep listening, and building on creative momentum through true collaboration. Her presentation was super engaging, but even more powerful was that I noticed people referencing and using the training the following week during one of our brainstorming sessions. We all left with more awareness and a different perspective on how the way we show up impacts others in the business. I recommend Carrie as a facilitator for any company looking for a fun, creative way to bring even more life into Leadership trainings.” —Jeanne Lyons, Google Staffing Manager
“Despite the fact that the room was standing room only, Carrie managed to fully engage each participant. There was just the right combination of presentation and hands-on experience. We laughed a lot, and walked out feeling uplifted, feeling lighter, and certainly ready to try the exercises with our clients. The handout was also very useful – providing lots of detailed instructions on how to use improv when working with individuals and groups. Carrie is a talented performer, educator, and entertainer with lots of humility and compassion, and I would definitely recommend her for audiences of any size and level of experience with theater.” —Julia Karpeisky, PCC
“Exceeded my hopes and expectations…the team is still talking about it a year later, using it when something unexpected gets handed to them.” —hiring consultant for corporate retreat
“Carrie’s experiential learning methods raised my awareness of tendencies that are getting in the way of my goals and satisfaction. This experience was immensely helpful and fun.” —James Tedford, organization consultant
“I learned that if you “accept” people’s points of view even if you don’t agree with them, you can have a productive conversation/debate. If you don’t accept, then walls go up, and either nothing gets done or only one person’s point of view is heard.” —workshop participant
“Improvisation for Coaches” is one workshop I would never choose to attend. It’s not for me. I like to be in control and definitely don’t want to look foolish in front of others. No, I’m not an “improv” person. Yet, I had to attend Carrie Spaulding’s workshop. I’m our ICF chapter program chair this year. I organized the workshop. I have to introduce Carrie. And, she seems great – a PCC coach, very personable and engaging, high energy with a passion for what improvisation can do for coaches. She really believes that improv can improve communication and build trust for everyone. So I showed up and in 90 minutes, improv changed my life. “Yes, and” gave me a new way to approach clients, family and friends. Carrie Spaulding is a gift. She puts you at ease, makes you feel safe to step out of your comfort zone and then asks you to trust the process and play. The exercises are simple yet powerful. I was amazed at how quickly the improv exercises helped my partners and I connect. We surprised ourselves. Within moments, we were trusting each other and really listening. Isn’t that what we hope for our clients? By the end of the workshop, I had decided that 90 minutes wasn’t enough time to practice my new improv skills. We need her back for a half day program. Yes, I’m now an improv believer and a Carrie Spaulding fan!” —Kelly Best, MBA, CPC
“I thought yours was one of the best sessions during the conference. It was engaging and fun, and you definitely created a learning environment. From my perspective, learning occurred in 3 ways: when you were sharing improv concepts, when we were trying out the activities, and during the debriefs with the participants. It was such a great experience that I’ve recommended it for the next conference. Thank you!” —Linda Miller, MCC
“Out of all of the sessions I attended, this one was personally inspiring for me! Carrie’s presentation was engaging, thought-provoking, educational, and fun. The exercises helped participants get out of their head, listen to others, and be present in the moment. The rapport developed between exercise partners after a few short minutes was amazing. I feel energized from this session and looking forward to putting these techniques into practice!” —Amy Gamblin, ACC
“What an amazing session. The room was packed and everyone was riveted to her wonderful presentation. The interaction was so much fun. She had us all laughing and with the exercises, really thinking hard about how to incorporate these techniques into our coaching. Amazing and powerful!” —Bryan Nadeau, ACC
“The session was filled with laughter, and was one of the best leadership talks I have attended at a conference in a very long time. In fact, I think this session alone was worth the price I paid for admission to the conference! The amount of energy, enthusiasm, and just plain fun that Carrie brought to the group really left a lasting impression.” —Scott A. Moore, ACC, CAM
“What great exercises to take to my practice with executives and corporations. Very grateful for this masterful experience.” –Melanie von Wangenheim, BetterManager, ICF Germany
“This was so much fun. Every activity opened new awarenesses for me. I am excited to use what I learned today in my coaching—and with my family!” —Patty Blinderman, PCC
“Carrie Spaulding rocks! I attended her workshop at an international coaching conference, and her session was my favorite! She is a dynamic, well-spoken and authentic presenter who has an innate ability to connect with her audience. The content of her workshop was accessible, fun and immediately useful. I can easily see why organizations would benefit from the improvisation techniques Carrie shares, and I can’t think of a better resource for those tools than Carrie herself.” —Debby Stone, PCC
“It was a great energy shift for me and the group. As a presenter, it was clear to me you are comfortable, relaxed and had complete knowledge of the topic. I can see the value of using it to create cooperation for employees. It was really ‘Fabulous’!” —coach
“I thought the content was awesome! Thank you for introducing me to a new concept and a new tool to put in my “tool belt”!! So prepared and so attentive to the class. Great front of the room presence! Engaging and enthusiastic about the subject matter! Left me wanting more!” —coach
“It was a really powerful experience for me. This exercise helped me let go of my ego. It means letting go of your own agenda and being in a truly cooperative space. It hijacks that cognitive planful part of your brain and you have to just play. It was freeing and calming. It puts you in your flow state in a way that’s hard to access. It’s amazing that there’s an exercise that can get you to that place. It’s crazy how quick the effect is. I found it transformative.” —A.P., one-on-one exercise participant
“Coaching has a lot of improvisation! A coach must be fully present and act in THE moment. At ICF Converge 2017, Carrie Spaulding made the participants aware about the value and the process/tools of improvisation. She showed us that improvisation is not abstract. It is an original response to the situation, the person and the context we are coaching. It will activate the client’s mind in a very positive way, enabling him/her to achieve new perspectives. Her joy, energy and capacity of communication is amazing, as she can really make us experience the power of improvisation, inspiring us to develop it and use it during our coaching sessions. Thank you, Carrie, for your knowledge and experience with this powerful tool. Your wonderful capacity to engage the audience and make us learn what improvisation is and how to use it has a huge value. I am grateful to you!”
–Ana Teresa Penim, PCC