Most team building gets the same reaction: polite groans, a lot of checking phones, and a trust fall nobody asked for. Comedy is different. When a room is laughing together, people relax, talk to coworkers they've never met, and see the boss as a person. That's the whole point of team building, and laughter gets there faster than any icebreaker.
Mike James has spent more than 20 years performing professional improv and teaching improv workshops, and he brings that experience, along with the same clean, professional comedy he performs on stage, to interactive sessions where your team is part of the show. Everyone can take part, nobody gets embarrassed, and it works whether your group is twelve people in a conference room or three hundred at an offsite.
Ways to play
Pick one, or combine them into a longer program. Every format is 100% clean and built so people who'd never call themselves funny still have a great time.
Friendly Feud game show
Mike's game show based on Family Feud, with your teams going head to head to guess the top survey answers. More on it below.
Why game shows work for teams →Other game shows
Trivia built around your company and industry, a “How well do you know your team?” quiz, and other quick-fire, game-show formats with a professional host keeping the energy up and the scores honest.
Improv workshop
Hands-on improv games that teach the skills teams need every day: listening, saying “yes, and,” thinking on your feet, and supporting a partner. Mike has taught improv workshops for more than 20 years. No acting experience needed, and nobody is forced into the spotlight.
What improv teaches teams →Sketch comedy workshop
Small groups write and perform short, clean sketches about their own workplace: the meeting that should have been an email, the printer that hates everyone. It's collaboration, creativity and a big laugh at the end, when teams perform for each other.
How a sketch comedy workshop works →Humor at work talk
A funny, practical talk on how humor helps teams communicate, handle stress and stay connected, with plenty of laughs along the way. A strong fit for a conference session, a leadership retreat or a lunch-and-learn.
Workshop plus a show
Pair a workshop or game show with a clean stand-up set for a full program: hands-on fun in the afternoon, then a comedy show at dinner.
Friendly Feud: the game show
Friendly Feud is Mike's take on the classic TV game show Family Feud. Two teams face off at the buzzer to name the most popular answers to survey questions, with Mike hosting, keeping score and keeping the laughs coming.
The twist: the surveys can come from your own people. Send a short survey to your staff ahead of time, and the answers on the board are what your coworkers really said. It's always funnier than anything on TV, and it gets people talking long after the game.
It works for a dozen players or a ballroom: teams compete up front while everyone else plays along from their seats. Rounds can be built around your company, your industry, a holiday or the occasion, and every question stays clean.
Friendly Feud is an independent show by Mike James Comedy. It isn't affiliated with or endorsed by Family Feud or its producers.
Read more: Game show team building: why it works and how to run one right
Why comedy works for team building
Laughing together builds trust. It's hard to stay guarded with someone you just watched win a game show round or perform a sketch about the coffee machine. The skills behind improv and sketch comedy — listening closely, building on someone else's idea, staying calm when the plan changes — are the same ones that make teams work.
And people come back talking about it. The best team building is the kind your staff brings up months later, not the kind they're relieved is over.
Read more: Why improv workshops make better teams
Built for every kind of group
Company offsites and retreats
Break up a long agenda with something everyone looks forward to.
Conferences
A breakout session or general-session game show that gets a big room on its feet.
New and remote teams
Help people who've only met on video calls actually get to know each other.
Holiday parties and appreciation events
A hosted game show turns a party into an event, with prizes, rivalries and plenty of laughs.
Read more: A planner's guide to comedy workshops: which format fits your group
Clean, inclusive and professional
Every session is clean, kind and HR-friendly. Mike reads the room, keeps the spotlight optional for anyone who'd rather cheer from their seat, and never makes a joke at someone's expense. You get a professional who communicates clearly while you plan, shows up on time, and runs the session to the minute.
Mike is based in Arizona, serving Phoenix, Scottsdale, Mesa, Chandler and Tucson. He also travels throughout New Mexico and Albuquerque, the Dallas area, and Washington State (Seattle and Spokane), and nationwide for the right engagement.
