Toby Martini

Better Business & Better Speaking through Improv!

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Origin Story

May 25, 2011 by Toby Martini Leave a Comment

The King Who RainedThis is what started it all, people! When I was 6, I got this book, The King Who Rained, and I LOVED it! Ever since then, I’ve spent a LOT of time listening for, when people talk, how can I “take it wrong”? What else could a word mean in that sentence? It’s also a piece of homework that I give to everyone that comes through any of my programs. Look for homonyms, words that sound like other words, and also the same word that may have another meaning.

Mary was anxious to get married. But, John was anxious about getting married.

This a great place to start mining for Improv goodness. AND, for comedy in general. It’s not just for being able to throw out a one-liner or, heaven forbid, a bad pun. But, it’s a chance for you to give your brain some exercise; to think in a way that you normally do not. And, research has shown that doing mental gymnastics helps people stave off dementia and Alzheimer’s. So, keep that in mind. Do this exercise! Watch for way’s to “take something wrong” and make yourself giggle. Once you become facile with it, maybe you can start saying them out loud to people. (And they’ll think you’re funny.) Perhaps when someone says that they “have reservations about your project,” you can ask if that will be a “table for one”? That might not be the best joke ever, but in the spur of the moment, you would make people near you chuckle, lighten the, mood, and give yourself a moment to think about how you will now decide to deal with the naysayer, too. Have fun… always! Bonus Trivia: This book was written by Herman Munster from The Munsters!

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Filed Under: Improv, Personal

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Improv’ng Humans

“Life must be lived as play.” ~ Plato

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Testimonials

Hi,

I recently attended this class "Thinking on your Feet" as part of Verizon's training program. This is a 1 and 1/2 hour class, and Toby conducted it very efficiently. He did it in such a way that everybody enjoyed the class very much.

It is full of enjoyment and fun at the same time learning the most basic yet most difficult thing to follow - Coming Out of Your Comfort Zone when you are thrown in a crowd of total strangers. It teaches you how to interact with people that you never knew before and be comfortable with them and at the same time, making them feel comfortable.

It dealt with making relationships, and thinking out of the box when you are on your feet and living in that moment.

I really enjoyed the class and would like to attend such classes in future whenever I get chance, as I am that type of person who must attend such programs to improve my personality.

I recommend to everybody to attend Toby's class on this, and I am looking forward to more such classes from Toby.

Good Job Toby. Well done!


Ramakrishna Gude
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