Do you wait for the perfect moment to speak up, only to have the conversation move on without you?
What if the secret to becoming a confident, impactful communicator wasn’t planning every word, but learning to improvise?
This week’s guest reveals how improvisation isn’t just for the stage, but a powerful, everyday skill that can transform how you connect, influence, and lead.
Today’s guest is Jeff Mondoro. Jeff is an improviser, learning designer, executive coach, and a dad. He started his career in finance but discovered the world of improv in his mid-twenties and never looked back.
In this episode, Jeff explains why improv isn’t about being funny, but it’s about building on others’ ideas, listening deeply, and embracing uncertainty.
You’ll learn how micro-experiments in your meetings can create more space for collaboration, and how clarifying language early prevents misalignment.
Plus, in the extended episode available to Podcast+ members, Jeff and I discuss why adopting a growth mindset is essential for success, how to encourage team members to share unpolished ideas, and why humor works best when it’s co-created.
Join the conversation now!
Get FREE mini-episode guides with the big idea from the week’s episode delivered to your inbox when you subscribe to my weekly email.
Conversation Topics
- (00:00) Introduction
- (01:56) What improv really is and isn’t?
- (07:42) Applying improv to meetings
- (14:09) From shaking with nerves to speaking with ease
- (17:00) Simple practices to build your improv skills
- (24:07) How to help your team become better listeners
- (26:31) A great manager Jeff has worked for
- (28:00) Keep up with Jeff
- (29:06) [Extended Episode Only] The surprising link between growth mindset and improv
- (35:54) [Extended Episode Only] How to bring humor to the workplace without offending anyone
Additional Resources:
- Get the extended episode by joining The Modern Manager Podcast+ Community for just $15 per month
- Read the full transcript here
- Follow me on Instagram here
- Visit my website for more here
- Upskill your team here
- Subscribe to my YouTube Channel here
- Check out Jeff’s book recommendation Improvisation for the Theater here
Keep up with Jeff Mondoro
- Follow Riff Consulting on LinkedIn
- Visit Riff Consulting for more information here
Free 1-hour Workshop: Intro to Improv with Riff Consulting
In this one-hour class, we'll explore some of the fundamental tenets of improvisation: presence, active listening with 'yes, and', and the ability to quickly pivot and build with your scene partners. The virtual course will be highly experiential and involve a series of paired and small-group exercises. We'll also debrief and discuss how you might apply each principle in your work as a manager.
The workshop will be held on Thursday, September 25th at 11am Eastern (8am Pacific, 4pm British time)
To get this bonus and many other member benefits, become a member of The Modern Manager Podcast+ Community.
---------------------
The Modern Manager is a leadership podcast for rockstar managers who want to create a working environment where people thrive, and great work gets done.
Follow The Modern Manager on your favorite podcast platform so you won’t miss an episode!
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Cardiac Cowboys
The heart was always off-limits to surgeons. Cutting into it spelled instant death for the patient. That is, until a ragtag group of doctors scattered across the Midwest and Texas decided to throw out the rule book. Working in makeshift laboratories and home garages, using medical devices made from scavenged machine parts and beer tubes, these men and women invented the field of open heart surgery. Odds are, someone you know is alive because of them. So why has history left them behind? Presented by Chris Pine, CARDIAC COWBOYS tells the gripping true story behind the birth of heart surgery, and the young, Greatest Generation doctors who made it happen. For years, they competed and feuded, racing to be the first, the best, and the most prolific. Some appeared on the cover of Time Magazine, operated on kings and advised presidents. Others ended up disgraced, penniless, and convicted of felonies. Together, they ignited a revolution in medicine, and changed the world.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.