After our post of why innovating yourself is important in the corporate world, there are few techniques you can use to keep innovating.

Here’s how you can try innovating …

• Take up people-watching, see how people react to certain things, see how their body language changes when they are happy, disturbed or sad. Learn to be aware that people in your team can help you be better at improvisation, because you can draw upon your mutual understanding and a shared background of experiences.
• Listen to conversations in a crowd, keep your senses open, you never know what leads to the next big idea. Movies which are built on great stories don’t come by at a drop of a hat; every story behind the movie has a story of its own.

Here, I would really like to give an example of one of the finest actors in India today, Mr. Nawazuddin. It is encouraging to see him build the status quo and take up roles that need an actor to break away from regular patterns. From a small role in Munnabhai MBBS to Lunch Box he has only showcased talent beyond extraordinary.

Innovation starts with You

Ultimately, innovation starts with you. Not censoring yourself is a key component of being innovative. Unfortunately, though, we are conditioned to certain aspects of our lives because we have stayed that way for many years; we avoid speaking our hearts, making points that could be unrelated, or whatever else we may fear being or doing in front of others. This is the most difficult speed breaker for most people when it comes to being Innovative.

Finding innovation in oneself

Creative skills are not genetic or built in your DNA. In fact, they can be developed and enhanced by only by you. Innovators can be created… they are made! To be an innovator today, you have to want to change what your think about yourself. You have to be open to take calculated risks. You have to show the courage to change.

Actcelerate was started with a thought of how we can leverage my experience of cinema and theatre to another world. It was only at a conversation over coffee with my wife, when we realised: why not think out of the box, why not make this bigger, why not look for the extraordinary. That is when we realised why not take this to the corporate world.

After our post of why innovating yourself is important in the corporate world, there are few techniques you can use to keep innovating.

Here’s how you can try innovating …

• Take up people-watching, see how people react to certain things, see how their body language changes when they are happy, disturbed or sad. Learn to be aware that people in your team can help you be better at improvisation, because you can draw upon your mutual understanding and a shared background of experiences.
• Listen to conversations in a crowd, keep your senses open, you never know what leads to the next big idea. Movies which are built on great stories don’t come by at a drop of a hat; every story behind the movie has a story of its own.

Here, I would really like to give an example of one of the finest actors in India today, Mr. Nawazuddin. It is encouraging to see him build the status quo and take up roles that need an actor to break away from regular patterns. From a small role in Munnabhai MBBS to Lunch Box he has only showcased talent beyond extraordinary.

Innovation starts with You

Ultimately, innovation starts with you. Not censoring yourself is a key component of being innovative. Unfortunately, though, we are conditioned to certain aspects of our lives because we have stayed that way for many years; we avoid speaking our hearts, making points that could be unrelated, or whatever else we may fear being or doing in front of others. This is the most difficult speed breaker for most people when it comes to being Innovative.

Finding innovation in oneself

Creative skills are not genetic or built in your DNA. In fact, they can be developed and enhanced by only by you. Innovators can be created… they are made! To be an innovator today, you have to want to change what your think about yourself. You have to be open to take calculated risks. You have to show the courage to change.

Actcelerate was started with a thought of how we can leverage my experience of cinema and theatre to another world. It was only at a conversation over coffee with my wife, when we realised: why not think out of the box, why not make this bigger, why not look for the extraordinary. That is when we realised why not take this to the corporate world.

There is no such thing as becoming creative or innovative on the spot, out of the blue. Most people would be baffled if you ask them to do something on the spot – even actors. Innovation is not just being creative, actor or a corporate aspect, it starts with YOU.

Our new post is divided in two parts:
1) Why is innovating yourself in the corporate world important?
2) Doing little things that will help you to keep innovating.

What is innovation, exactly?

Over the past few years as an actor, one thing that got me hooked on to this field is ‘innovation’. After doing more than 100 ad films and 20 TV shows, every audition I give, one thing is necessary: ‘to stand out from the rest’. For example, while doing improvisation we have nothing planned. No structure. No story. No character. Nothing except an outline that we get from the audience at the beginning of the play. I was fascinated by what makes innovation work in cinema and theatre. What creates greatest level of creativity that we see in our movies? What allows a complex, story to emerge from nothing but a simple idea? What is the ‘magic formula’ that allows a fully formed, movie – with believable characters and plot?
Unveiling the secret behind innovation

I soon realized that the connections between following the principles of improvisational theatre and being able to adapt, can help create and improvise effectively in the work place. That is when I realized how well cinema and theatre can be a solution provider in new ways and reach peak levels of innovative thinking in the corporate world. As actors, we have to be open to new ideas, characters and stories; regardless of whether we know the output. Actors and other individuals who live in the world of cinema and theatre would tell you that this kind of mind-set is a part of their everyday work culture. So, what can we learn from the way actors and other theatre artists work that will help us be more innovative, too? Now it’s time to talk about you and how you can innovate yourself.

When it comes to learning how to be more innovative, there are a few key areas on which we can concentrate to innovate ourselves:

Innovators look for the extraordinary!

Innovators are interrogators. They look for that one unique thing. They are great observers. They link ideas that are not normally connected. Innovators consistently question, observe, network and experiment more than the others. In cinema, I have observed how Sir Amitabh Bachchan has always innovated himself from the angry young man in Deewar, to a romantic hero in Kabhi Kabhi to a childlike enthusiast in Pa; he moulds himself into the character which wouldn’t have been possible if didn’t experiment with innovation.

Innovators encourage curiosity to excel

Most of us have problems and at the same time opportunities sitting in front of us. But, how many of us actually find solutions to those problems and have the courage to grab the opportunity? Thinking and acting as an innovator can help you grab that opportunity, climb the ladder and showcase your strengths which you have been under playing.
Staying curious keeps your mind engaged and alive. It’s time to relive that young childish inquisitiveness about everything around you. While reading Mr. Piyush Pandey’s book called Pandemonium, I have realised one thing, he wouldn’t have been able to create the magic if he didn’t ask questions to the people who passed by in his life at every stage, be it a carpenter or a cobbler. He wouldn’t have built brands such as Pidilite or Asian Paints without innovative story telling.

Innovators break from the regular patterns

Most organizations work inside the box, it’s only in the last few years we have seen entrepreneurs who have the courage to live their dreams. They get inspired by stories, by people, by movies and much more… to seek inspiration you must engage yourself.  By engaging in some simple activities that are typical pursuits of actors and creative writers, you can start developing these qualities without any help from anyone else.
We will soon share part 2 of this post on ‘Doing little things that will help you to keep innovating’.

There is no such thing as becoming creative or innovative on the spot, out of the blue. Most people would be baffled if you ask them to do something on the spot – even actors. Innovation is not just being creative, actor or a corporate aspect, it starts with YOU.

Our new post is divided in two parts:
1) Why is innovating yourself in the corporate world important?
2) Doing little things that will help you to keep innovating.

What is innovation, exactly?

Over the past few years as an actor, one thing that got me hooked on to this field is ‘innovation’. After doing more than 100 ad films and 20 TV shows, every audition I give, one thing is necessary: ‘to stand out from the rest’. For example, while doing improvisation we have nothing planned. No structure. No story. No character. Nothing except an outline that we get from the audience at the beginning of the play. I was fascinated by what makes innovation work in cinema and theatre. What creates greatest level of creativity that we see in our movies? What allows a complex, story to emerge from nothing but a simple idea? What is the ‘magic formula’ that allows a fully formed, movie – with believable characters and plot?
Unveiling the secret behind innovation

I soon realized that the connections between following the principles of improvisational theatre and being able to adapt, can help create and improvise effectively in the work place. That is when I realized how well cinema and theatre can be a solution provider in new ways and reach peak levels of innovative thinking in the corporate world. As actors, we have to be open to new ideas, characters and stories; regardless of whether we know the output. Actors and other individuals who live in the world of cinema and theatre would tell you that this kind of mind-set is a part of their everyday work culture. So, what can we learn from the way actors and other theatre artists work that will help us be more innovative, too? Now it’s time to talk about you and how you can innovate yourself.

When it comes to learning how to be more innovative, there are a few key areas on which we can concentrate to innovate ourselves:

Innovators look for the extraordinary!

Innovators are interrogators. They look for that one unique thing. They are great observers. They link ideas that are not normally connected. Innovators consistently question, observe, network and experiment more than the others. In cinema, I have observed how Sir Amitabh Bachchan has always innovated himself from the angry young man in Deewar, to a romantic hero in Kabhi Kabhi to a childlike enthusiast in Pa; he moulds himself into the character which wouldn’t have been possible if didn’t experiment with innovation.

Innovators encourage curiosity to excel

Most of us have problems and at the same time opportunities sitting in front of us. But, how many of us actually find solutions to those problems and have the courage to grab the opportunity? Thinking and acting as an innovator can help you grab that opportunity, climb the ladder and showcase your strengths which you have been under playing.
Staying curious keeps your mind engaged and alive. It’s time to relive that young childish inquisitiveness about everything around you. While reading Mr. Piyush Pandey’s book called Pandemonium, I have realised one thing, he wouldn’t have been able to create the magic if he didn’t ask questions to the people who passed by in his life at every stage, be it a carpenter or a cobbler. He wouldn’t have built brands such as Pidilite or Asian Paints without innovative story telling.

Innovators break from the regular patterns

Most organizations work inside the box, it’s only in the last few years we have seen entrepreneurs who have the courage to live their dreams. They get inspired by stories, by people, by movies and much more… to seek inspiration you must engage yourself.  By engaging in some simple activities that are typical pursuits of actors and creative writers, you can start developing these qualities without any help from anyone else.
We will soon share part 2 of this post on ‘Doing little things that will help you to keep innovating’.

As an individual who hailed from a family of bankers and CAs, I started out as a hotel management trainee who exited the career within 6 months to fulfil my parents’ dream of becoming a CA. After a few years of working with leading consulting firms I realised there is a calling – a calling into the world of characters, drama and acting. So, I detoured once again – this time to modelling, and finally to theatre, movies and TV. Not only did my career choices surprise my family, but I was left with a moral challenge as well: Does my chosen profession of acting, make a valuable contribution to the world when compared with the other professions I left behind? I guess this challenge has stuck with me and many others like me.

Today, with my experience as an actor, I wonder why not take the fun, excitement and experience of screen, beyond the screen, to the corporate world? As a first step in the direction, here are 5 ways in which theatre and cinema helps corporates empower themselves to express, bond and grow.

• Cinema & theatre is a refined expression of basic human emotions:

Some call it an instinct to empower, to project stories, to draw strengths from their favourite characters or to create meaning through narratives and metaphors. We see this instinct expressed freely in children when they act out real or imagined characters of cartoons on TV. Through our various exercises we tackle emotions in a creative and a human way. Cinema and theatre steers true and honest learning while promoting collaborative thinking and debate, giving an opportunity for individual expertise to flourish.

• Cinema and theatre helps build skills to listen to different facets of a conversation and to understand colleagues in various situations at work.

When we watch a movie, we learn what happens when intense drama, conflicts or arguments between characters don’t get resolved, and what happens when they do. Some of our cinema and theatre-inspired exercises help us develop our ability to imagine outcomes of our choices in our personal and professional lives. For instance, our ‘Over Expression’ exercise helps one to be aware of the body language and their expression, which unintentionally, could be harming a colleague.

• Cinema and theatre brings people from different societies together.

Corporate training using cinema and theatre is not about sitting through slides of presentations or doing things individually. Here, people come together through various exercises, witnessing and contemplating acts, plays and engagements that are beautiful, thought-provoking, humorous, moving and often empowering. In an age when most of our communication happens through technology, we believe that getting people together to emote and share their ideas brings about major changes in an individual and in an organization as a whole.

• Cinema and theatre helps enhance attention, inspires out-of-the-box thinking and spontaneity.

Cinema provides a new standard for training that connects not only with the intellect but also the heart and body. The sheer enthusiasm, open-endedness and participatory nature of cinema and theatre unblocks creative energy and steers its spontaneous expression. The awareness and alertness created by this expression gets directly channeled to work. Moreover, it helps in greater flexibility, team cohesion, innovative responses and self-esteem.

• Cinema and theatre encourages us to go beyond our linear thinking and to look at the bigger canvas of life.

It influences the way we think and feel about our lives. We experienced an intense example during a training session when a woman shared that one of our exercises made her realise that she pretended to be someone else when she was actually not that person. She felt suffocated to constantly play a role and was always chasing people’s expectations.  We don’t hear things like this every day!

But speaking more broadly, isn’t this one of the things we go to the movies for, to measure our own lives against the lives we see of the character in the movie, to imagine what it would be like if we lived those lives instead? And to think, maybe there’s something we should change about our lives? It may have nothing to do with the message that the character or the movie wanted to deliver! It’s something you saw in yourself.

So, these are my five ways to tell you how cinema and theatre in the corporate world matters: It helps to express freely, builds our skills, brings people together, enhances creativity and spontaneity and influences how we think and feel about our own lives.

As an individual who hailed from a family of bankers and CAs, I started out as a hotel management trainee who exited the career within 6 months to fulfil my parents’ dream of becoming a CA. After a few years of working with leading consulting firms I realised there is a calling – a calling into the world of characters, drama and acting. So, I detoured once again – this time to modelling, and finally to theatre, movies and TV. Not only did my career choices surprise my family, but I was left with a moral challenge as well: Does my chosen profession of acting, make a valuable contribution to the world when compared with the other professions I left behind? I guess this challenge has stuck with me and many others like me.

Today, with my experience as an actor, I wonder why not take the fun, excitement and experience of screen, beyond the screen, to the corporate world? As a first step in the direction, here are 5 ways in which theatre and cinema helps corporates empower themselves to express, bond and grow.

• Cinema & theatre is a refined expression of basic human emotions:

Some call it an instinct to empower, to project stories, to draw strengths from their favourite characters or to create meaning through narratives and metaphors. We see this instinct expressed freely in children when they act out real or imagined characters of cartoons on TV. Through our various exercises we tackle emotions in a creative and a human way. Cinema and theatre steers true and honest learning while promoting collaborative thinking and debate, giving an opportunity for individual expertise to flourish.

• Cinema and theatre helps build skills to listen to different facets of a conversation and to understand colleagues in various situations at work.

When we watch a movie, we learn what happens when intense drama, conflicts or arguments between characters don’t get resolved, and what happens when they do. Some of our cinema and theatre-inspired exercises help us develop our ability to imagine outcomes of our choices in our personal and professional lives. For instance, our ‘Over Expression’ exercise helps one to be aware of the body language and their expression, which unintentionally, could be harming a colleague.

• Cinema and theatre brings people from different societies together.

Corporate training using cinema and theatre is not about sitting through slides of presentations or doing things individually. Here, people come together through various exercises, witnessing and contemplating acts, plays and engagements that are beautiful, thought-provoking, humorous, moving and often empowering. In an age when most of our communication happens through technology, we believe that getting people together to emote and share their ideas brings about major changes in an individual and in an organization as a whole.

• Cinema and theatre helps enhance attention, inspires out-of-the-box thinking and spontaneity.

Cinema provides a new standard for training that connects not only with the intellect but also the heart and body. The sheer enthusiasm, open-endedness and participatory nature of cinema and theatre unblocks creative energy and steers its spontaneous expression. The awareness and alertness created by this expression gets directly channeled to work. Moreover, it helps in greater flexibility, team cohesion, innovative responses and self-esteem.

• Cinema and theatre encourages us to go beyond our linear thinking and to look at the bigger canvas of life.

It influences the way we think and feel about our lives. We experienced an intense example during a training session when a woman shared that one of our exercises made her realise that she pretended to be someone else when she was actually not that person. She felt suffocated to constantly play a role and was always chasing people’s expectations.  We don’t hear things like this every day!

But speaking more broadly, isn’t this one of the things we go to the movies for, to measure our own lives against the lives we see of the character in the movie, to imagine what it would be like if we lived those lives instead? And to think, maybe there’s something we should change about our lives? It may have nothing to do with the message that the character or the movie wanted to deliver! It’s something you saw in yourself.

So, these are my five ways to tell you how cinema and theatre in the corporate world matters: It helps to express freely, builds our skills, brings people together, enhances creativity and spontaneity and influences how we think and feel about our own lives.

There is cinematic angle in everyone’s life; on stage, in front of the camera and in our work  life. Actors and business leaders share similar goals: they present themselves confidently to their audience , they are persuasive communicators, and excellent negotiators. They think out of the box,   solve problems creatively and  lead others toward a common mission. At the end, they are truly the  superstars.

Today the corporate  draw lessons from cinema & theatre to enhance employee capability, enabling them  to become strong leaders and communicators,

Cinema in corporate world is not about creating actors, it is about unforgettable experiences while being able to explore oneself through fun, introspection and communication. It gives the the employees an opportunity to participate in various exercises that help them  realise their potential, be inspired, communicate, think out of the box, induce confidence, enhance team spirit, and finally have people skills, that  can be used in life and business growth. Cinematic strategies  is about enhancing how an employee approaches across range of business solutions.

Cinema and theatre role play is a powerful tool for development and change,  it allows those participating to observe themselves and understand  their   behaviour patterns, it also helps to get to the bottom of a challenge. Everyone has a side of them, which either they are not aware of, or they don’t use; but what cinematic tools in corporate does is gives an  opportunity to be aware of the side of our self that relates to the characters and the role we play..

Being imaginative brings out skills that are required today in business to excel and grow. Everyone wants to be ahead of the game, be different and authoritative, but very few people are willing to let go of the rigidness and tackle to bring out their creative sides. Cinema helps people be themselves. It brings out surprising skills, which can be applied to the business world, but it is not about learning to mask behaviours; it is about exploring emotions, responsiveness, self-assurance, projection and authenticity. Its about realising our own inner power!

There is cinematic angle in everyone’s life; on stage, in front of the camera and in our work  life. Actors and business leaders share similar goals: they present themselves confidently to their audience , they are persuasive communicators, and excellent negotiators. They think out of the box,   solve problems creatively and  lead others toward a common mission. At the end, they are truly the  superstars.

Today the corporate  draw lessons from cinema & theatre to enhance employee capability, enabling them  to become strong leaders and communicators,

Cinema in corporate world is not about creating actors, it is about unforgettable experiences while being able to explore oneself through fun, introspection and communication. It gives the the employees an opportunity to participate in various exercises that help them  realise their potential, be inspired, communicate, think out of the box, induce confidence, enhance team spirit, and finally have people skills, that  can be used in life and business growth. Cinematic strategies  is about enhancing how an employee approaches across range of business solutions.

Cinema and theatre role play is a powerful tool for development and change,  it allows those participating to observe themselves and understand  their   behaviour patterns, it also helps to get to the bottom of a challenge. Everyone has a side of them, which either they are not aware of, or they don’t use; but what cinematic tools in corporate does is gives an  opportunity to be aware of the side of our self that relates to the characters and the role we play..

Being imaginative brings out skills that are required today in business to excel and grow. Everyone wants to be ahead of the game, be different and authoritative, but very few people are willing to let go of the rigidness and tackle to bring out their creative sides. Cinema helps people be themselves. It brings out surprising skills, which can be applied to the business world, but it is not about learning to mask behaviours; it is about exploring emotions, responsiveness, self-assurance, projection and authenticity. Its about realising our own inner power!

Ravi Ratanpal (Fund Manager, JP Morgan)

Last three months were full of fun and getting close to who I am as a person. I realised that it’s not about the technical aspects of communication but the non technical aspects like inhibitions and fears regarding public speaking which completely got dropped in these 3 months. Now when I go for a board meeting or meet friends, my confidence level is completely different. I’m in charge of my communication skills, express myself completely & I can talk anywhere, in front of anyone, openly, freely and spontaneously. My myths about positive & negative emotions got completely cleared and it has helped me personally and professionally. I learnt that ‘Emotions are just emotions, nothing else’. You just need to express them while being sensitive of the situation & people.

Geeta Singh(Professional Make-Up Artist)

Before coming for the workshop I was feeling numb about a few areas of my life. This workshop had helped me to know where that numbness we coming from, has helped me to express myself completely and to know what is going on & what do I need to do to get out of it. Its very big for me. I am feeling confident, expressive and clear.

Shrutika Nilakh(Partner at Architect Firm, WiseArt)

I walked in this workshop thinking how to enhance my communication, what is missing in my expressions. I did not know that expression is such an important part of being which I was always suppressing. In these 3 months, I went through ups n downs in my own expressions which helped me to express my various emotions at various levels and I realised that ‘Life is nothing without expression’. ‘I need to say what I need to say’. This workshop has helped me to get back to my basics. I see myself spontaneous, talking my heart out and go with the flow. I have realised how important it is to be sensitive towards situations and people while expressing.

Leena Naik (Talent Specialist & Interview Coach)

The effect of the workshop has been completely different on me as I am an overly expressive person. It has helped me to tone myself down and say things without putting drama to it. I can see that in a lot of critical situations I was able to communicate clearly without creating fassad about it. I’ve learnt ‘how to listen with sensitivity’. I realised that I need to work on my facial expressions. I feel spontaneous, free n easy while communicating. I am happy that I’m able to present myself not getting affected by what will people think about me.

Praneet Keni (Professional Fitness Trainer)

This 12 session course has given me the power to express myself in front of the people very openly, spontaneously and effectively. Not only this has helped me in my communication skills and brought in lots of confidence, this course has helped to open my inner self to explore my vision and build strength in my thoughts & convert it into my voice.

Ravi Ratanpal (Fund Manager, JP Morgan)

Last three months were full of fun and getting close to who I am as a person. I realised that it’s not about the technical aspects of communication but the non technical aspects like inhibitions and fears regarding public speaking which completely got dropped in these 3 months. Now when I go for a board meeting or meet friends, my confidence level is completely different. I’m in charge of my communication skills, express myself completely & I can talk anywhere, in front of anyone, openly, freely and spontaneously. My myths about positive & negative emotions got completely cleared and it has helped me personally and professionally. I learnt that ‘Emotions are just emotions, nothing else’. You just need to express them while being sensitive of the situation & people.

Geeta Singh(Professional Make-Up Artist)

Before coming for the workshop I was feeling numb about a few areas of my life. This workshop had helped me to know where that numbness we coming from, has helped me to express myself completely and to know what is going on & what do I need to do to get out of it. Its very big for me. I am feeling confident, expressive and clear.

Shrutika Nilakh(Partner at Architect Firm, WiseArt)

I walked in this workshop thinking how to enhance my communication, what is missing in my expressions. I did not know that expression is such an important part of being which I was always suppressing. In these 3 months, I went through ups n downs in my own expressions which helped me to express my various emotions at various levels and I realised that ‘Life is nothing without expression’. ‘I need to say what I need to say’. This workshop has helped me to get back to my basics. I see myself spontaneous, talking my heart out and go with the flow. I have realised how important it is to be sensitive towards situations and people while expressing.

Leena Naik (Talent Specialist & Interview Coach)

The effect of the workshop has been completely different on me as I am an overly expressive person. It has helped me to tone myself down and say things without putting drama to it. I can see that in a lot of critical situations I was able to communicate clearly without creating fassad about it. I’ve learnt ‘how to listen with sensitivity’. I realised that I need to work on my facial expressions. I feel spontaneous, free n easy while communicating. I am happy that I’m able to present myself not getting affected by what will people think about me.

Praneet Keni (Professional Fitness Trainer)

This 12 session course has given me the power to express myself in front of the people very openly, spontaneously and effectively. Not only this has helped me in my communication skills and brought in lots of confidence, this course has helped to open my inner self to explore my vision and build strength in my thoughts & convert it into my voice.