POWERUP SPEAKER SERIES
Brie
watson
speak out & listen up!
Brie Watson is the lead instructor and co-owner at Improv Niagara. She is a respected improv instructor and has been on the faculty at The Second City Training Centre for eight years, teaching hundreds of improvisers.
Prior to her career in comedy, Brie served as a tour guide, interpreting the remarkable history at the Vimy Ridge National Historic Site of Canada in France. She also guided tours for the Niagara Parks Commission and was a senior instructor in the Royal Canadian Army Cadets.
Brie has been asked to lead workshops for the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce as well as the YWCA’s Niagara Leadership Summit for Women. This summer, Brie directed the improvised production “End with a Kiss,” which won Best in Fringe at the 2022 Hamilton Fringe Festival.
NOTE: This workshop is intended to be done with a group. Participants will do a series of exercises that will develop skills to help them achieve a greater level of comfort and ease when speaking in front of groups and networking. It's also intended to strengthen their ability to listen actively and with intent and purpose for their business and personal lives.
alliteration alphabet
01
Your Name
02
A descriptive word beginning with the same letter as your name
03
A physical movement demonstrating that adjective
verbal sync
Facing each other, mirror one another’s speech.
Be completely in sync
Look for cues, signals to pick up what they other might say next.
The person who’s communicating something is responsible for how well the other person follows him.” – Alan Alda
gibberish presentation
Sell a product to the group.
Use body language to demonstrate what it is.
Use emotion to demonstrate how you feel about it.
Communicate with your whole body.
NETWORKING
Come prepared with a goal.
Prepare and practice your elevator pitch.*
Ask people questions about themselves.
Remember:
People want you to succeed. Everybody is in the same boat
LISTEN UP
Last Word Response
Listen all the way to the end of your partner’s sentence before thinking about a response.
REPEATER
Make sure you heard what your partner said by repeating it verbatim and adding on what you want to say.
FACE BACKWARDS
How does it affect your listening if you’re not face-to-face with the person you’re speaking with?