We are beyond grateful for the kind words of folks who’ve worked with us and gotten real-world value out of the experience! They’ve realized that freshness, openness and laughter didn’t weaken their brand, but strengthen it!
From a veteran organizational development consultant—
“Magic, meaningful, ëyes, and’ memorable. Three simple words that well describe the Bizprov experience. Jay Rhoderick and his crew share their improv expertise with business people looking for new, innovative techniques of communication. In a safe environment, with lots of laughs, energy and creativity, the conversation morphs into honest discussions of “what is, and what could be,” amongst us. It’s a very powerful organization development experience.”
–Rick Corcoran, RJ Corcoran Associates, Baltimore
From the COO of an international global partnership dedicated to civil society and good governance—
“Jay created a safe space for us to play, share and disclose. He helped each of us and our organization to find our authentic voice. He is a highly skilled improv facilitator and I recommend his services.”
–Nick Oatley, Chief Operating Officer, Partners for Democratic Change, Washington DC
Following private improv-based Leadership Coaching—
“I would recommend Jay Rhoderick and his Bizprov methods to anyone seeking to increase their mental agility and functionality outside of their comfort zone. I admit to initial misgivings at the prospect of using what I considered to be unorthodox methods to expand my effectiveness. What I found, however, was a serious and well-structured framework that taught me valuable skills to leverage the unexpected. I believe that such unorthodox methods are highly effective with senior people who wish to evolve beyond the skill set that made them successful and that now defines their comfort zone.”
–Eric MÈtivier, Head and Managing Director, Corporate & Government Solutions, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, Toronto
From the US Chamber of Commerce, after a Collaboration workshop—
“Jay Rhoderick’s Bizprov workshop is a powerful tool for improving communication in any organization. Our department retreat with Bizprov helped employees get out of their comfort zones and work together—all in a fun, non-threatening environment. The lessons learned in a few hours of interactive games sparked new connections and opened communication lines. Bizprov is a unique approach that yields great results.”
–Clint Wheeler, Vice President, Business Development and Corporate Programs, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
From a major international Management Consultancy after a recent Bizprov meeting kickoff—
“Thank you for a marvelous intro to our 2-day conference. You guys were fantastic – the right amount of energy, the right amount of interaction, the right amount of specifics. People thought it was superb.”
–Natasha Winton, Global Manager, Major Consultancy
From a creative team at a branding strategy firm, after a recent presentation workshop–
“On behalf of the whole team here at Blue Marlin, I can say that we LOVED the Bizprov workshop. As a creative agency, we were not interested in a conventional, by-the-book presentations course. We wanted skills and techniques that would help us communicate our creativity in exciting and effective ways. This was exactly what Bizprov provided. The workshop focused on being comfortable in your own skin, connecting with your audience, and responding quickly and with confidence.
Not only was it extremely helpful in developing skills that will help us during presentations, but it was also an incredible team building and bonding experience. We were able to recognize one another’s strengths and celebrate them while at the same time seeing one another’s struggles with compassion. Lastly, which was most interesting to our team, was the way in which the workshop really served to ignite our creativity in a different way. Several of the exercises had us using different parts of ourselves and we found a new resource for our expression.”
–Aimee Rivers, Operations/Communications Manager, Blue Marlin, NYC
“The workshop definitely showed me how to face my fears of public speaking, getting connected with audience, be convincing. Jay was great, giving us individual attention, pointing out the areas we need to work.”
–Iwona Malagon, Blue Marlin, NYC
For presentations coaching with Fordham Graduate School of Business–
“[The] Bizprov workshop was very good and had a huge impact on all of my classmates. It was fun, easy, quick, and I got a lot out of it in just a couple of hours. I highly recommend them and I feel it would be a great thing for our Sales Group to go through the next time we are together.”
–Jason Baisch (Account Manager, Symrise Inc.), Executive MBA Program, Fordham University
“Bizprov created a fantastic workshop specifically for our Fordham Executive MBA students. Bizprov’s unique approach engaged our students while imparting valuable lessons which the students were able to apply immediately in their professional lives. We will definitely be using Bizprov again… and again!”
–Catherine O’Hara, Program Associate, Executive MBA Program, Fordham University Graduate School of Business
What others have said:
“Jay did a phenomenal job from the second we hired him. From the preliminary call of understanding our goals, through the completion of the two hour session. He kept my team engaged, enthusiastic and at-easethroughout the entire process. I would highly recommend an exercise like this to anyone who wants to re-energize their team in a positive and fun way.”
–Julie Abrams, Director of Marketing, Wall Street Journal
“Jay is an extraordinary teacher. I think it must be rare for someone to have his level of talent and at the same time be a caring, nurturing and supportive teacher [with a] high standard of ability and professionalism.”
–Brian Honan, Director of Marketing, Major Hotel Chain
“I really had a great time that evening. I didn’t think I could exert that much energy in 2 hours….[Jay] held the group’s attention throughout the whole workshop. This I think is one of his greatest assets. He knew how to bring out the best in us and also bring some of the more introverted individuals out. Jay kept the fun level up and knew how to use the individuals’ strength to maintain the group’s energy. Each mini session was kept to the right amount of time and was easy to understand even for some of us who did not have English as our first language. Overall, [the] workshop had us talking about it for the few days ahead and some of us might even sign up for even more fun and frolics.
–Martin Yeo, Designer, Pearlfisher
“I absolutely loved having Jay as a teacher. As a first timer in doing anything improv related, I was extremely nervous and Jay did such a great job in alleviating those nerves. He was always positive and he made the class enjoyable. The energy that he gave off every single class showed how much he cared about his students.”
–Helen Ng, Research Associate, Clearlake Capital Group
“As a growing business with many new team members learning to work together, taking an improv class from Jay Rhoderick was just what Pearlfisher needed. When we came into the class we were a group of strategists, designers and managers; when we left, we had become a team of friends. And while there is definitely an undeniable magic to improv, I doubt the class would have been as effective were it not for Jay’s expertise, good humor and patience. With every zip-zap-zoom, imaginary bus ride and role playing (or any other ice-breaking, courage building games) I could see my colleagues interacting with each other in a deeper way: connecting with non-verbal trust, sharing in a creative exploration.
Today, we are a more aligned team than we were before, our creativity is regarded as a group activity, and our innovation sessions both in house and with clients are more efficient – thinking not only outside the “box,” but beyond it. For these reasons, we recommend Jay and his improv methods for any business – growing, grown, or just looking to strengthen – that wants to bring their team together for a fun time that will change them immeasurably.”
–Arnava D. Asen, Strategist, Pearlfisher
Select clients of Jay Rhoderick and Bizprov:
- Blue Marlin
- Fahrenheit 212
- CBX
- Pearlfisher
- Rubenstein Associates
- Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce
- BlackRock
- Blue Ridge Capital
- Barclays
- HSBC
- Hiscox
- Royal Bank of Scotland
- Citibank
- JP Morgan Chase
- PriceWaterhouseCoopers
- Gyrodyne REIT
- Fordham University Graduate School of Business, Executive MBA Program
- Bank Street Teachers College
- Milano School of International Affairs, Management and Urban Policy, The New School
- Bates College
- Hampshire College
- Yale School of Drama
- WorldofMoney.org, a financial literacy summer program/internship for teenagers
- Columbia University School of Law, Office of Career Services
- Columbia University School of Law, Law Clinic
- New York City Paralegal Association
- Kirkland & Ellis (individual client)
- Herman Miller Furniture (Thrive Sales Portfolio)
- Boston Consulting Group
- The TAI Group
- RJ Corcoran & Associates
- Booz Allen Hamilton
- Partners for Democratic Change
- North Star Fund (with Thaler Pekar & Partners)
- New Jersey Organization Development Learning Community
- US Chamber of Commerce
- URAC
- POWARTS
- Capitol Creativity Network
- NJ Center for Non-Profits (with Thaler Pekar & Partners)
- The US Olympic Committee
- Wall Street Journal
- CondÈ Nast
- Mars Candy
- Merck
- CA Technologies
