1. Library Reality TV:
Scenes from your local public library
Using improv techniques to transform
your approach to customer service
Henry Bankhead, Heidi Murphy, Jennifer Laredo, Melissa Maglio: Los Gatos Library
Nov. 5th, 2014 California Library Association Conference, Long Beach, CA

2. Warm
Up

3. Why
Improv?

4. Step
In

5. Yellow
Ball

6. Yes,
and...

7. O - Open
A - Assess
R - Reset

8. Improv (and
Customer Service)
is about making
your partner look
GREAT!

9. Scenarios

10. Those (teens, homeless,
kids) are too (loud, smelly,
rude)--what are you going to
do about them?

11. "Need an audience" type
customer... They always start
with it's a long story but this is
what happened and that is
what happened and then this
happened and that
happened...

12. Wrap
Up

13. “Improv makes me better at
trusting my ability to
spontaneously deal with the
unfamiliar.”
Improv
Confidence

14. Appendix:

15. Body Language Warm Up
● Break into two groups
● One group approaches the other, and says
“The library is closing in five minutes,” in an
unfriendly fashion.
● The listening group notices what traits made
the message unfriendly.
● Switch roles and repeat, making the
message warm and friendly.
● Notice what changed in manner.

16. Step In, Step Out
● Form a circle
● One person makes a true statement about
themselves. “I play tuba.” “I ate cereal for
breakfast.”
● Step in one step if the statement is also true
for you.
● The next person makes a statement.

17. Yellow Ball
● Form a circle
● One person holds an imaginary yellow ball.
● They find another person in the circle, and
they make eye contact.
● They say “Yellow ball” and throw the ball.
● The receiver maintains eye contact as they
catch the ball.
● The receiver says “Yellow ball, thank you,”
before breaking eye contact.

18. Yellow Ball continued
● The receiver then makes eye contact with
someone else, and starts the cycle over.
● After a few minutes, stop and add a red ball.
● After a few minutes, stop and add a blue
ball.

19. Yes, and….
● Divide into pairs
● Someone starts the group off by saying
“Remember that time we went on vacation in
________ (choose a destination.)
● Partners take turns describing their fictional
vacation. Each person starts their turn with
“Yes, the _______ (repeating what their
partner said)” and then adding to the story.

20. Resources
http://lifeplays.com/ -- The people who trained
us.
https://sites.google.com/site/lglimprov/ -- Our
internal improv sharing site.
Plenty of great articles about improv in libraries
and lots of sites with other improv exercises.
Google it, or feel free to contact one of us.

21. Contact Info
Henry Bankhead -- hbankhead@losgatosca.gov
Heidi Murphy -- hmurphy@losgatosca.gov
Jenn Laredo -- jlaredo@losgatosca.gov
Melissa Maglio -- mmaglio@losgatosca.gov