Since the summer of 2023, I began rotating through 4 different improv classes in 4 Orange County cities every month -- both structured courses and one-night drop-ins. Are there reasons why Advantage Improv's 5-week workshop is world-class? Yes and... let us count the ways: 1) Co-founders/Lead Trainers Lee Godden and Bob Doll are consummate professionals. They consistently demonstrate mastery, poise and all-inclusive respect for their students. They effortlessly ensure everyone gets ample practice throughout each class while reinforcing core learnings. 2) Advantage Improv's focus is on applicable, transferable skills across virtually every aspect of life where you need to communicate -- and they keep it PG-13 for business applications. 3) You can get a bona fide Advantage Improv Applied Improvisational Professional (AIAIP) certification for completing their coursework. 4) They help you improve your communication skills across public speaking, active listening, creativity, innovation, problem-solving and collaboration. 5) It's hella fun. Is this for you? Of course it is. Just go, be in the moment and have a GREAT time. read more

I signed up for this class to help with my fear of public speaking. I went in with zero expectations because other methods I tried only marginally helped. With each class I felt more and more confident (or I had less and less anxiety!). Led and Bob are fantastic instructors and improv partners. They make everyone feel comfortable and welcome, encouraging us to get out of heads and stop overthinking things. (This is perfect for type A planners!) The best part of this class is laughter therapy it provides! I signed up for another session and can't wait to get back in it and make a fool of myself again! I love that I have stopped caring about trying to be perfect and started letting myself go with the flow! read more

What a fantastic experience! My group and I were able to let loose and learn so much about each other. This helped us develop better communication and support for one another. Definitely would recommend. read more

I had the best time taking a 5-week course with Lee and Bob on Improv for professional and personal development! The way the class was laid out was easy to understand and digest. Each week had a topic, and each week we got the chance to practice public speaking in group formats, duo formats, and single formats. Lee and Bob did a great job at making everyone feel very comfortable and confident. It was my first time ever taking a class like this, and it was nice to see that the class comprised of about 50% first timers, and 50% returners. Definitely recommend everyone checking them out and doing this at least once! read more

This is a fun way to learn about yourself and how to work with and communicate more effectively with others. They have classes they can bring to companies to improve team building as well as group classes (held inside K1 racing) that give weekly new lessons and time to practice ways to better communicate and understand others. It's a lot of fun and every week is something new. There are 5 week sessions that are 2 hours in length. There is an early bird cost reduction to save money. Come join the adventure! read more

Advantage Improv - Specialty Schools Near Me - Irvine, California

Lee and Bob were darlings. We brought them in for a brief 80min session and it was fun, engaging, and at times, uncomfortable (in the most sincere and personal way as possible) for some. Public speaking is often uncomfortable for most so working through your personal issues as you get in front of your peers and to think quick was exactly what I was going for as a leader. I needed my team to step out of their shell and these guys killed it. Best use of our time during our offsite. 5 out of 5! read more

Lee and Bob at Advantage Improv are absolutely amazing! I manage an employee resource group at my company and we were looking for new and engaging events to do when we found Advantage Improv, and I am so happy we did. Lee was very communicative and easy to work with and the event itself exceeded our expectations. A perfect blend of funny but also tying improv back to be helpful in the corporate environment. By the end of the 90 minutes, everyone was fully engaged and laughing and it felt like we grew closer was a group. I received such positive feedback from everyone who attended and I think we will have an even bigger group the second time around because good word is already spreading around the office :) thanks again, Lee and Bob! read more

You know how most team building events can be... Too long? Too expensive? Too boring? Not Advantage Improv. These guys strike that perfect balance. Lee and Bob showed up on time and ready to rock. Within minutes, they had our humble team of 20 actively listening and participating. Each exercise was just challenging enough while keeping things light. No one wants to stress in front of co workers during a team event. These two are pros at making your team feel comfortable, confident, and ready to have a little fun. We learned unique stories about each other we'd never learn otherwise and took away a few solid communication tactics too. By the end, we all were all warmed up and ready for another round. I'm excited to bring the guys back next quarter. If you're looking for a smart way to engage your team that's not just another night at the bar, message the guys at Advantage! read more

I signed up for a block of 5 evening sessions to participate in. The sessions were fun and it was great to participate in various improv games with other people. It was a great change of pace from my normal schedule to interact with others and get the brain engaged in new scenarios. I'd definitely re-enroll for another block of sessions if I had the personal time to do so. read more

Had the most amazing experience with Advantage Improv in California! Our facilitators were professional, knowledgeable, and OH SO FUNNY and CLEVER! Our team had fun and learned a lot about each other and how we can better communicate with one another. Yes, even our 'quieter' folks thoroughly enjoyed the very quick 90 minutes. I need to mention, that we had accidentally booked the wrong date and Lee and Vicki adjusted THEIR schedules to accommodate for OUR mistake! Talk about going above and beyond for service! I am eternally grateful and appreciative! If you're 'just thinking' about hiring Advantage Improve, this is your sign to click the YES button and just do it! You will not be disappointed! read more

This was such a great team building workshop for our staff retreat. Lee and Vicki were incredible to work with, and Lee was incredibly accommodating with our group's schedule. The hour and half flew by and we laughed the whole way through. I would highly recommend Advantage Improve for any group/staff event! read more

If you're looking to get out there and improve on all aspects of your life, take the IPPD class! It is an amazing class and you get to do improv in a safe and open space! Full disclosure: I have previously taken several improv classes in the LGB area a few years ago when I lived there, and wanted to get back into it since it's fun and I wanted to get out of my comfort zone. Advantage Improv came up in a Yelp search and looked legit, so here we are! The classes are very well structured and there are clear goals/objectives for each class. I like how Lee and Bob would jump in during the scenes to point out what worked and offer suggestions - it's a lot more helpful (at least to me) when this feedback is provided in the moment vs at the end of the scene. I also appreciated how we were given homework each week, and actively encouraged to get out and talk to people we normally would not talk to. I will continue to try something new/out of my comfort zone every week! read more

Lee and Bob were fantastic, and really exceeded my expectations of what our team building event could be. They quickly came into a large room, established credibility, laid out some ground rules, and quickly had everyone participating, learning, and laughing. Following the improv class, I had dozens of folks come up to me and share how much fun they had and how much they took away from it. I would absolutely recommend Advantage Improv to anyone considering a unique and entertaining team event! read more

I had taken a 5-week class with Lee and Bob back in 2019 to do something outside my comfort zone and since then, I have found myself using so many of the skills I learned in that course to help me navigate various work settings. So when I was given a budget to plan an offsite activity for my team, I knew I wanted to work with Advantage Improv again. Lee was my main-point-of-contact and he was so easy to work with. It was incredible to see him "Yes, and" me even in the planning stages of our event! Together, we pinpointed a few areas my team would most benefit from learning/practicing, and from there, Lee created a custom set of activities for us to do that honed in exactly on what we needed. Our workshop lasted 75 minutes and the time truly FLEW by because of how engaged we all were and how much fun we were having. Lee's background in corporate really helped with the positioning of our workshop. The whole team had buy-in right from the start and I knew we were in great hands. Dan was the other facilitator who joined Lee in running our event. The two of them are a riot in the best way! Their chemistry is off the charts, their individual skill as improvisers is marvelous, and they had the perfect mix of leading us while also giving us space to develop our own style. I couldn't believe how much we all did in the time we had together. My team talked about our workshop the whole day and I see / hear them referencing the tools we learned in their current day-to-day. If you get a chance to work with Advantage Improve, please do. They are a true investment in your people and you will see the ROI immediately come back. read more

Advantage Improv - Specialty Schools Near Me - Irvine, California

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We asked Lee and Viki to host a session for a team building event and it was great! It was fun, engaging and very useful with a lot of takeaway that can easily be applied in a work setting. I'd highly recommend it even if you have introverts in the group. It's easy and fun. read more

When I surprised my new leadership team with an Improv team building activity, they had looks of horror and confusion. I specifically wanted to do something that would take them out of their comfort zone and break down boundaries for communication and connection. Lee and Vickie delivered on those goals and more! The joy, laughter, and tangible business lessons we took away bonded after only a short 90min session. Lee and Vickie made it easy to be vulnerable and their experiences reinforced practical application. It has been a few months since the activity and we still talk about how great the time was. We also often reference the learnings or remind each other of the supportive gestures (ie "I got you back"). I will be booking Advantage Improv again thanks to the amazing experience and highly recommend for new teams! -VP Sales for Fortune 50 read more

Advantage Improv - Specialty Schools Near Me - Irvine, California

My company hired Lee and Bob to come out and give a 90-minute improv class as part of a team outing. At the time of booking, I was just looking for something I thought would be fun and memorable. By the time our session ended, I realized we had gained so much more from the experience. There were ten of us which seemed to be the perfect sized group, but they can handle smaller and larger sized groups. They had us do some fun warm-up exercises, which really got people loosened up. They have you do fun drills, and you always have very clear guidance. They made sure everyone felt good about the exercise and no one ever felt embarrassed or uneasy. By the time our session ended, nobody wanted it to end! This is not stand-up comedy, and no one is put in uncomfortable situations nor are you expected to be funny. It's all about thinking on your feet, paraphrasing, and having your partner's back. All things that can benefit us out in the real world, in both a personal and a professional environment! We all got to know one another better by doing this exercise too, which was a really nice unexpected outcome. My only complaint is that we only had 90 minutes! Lee and Bob did such a great job that they left us wanting more. They are both so very talented and creative. I would do this again in a heartbeat and am now considering taking weekly improv classes. It was so much fun! read more

Advantage Improv - Snowflake team outing - Sales Engineering Majors West - Specialty Schools Near Me - Irvine, California

Taking their IPPD workshop again was the best decision I've made. Applying improv to real life is like a muscle... you have to work on it regularly. read more

We hired Advantage Improv for our team off-site and I was very impressed at how well the event went! At first, I was worried about scaring everyone on the team with an improv class, but Bob and Lee do a phenomenal job of warming everyone up and guiding those who are not used to public speaking or being in front of an audience. And I have received positive feedback from everyone who participated, even the shier people. I would HIGHLY recommend them to any team looking to do a team building activity that actually has value - we were even quoting concepts from the activity the next day in our strategy meeting! read more

Amazing experience! Lee and Bob absolutely amazing people. Everyone has to try this classes. Great experience! The best improv classes in the OC for sure! read more

Advantage Improv - Specialty Schools Near Me - Irvine, California

Thank you to Dan, Viki and Lee for working with our company's management team, facilitating a relaxed, easy yet learning environment. Using improv to learn how to listen and maximize communication with clients and co-workers was done in a fun, innovative way. Some of us live in Northern CA, some in the South, so this was a great team building experience. read more

Back in the end of 2019, I was looking for something to help get me out of the house. I took drama classes in high school and figured improv would be a fun hobby to take up. I found Advantage Improv through my Google searches. I was bummed to see I would have to wait awhile to start up the classes, but it was nice to save $ by signing up that far in advance. I really wasn't sure how the class would be set up, so I started my first 5-week session in January of 2020 with a mix of excitement and a little anxiety. Fast forward to now and I am the first to hand over my credit card to sign up for the next class session. I count down the days in between sessions because my Tuesdays just aren't the same when improv class with Bob and Lee is not in session. We did Zoom improv during COVID lockdown, and it was always the highlight of my weeks. I was so happy when we finally got the go-ahead to meet up in person again. Our classes are definitely smaller for safety now, but that actually increased the fun in my opinion. You have more opportunities to do scenes and get to know your fellow classmates a little better. Bob and Lee are hilarious instructors and provide constructive feedback every class. Repeating the class doesn't mean you're doing the same exact routine over and over. There's always more to learn about the core concepts of improv and communication. They make themselves available for questions in class or via text. They're great for hosting your company's team building as well. We did Zoom meetings with my team a couple times, and everyone was cracking up and having fun the entire time. If you're worried about being up in front of strangers, don't let that hold you back. Everyone has different skill levels and strengths, and everybody is encouraged to just let loose and be as goofy as they'd like. Some of the students have attended as many as 20+ class sessions, so just be warned that this is addicting! If you read this far, I hope we see you in class soon. read more

Lee and Bob are great! I have done two full classes with them and many Zoom sessions during the covid lockdown. Here, I was able to get out of my comfort zone and grow to be a more confident and assertive person. Every class is different as Lee and Bob will change up the acts. This is a must if you want to have fun, leave your comfort zone, learn more about who you are, get better at speaking impromptu and much more! read more

We hired Lee and Viki to lead a group session for our company during our offsite and it was a big hit! I was surprised that the people that were most nervous about participating were the ones that liked it the most and appreciated being pushed outside of their comfort zone. I highly recommend hiring Advantage Improv for corporate team building and upskilling your workforce to learn the secrets of improv. Active listening and using "Yes And" are powerful tools for bringing people together and building trust and rapport at work and at home. read more

These guys are great! This class is kinda like therapy but cheaper! You laugh and learn, and stretch personally while bonding with others just like you! You should try it. LITERALLY ANYONE can do this! read more

Advantage Improv - Kathy BOB and me, Kati - Specialty Schools Near Me - Irvine, California

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I was honestly very nervous coming into this 5-week session being a naturally shy and introverted individual, but Bob and Lee are such welcoming and wonderful instructors! They learn everyones names so quickly which makes you feel apart of the group right away. They are very inclusive in their sessions and they make sure everyone is involved. The encouraging vibe they keep in the classes week after week was refreshing. It's a judgement free zone and everyone supports everyone, no matter have new or experienced you are! I really appreciated the way they gave feedback and tips throughout the sessions while keeping it fun for everyone. I enrolled through my company for personal development, but I got so much more out of it. My company is likely going to continue utilizing Advantage Improv for personal development one by one for other employees within my organization as well as utilizing Bob and Lee for a company Team Building session! Give it a try, it's honestly an experience you won't regret! read more

Advantage Improv led a variety of improv activities for our college students. The activities were super fun and engaging, the students had a great time and plenty of laughter! Lee and Bob provided a comfortable environment in which all participants felt confident and encouraged to get out of their comfort zone. It was a great way to drive the message of practicing active listening and thinking on your feet! Thank you both! read more

Very professional ran Improv organization. Especially for those that are beginners and looking for a first time improv experience as individuals. Lee was very helpful! read more

I had so much fun in this improv class. Bob and Lee are super welcoming (and funny). I felt free to be as goofy as I wanted, like someone gave me permission to use my inner-child's imagination and just go with the flow. This class is a great tool to tap into creativity, learn about problem solving in on the spot situations, learn to be in the moment, learn to actively listen when others are speaking, and just all around let loose(: read more

I attended a couple workshops at Advantage Improv and they were both awesome. Lee and Bob are great instructors!

We had a sales meeting and I needed to plan a keynote speaker. I promised the team I would not kill them with death by PowerPoint. I hopped online to find something different and I found Advantage Improv. I am so glad I found Bob and Lee. My team had a blast and really enjoyed the hour and a half. We all let loose, had fun and learned something new. I highly recommend Advantage Improv and their unique way of getting messages across! read more

Advantage Improv - My sales team up doing some improv! - Specialty Schools Near Me - Irvine, California

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We brought in Advantage Improv as our opening session on the second day of our team offsite. We are a bunch of financial business professionals, some more open to being silly than others. And these guys had us all smiling, laughing, acting goofy, and seeing completely different sides of each other, while also learning how to more actively listen and respond in all types of communication settings. Afterward, everyone was saying how much fun it was, that it was a perfect way to start the day, and wished we were able to do a longer session! Will definitely be recommending these guys to other teams and departments within my firm. Highly recommend! read more

I enjoyed my time here and it was fun learning the fundamentals of improv. Bob and Lee are hilarious and fun to watch together. There were some funny moments and jokes that I look back on and laugh. Overall, I recommend that people try their 5-week workshop out, no matter what your motive or business is, but I feel it is something to at least try to just put yourself up on stage and try some improv. It helped me even though I had no interest or knowledge in improv at all, and now I love it! The environment there was very friendly and very positive which made me feel more comfortable. I look forward to their next workshop in January! read more

If you're naturally introverted but wish you could be more outgoing (because it DOES help in life), I promise you'll find no better cure than attending Advantage Improv. Bob and Lee are fantastic instructors that go above and beyond with each student. They're with you every step of the way, encouraging you to step outside your comfort zone while providing nothing but the utmost support. You'll learn through both instruction and practice on how to think better on your feet, as well as improve upon one of life's most rewarding skills--active listening. It's a requirement for improv and you'll find it greatly improves your relationship with others as a whole. All that said for the educational part, Advantage Improv is just plain fun. It's not often you can let your guard down among a group of people and be as silly as you want to be. The students come from varied backgrounds and cultures, and while they may be strangers on the first class (though there are many returning regulars), it feels like one big family. And what a price! Can't forget to mention that it's an AMAZING value. You're not going to find this high quality of instruction (even in the acting mecca of Los Angeles) for such a deal. I recommend you sign up quickly before they figure it out... read more

I participated in Advantage Improv with our marketing team, and we all had so much fun! Bob and Lee were lively and encouraging teachers, and helped us feel comfortable during the whole process. Improv seems very daunting at first, but Bob and Lee were able to deliver improv tips to us in a digestible (and SUPER FUN) manner. They taught us valuable skills that will help improve our interpersonal relationships in all facets of our lives. This review isn't enough to describe how amazing the whole experience was. We saw a lot of talent shine from every single one of our team members, and also made a lot of fun memories. I highly recommend participating in this team building activity, it's a lot more fun than you think. Bob and Lee, thanks for the awesome experience! read more

Our company decided to book Lee and Bob for a company wide meeting. We didn't tell our staff what they were in for as half are introvert and I am so glad we didn't! This was nothing but amazing! Just what we needed for our group given the fact that we are 100% remote and there is not much interaction with each other nowadays. What a great way to get the team involved, get them out of their comfort level, open up and get to know each other a little more. Both of them were super funny, everyone was laughing. Still talking about it the next day. Amazing time, just what we needed. Solid investment if you really want to invest in your employees. Can't say enough good things about this duo. Absolutely loved it! read more

I. Loved. This. Class. Lee and Bob immediately make you feel at ease because they bring so much fun and joie de vivre to every exercise. I suffer from stage fright and absolutely despise public speaking but the way this class is taught actually calmed my nerves and taught me the importance of 1) not taking yourself too seriously, 2) learning how to listen, and 3) being in "the moment." I'm looking forward to re-taking this class in a few months. read more

Improv with Lee and Bob has been a huge game changer in my personal and business life by further understanding human communication dynamics. It's definitely a social gymnastics and strengthening skills. I highly recommend this to anyone to improve communication skills with your family, friends, co-workers and potential customers. 10-stars! read more

Signed up not knowing what to expect, but was terrified of public speaking and knew I had to do something about it for my job. Since day one I've been hooked. Lee and Bob are fantastic at what they do and really know how to ease you into the art. Before you know it your up in front of the entire class improvising lines and scenes and feeling even more comfortable in your own skin. 100% recommend this to anyone looking to expand their public speaking skills or just want to learn the skill of speaking on the spot! read more

Advantage Improv's "Yes, And...Hire Me!" workshop was a valuable learning experience for my Personal Development for Career Readiness students at UCI's Paul Merage School of Business. Trainers Lee Godden and Bob Doll prepared and delivered an interactive, high-energy curriculum that integrated well with the communication principles and skills I teach. It was delightful to see how the students reacted with each other during the improv exercises. Advantage Improv created a safe, inclusive environment that minimized students' fears about being "on stage" in front of their peers. I loved how the improvisation-based mental agility skills they taught are practical and actionable in the real world of job search, career development and interpersonal relations. The students and I are grateful for the workshop. I hope to see Advantage Improv back at UCI for additional programs in the future." Valerie Sheppard, Faculty, The Paul Merage School of Business, University of California, Irvine read more