What people say
I was struck by your openness, aliveness and generosity. The improv that you orchestrated lifted the room.
Peter Block - Author of "Community: The structure of belonging"
It was very interactive and fun but also very reflective in terms of behaviours and how these affect others. I completely enjoyed it.
British American Tobacco HR team
The methods that you use have the extraordinary ability of getting people thinking on their feet, out of "the box" and more creatively than they imagined possible while pushing them to become more adaptable. If improving your team's creativity, adaptability and unity is what you are after, Playing Mantis is who you are looking for.
Mark Baker - Industrial Psychologist, Excelebrate
Playing Mantis
What does Playing Mantis do?
Playing Mantis facilitates interactive, experiential training workshops to develop innovative teams, confident communicators and effective facilitators. We inspire those who want to inspire others.
Our interventions are always customized for the specific needs of your organisation and suitable for teams of all levels and backgrounds.
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Who are we?
Playing Mantis is a partnership between Petro Janse van Vuuren and Burgert Kirsten.
Petro has tested the methods of applied improvisation up to PhD level (PhD in Drama Studies - Applied Theatre) and Burgert has studied their effects in team development in his Master’s thesis (MCom Industrial Psychology).
What is our motivation?
We are passionate about play - Play as a tool for experiential learning and development of innovation and relationship.
We are passionate about connection - Connecting people with themselves, others, their creativity and their passion.
We are passionate about transformation - Transformation of individuals and groups to play a meaningful role in a changing world.
Which methodologies do we use?
We use methods from the disciplines of psychology, coaching, improvisational theatre and story.
Although we use exercises originally developed for improvisational theatre, the focus is not on performance but on developing skills for leadership, teamwork, innovation and dealing with uncertain and changing environments. Our workshops provide immediate benefit and applicability. We guarantee a marked change in your team's morale, interaction and working environment.
Furthermore, our methods are supported by a growing body of scientific studies in the areas of Neuroscience and Industrial Psychology. The latest research results in Neuropsychology show that improvisation can be seen as a distinct type of dynamic learning, which promotes creative problem solving and innovation through processes that correspond with the operating principles of our brains.
Why should you assign Playing Mantis?
Our applied improvisation and story workshops comprise of unique and alternative techniques which are especially powerful for team processes that focus on change and experiential learning. Our methods are on the cutting edge in the fields of personal and organisational development and have brought about a revolution amongst HR professionals in countries like Canada, the USA and northern Europe.
Playing Mantis is currently the only company on the African continent to offer workshops and events facilitated by trained experts commanding skills from the two worlds that characterise our tailor-made courses: Applied Improvisation and Industrial Psychology. We belong to international networks and associations in order to constantly improve our expertise, based on the latest developments in research and improvisational coaching as well as exchanges with other practitioners.
Our practical experience includes facilitating team and leadership processes across South Africa and with many satisfied clients including SAB Miller, British American Tobacco, Hollard Insurance, Price Waterhouse Coopers, Siemens Healthcare Diagnostic and more. Our background allows us to deliver a highly specialized and well crafted process.
Contact us for a free demonstration of our method at your organization.