The Upright Citizens Brigade Comedy Improvisation Manual is a comprehensive guide to the UCB style of long form comedy improvisation. Written by UCB founding members Matt Besser, Ian Roberts, and Matt Walsh, the manual covers everything from the basics of two person scene work (with a heavy emphasis on finding "the game" of the scene), to the complexities of working within an ensemble to perform long form structures, such as "The Harold" and "The Movie".

In an irresistible invitation to lighten up, look around, and live an unscripted life, a Stanford University professor and master of the art of improvisation explains how to adopt the attitudes and techniques used by generations of musicians and actors. These secrets are currently being taught to entrepreneurs, engineers, and first responders in a crisis as well as housewives and Alzheimer caregivers. Let's face it: Life is something we all make up as we go along.

Does your mind blank in conversation and create awkward silence? Do you run out of things to say and struggle to keep dialogue flowing? (A) Conversation isn't scripted, (B) it's 100% unpredictable, and (C) it can be terrifying at times. How do you prepare for such a thing? By learning how to apply improv comedy techniques to roll with any punch and improve your conversations and social interactions.

The Second City has launched the careers of celebrated comic performers such as Tina Fey and Stephen Colbert and produced award-winning content. But it's the actual improvisational process developed and honed over the years by The Second City that has become its legacy. Players master an ability to cocreate in ensembles using philosophies that celebrate a "yes, and" approach.

They say you can’t teach stand-up comedy, but you can certainly give a lot of good advice. The best comedians in the business share bits of advice and full-fledged stories to impart the lessons they learned treading the boards, hitting the road, and of course, on occasion, bombing.

When we’re writing a book, we need inspiration, and we need the “how-to” pieces that we were never taught in school. Start Writing Your Book Today provides both. Over the last 10 years as a writing coach, Morgan has developed a blend of mindset and mechanics to help authors through feeling stuck and into power writing through their books. In this book, Morgan shares her methods with you, so that you can step up and become the writer you know you’re meant to be.

What if charisma could be taught? For the first time, science and technology have taken charisma apart, figured it out and turned it into an applied science: In controlled laboratory experiments, researchers could raise or lower people's level of charisma as if they were turning a dial. What you'll find here is practical magic: unique knowledge, drawn from a variety of sciences, revealing what charisma really is and how it works. You'll get both the insights and the techniques you need to apply this knowledge. The world will become your lab, and every person you meet, a chance to experiment.

In his early 20s, Curtis Jackson, known as 50 Cent, rose to the heights of fame and power in the cutthroat music business. A decade ago, the multi-platinum selling rap artist decided to pivot. His ability to adapt to change was demonstrated when he became the executive producer and star of Power, a high-octane, gripping crime drama centered around a drug kingpin's family. The series quickly became "appointment" television, leading to Jackson inking a four-year, $150 million contract with the Starz network - the most lucrative deal in premium cable history.

Filled with empowering, easy-to-follow tips for crafting stories that forge lasting bonds with friends, family, and colleagues alike, this book will help you connect authentically with the world around you and unleash the power of story in your life.

Models is the first book ever written on seduction as an emotional process rather than a logical one, a process of connecting with women rather than impressing them. It's the most mature and honest guide on how a man can attract women without faking behavior, without lying and without emulating others. A game-changer.

Psychologist and best-selling author Benjamin Hardy, PhD, debunks the pervasive myths about personality that prevent us from learning - and provides bold strategies for personal transformation.

The New Comedy Bible is a step-by-step, no excuses manual for writing, performing, and launching your career as a stand-up comic. Written by Judy Carter, the author of The Comedy Bible (2001), which was called by The Washington Post and Forbes as a “Comedy Essential”. This new book, penned in classic Carter’s style - part career coach and part comedy dominatrix - has 100 percent new content.

If you (1) have trouble connecting with people beyond small talk or (2) are often left speechless and dumbfounded on how to handle certain people and situations, that feeling of dread isn't something you have to live with. Improve Your People Skills is your key to social intelligence and the better relationships to enrich your life that will inevitably follow.

A top performance expert reveals the secret behind many top athletes and executives: creating a heroic alter ego to activate when the chips are down.

In this final master-work of The Rational Male series, Rollo Tomassi breaks down the fundamental mechanics of Game, intersexual social skills, and the nuts and bolts psychology that makes it work. The Players Handbook is not a "how-to" book, it's a "why-it-works" book. It’s not an instruction manual—it is the missing textbook on Game and understanding intersexual dynamics. Game is an adaptive set of social skills and best practices in navigating intersexual dynamics in a modern sexual marketplace.

The law of attraction tells us that whatever we focus our attention on, consciously or not, we attract into our lives. Think happy thoughts, enjoy happy experiences. And vice versa. The best-selling Begin with Yes introduces the law of action, a principle that reverses the order - and is equally powerful: What we do affects how we think and the kinds of experiences we have. When we take small, manageable steps, we feel more positive, and our lives flow more smoothly. Begin with Yes is all about setting things in motion and opening new doors. Getting unstuck.

Years of experience as a magician taught Tim David that real magic is all about words, and the way they influence the minds of the audience. What sets a professional magician apart from an amateur are people skills like communication, influence, and engagement - skills that are also effective in the workplace. By applying seven "magic" words in a business setting, David offers tools for effective and persuasive communication.

In this book Bill Burnett and Dave Evans show us how design thinking can help us create lives that are both meaningful and fulfilling, regardless of whom or where we are, what we do or have done for a living, or how young or old we are. The same design thinking responsible for amazing technology, products, and spaces can be used to design and build your career and your life, a life of fulfillment and joy, constantly creative and productive, one that always holds the possibility of surprise.

Author Thomas Erikson explains that there are four key behavior types that define how we interact with and perceive the people around us. Understanding someone’s pattern of behavior is the key to successful communication. Erikson breaks down the four kinds of behavior types - Reds who are dominant and commanding, Yellows who are social and optimistic, Greens who are laid-back and friendly, and Blues who are analytical and precise - and explains how to identify and interact with each type of person.

The Second City has launched the careers of celebrated comic performers such as Tina Fey and Stephen Colbert and produced award-winning content. But it's the actual improvisational process developed and honed over the years by The Second City that has become its legacy. Players master an ability to cocreate in ensembles using philosophies that celebrate a "yes, and" approach.

Useful Belief turns the "be positive" industry upside down with a fresh and modern approach to achievement. Sometimes things in life are not positive. Sometimes bad things happen to good people. If you've had a nightmare of a year, the last thing you want to hear is "Be positive!" Instead, you need an actual strategy to dig yourself out and a truly useful guidebook to show you where to go next. This is that guidebook.

With this program, you'll have the tools, the techniques, and, just as importantly, the unflinching confidence to influence your readers and listeners decisively - both at work and at home.

Most people who want to get better—at hitting golf shots, negotiating with clients, delivering presentations, or any other field of endeavor—seek out new information. They read a book, take a class, hire an expert tutor. But as Alan Fine has learned from many years of coaching athletes and businesspeople, this “outside-in” approach often doesn’t produce the results people want. More information becomes a distraction rather than a solution, and high performance remains elusive.

Josh "the Shark" Altman has achieved extraordinary success in a traditional industry and in the most competitive real estate market in the country - all without being "discovered" or catching the proverbial big break. He worked for it. He figured it out. He failed. He learned. He wrote his own script. The key to his success? Confidence - informed, intelligent, calculated confidence. Calculated confidence means training yourself in your chosen field, knowing it so well that you can trust your gut instincts to guide you toward the best possible option.

As a top-level sport psychologist and performance consultant, Dr. Stan Beeham knows what it takes to succeed - on the playing field, in the board room, and in all aspects of life. This award-winning book takes you inside the minds of major-league athletes, Olympic medal winners, and world-class business leaders to reveal the key motivators and mental processes that drive people to victory.