“Jessia effortlessly engaged a diverse group, from engineers to marketing folks, helping each person start at whatever level made sense for them. The whole workshop was extremely interactive, the opposite of most professional development experiences - instead of explaining concepts, this event will get your team applying new brainstorming techniques, improved collaboration, and better listening skills. Leave your expectations at the door and get ready to expand your mind on how best to communicate and iterate! You and your company will surely be stronger afterwards.”
– Alexandra U., Senior teaching & learning specialist @ Coursera
“I’ve known for many years that Jessia Hoffman is a dazzling performer, but recently I saw what a thoughtful and exciting teacher she is. She ran an improv workshop for my seminar class on femininity, which permanently changed students’ perceptions of bodies and performance. Her confidence, sharp wit, and easy grace make her an ideal instructor for improv classes, and her intelligence allows her to make and guide connections between performance and the everyday world. She is a gifted teacher and one-of-a-kind person.”
“Jessia led us in a fun, energetic morning session during our Product & Design team offsite. We got to know each other better, played games, laughed a bunch and said YES a lot! I highly recommend Jessia, who is a great coach, creative problem-solver, and easy to work with. I can’t wait for our other teams to do this!”
“Jessia has transformed my relationship to risk taking and failure. She creates a space in which her students feel welcome to joyfully fail by approaching her teaching with warmth and joy.”
— Saya J., workshop participant
“Our workshop with Jessia was an excellent experience! In our initial call, Jessia asked a lot of detailed questions to really understand what we were looking to get out of our one-day workshop. Where Jessia shined the most, however, was during the event itself. Our day-long workshop was jam-packed with concepts, including acknowledging receipt, celebrating mistakes, shooting for average, “yes, and”, and status. Jessia was full of positive energy throughout the day and did a great job reading the room and making micro-adjustments throughout the day to make the workshop even better suited to our team. In particular, as a team of high-achieving software engineers, many of us froze or got tripped up while trying to be interesting, and Jessia kindly and continuously nudged us to shoot for average. In summary, the one-day workshop with Jessia has both helped my personal development as well as our team coordination and dynamics, all while being a great amount of fun for the entire team!”
“If I was limited to one word to describe Jessia it would be: invigorating…she embodies the dictionary definition of the word “to give vigor to; fill with life and energy; energize.” Jessia led an improv workshop for a group of technically/scientifically-inclined individuals and it was everything I hoped it would be and more. From the moment she entered the room, she captivated the group and got them truly excited about what she was trying to teach them – even when they were way out of their normal comfort zone. The group was motivated, engaged and enchanted by her, but most importantly, they trusted her and thoroughly enjoyed themselves while they were learning better ways to listen and communicate through the most subtle of lessons. I cannot recommend Jessia enough as a facilitator for any team in need of bonding and improved communications skill building. I’ve been telling all my colleagues to figure out a way to book her for their next retreat or similar event. You will not regret hiring Jessia to lead a workshop…she will most definitely improv(e) your life.”
“If you are looking for highly engaging programs that will access multiple ways of knowing and learning, and that will surface insights that can be applied widely throughout life, then I would highly recommend On Deck! I’ve invited Jessia Hoffman from On Deck to work with our Designing Your Stanford (DYS) class students multiple times, and each time it’s a highlight for both students and the instructors. A major aspect of our course is helping equip students with tools and mindsets for navigating ambiguity and uncertainty. That is exactly why I love On Deck’s workshops: they help fill in that blank using improv as the vehicle. Jessia is adept at inviting students to tip-toe out of their comfort zones until they were wading in waters much deeper than they thought they could go into. I can’t recommend On Deck enough!
– CHRISTIAN S., LECTURER, LIFE DESIGN LAB @ STANFORD
“Jessia’s workshop was fantastic! She did a great job guiding us through activities that most of us were not naturally comfortable with. I really like how she tied the various exercises to real world situations at work or at home. I’d highly recommend her workshops as a work-related team building event.”
“Great, fun, safe, friendly, supportive environment to step outside one’s comfort zone and try something new! Jessia is a joy to have as an instructor. She has a 24/7 smile, and mischievous sparkle in her eyes. She was ALWAYS supportive, patient with students, and one could tell she was thoroughly enjoying the class. ”