Meet Fast Forward Presenters >> Mo Manklang & Neil Bardhan

What is your Big Idea for Philadelphia?

Building Together through Improv

“Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you, spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life. No one is here today because they did it on their own.” - Amy Poehler

Improv is all about building together. Constant support and the “yes, and” way of thinking are more than just comedy principles - these are concepts that can help teams across the board grow. Let’s bring the sectors of social impact in Philly together to “yes, and” each other’s work and to build a better city together. This is about taking improv principles (really, “being a positive human” principles) and using them to make the impact movement in Philly more cohesive.

Internally, local organizations have been taking improvisation workshops to make their teams better-- what if leaders from across the city did the same, with the goal of being more less silo-ed and more collaborative? Less institutional more agile? Less adversarial and more supportive? Improv helps people, regardless of background and experience, to connect and create in ways they never imagined possible-- it could help Philly take impact to the next level.

Twitter: momanklang about.me/manklang

Mo Manklang spends most of her time telling the story of Philly do-gooders via Generocity.org, the niche news site covering social impact in Philly. After starting her own nonprofit for the arts, only to realize its mission was best served by joining forces with other arts organizations, Manklang now tries to show how collaboration, communication and creative solutions can make Philly a better place. She also serves on the Board of Directors of the Philadelphia Area Cooperative Alliance, promoting the local cooperative economy, and is co-founder of the upcoming Bechdel Fest, the city’s first ever women’s comedy festival

Twitter: neilpbardhan

Neil P. Bardhan, Ph.D. is a freelance/private/self-employed science communication coach. He uses his academic background in cognitive psychology and linguistics to improve scientific presentations. Neil also performs longform improv with the team Bad Kitten. He combines these interests working with the consulting company improvscience. In addition, Neil works with First Person Arts and writes for Geekadelphia.