Kat koppett: applied improv pioneer, author & consultant
About Kat Koppett
Kat Koppett is the eponymous founder of Koppett, a global consultancy that blends organizational development with improvisation and storytelling to help leaders and teams perform at their best. She is the author of Training to Imagine: Practical Improvisational Theatre Techniques to Enhance Creativity, Teamwork, Leadership, and Learning, considered a seminal work in applied improvisation.
Major corporations, foundations and organizations looking to improve workplace culture and collaboration have embraced the tools she has developed, and Koppett clients that have benefitted from her methods include Meta, Apple, NASA, PwC and the Clinton Global Initiative.
Kat holds a B.F.A. in Drama from NYU and an M.A. in Organizational Psychology from Columbia University. She is co‑director of the Mopco Improv Theatre, and in 2024 served as vice president of the Applied Improvisation Network, In 2019 she received a Women of Excellence award as well as NASAGA's Ifill-Raynolds Lifetime Achievement Award for her contributions to the field of experiential learning. Additionally, TheatreWeek Magazine recognized her as one of its “Unsung Heroes” for creating Spontaneous Broadway, the world’s first fully-improvised musical format.
why book kat?
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In use worldwide for almost 25 years, Kat’s book Training to Imagine is considered a vital resource for anyone who wishes to use improv as a key to unlock business success, and she co‑authored The Facilitation Advantage to extend improv principles into facilitation.
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She has delivered keynotes and workshops at Stanford, RPI, UC Berkeley, Skidmore, and professional associations such as ATD, ISPI, and NSA.
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Kat designs programs for organizations large and small, from non‑profits to Fortune 500 companies and government agencies across the U.S., Europe and Asia.
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She’s a founding member and vice‑president of the Applied Improvisation Network and a recipient of NASAGA’s Ifill‑Raynolds Lifetime Achievement Award.
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Kat is known for her warmth and humor; her sessions are interactive, grounded in research, and immediately applicable.
Speaking Topics & Workshops
Kat customizes every engagement to the audience. Each session combines short, evidence‑based insights with experiential exercises, leaving participants with practical tools they can use immediately.
Popular topics include:
Storytelling for Influence:
Crafting stories that engage hearts and minds, whether you’re pitching an idea or driving change.
Improv for Leaders:
How improvisational principles help leaders navigate uncertainty, make better decisions and build resilient teams.
Building High‑Trust Cultures:
Exercises to foster psychological safety, empathy and collaboration.
Facilitation Mastery:
Insights from The Facilitation Advantage on how to transform meetings and conversations into inclusive, high‑impact experiences.
Creativity & Innovation Labs:
Structured improvisation games to unlock creativity and ideation.
Kat koppett Podcasts & Talks
On this week’s 51%, we speak with Kat Koppett, co-director of The Mopco Improv Theatre in Schenectady, New York and founder of Koppett, a consultancy company that uses improv to help businesses improve their workplace culture and collaboration.
What if the best tool for building psychological safety, creative thinking, and leadership presence has been hiding in plain sight — on the improv stage?
What if succeeding in leadership, business, and life all came down to how well we improvise? In this episode of Social Soup, Michelle sits down with Kat Koppett to discuss how improv plays a role in daily life and why human connection is more important than ever.
Who holds the power in a room and what does that do to your voice? In this episode, Jude speaks with applied improv pioneer Kat Koppett about the subtle (and not so subtle) power dynamics that shape careers, relationships, and identity. They examine how power can silence, distort, or transform and how to wield it with the help of improv.
Author/expert Kat Koppett is here to talk about applied improvisation and lead our group to better communication!
Kat Koppett is back, and she’s here to help us all communicate better through the magic of improv. And by “communicate better” we mean “air grievances!” Yes, and… after we make each other look good, you make us look dumb in the return of the Poundstone Riddle invitational!
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Kat co‑hosts conversations on creativity and resilience; the podcast’s biography notes her founding role at Koppett and her leadership in applied improvisation. Listen Now
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Kat has delivered multiple TEDx presentations on how improv can transform leadership and learning. Listen Now
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The host, Melissa Dinwiddie, calls Kat’s book Training to Imagine a “bible” for applied improvisation and they discuss how she got her beginnings and developed her expertise. Listen Now
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Dives into the applications and skills that applied improv can bring to leadership, team building, and cultural differences. Listen Now
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Hear Kat describe what applied improvisation is, how she first developed her training programs for use in the workplace, and how it has grown. Listen Now
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In this episode of 'Improv Your Parenting,' Kat Koppett, founder of Koppett, shares her unique approach to parenting using improvisational techniques, her personal experiences co-parenting her daughter, and the importance of creating a flexible and supportive environment for kids. Listen here.
Contact us.
Kat books a limited number of keynotes and workshops each year to ensure every client gets a bespoke experience.
To discuss your event:
Email: hello@koppett.com
Phone: +1 (518) 847-9882
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/koppett
Alternatively, complete the form below, and our team will respond within one business day.
Books By Kat
Recent Press
Kat koppett professional Photos
