The Second City to Keynote Prestigious Forum On Innovation -- The Front End of Innovation Conference

Chicago, IL (PRWEB) April 29, 2008 -- Second City Communications, the innovation and learning division of the world famous improvisation theater company, The Second City, will feature its unique innovation expertise as part of a prestigious roster of keynote speakers at the international innovation forum, the 2008 Front End of Innovation Conference that runs from May 19-21 in Boston.

The Front End of Innovation Conference is an annual thought-leadership conference focused on advanced thinking and methods for innovation and product/service development.

"Innovation is about killer ideas, not idea killers - the dime-a-dozen naysayers and well meaning skeptics who often erect the biggest hurdles that derail innovation at most companies," said Tom Yorton, President of The Second City. "Innovation means change - and we excel at helping clients across the Fortune 1000 embrace change - using improvisation methods to empower people to see their way through inertia to accept what's new," added Yorton. "Comedy is hugely effective at helping to change the way people think about their current situation, so they can let go of what they're holding on to and be open to new ideas," he said.

The Second City joins this year's roster of prominent keynote presenters at the Front End of Innovation Conference, including A.G. Lafley, Chairman of the Board and CEO of Procter & Gamble; Dean Kamen, inventor and entrepreneur; Ray Kurzweil, technology expert, inventor and NYT's bestselling author; Peter Guber, Founder and Chairman of Mandalay Entertainment Group; and Deborah Ancona, MIT's Leadership Center Director and professor of management at MIT's Sloan School of Management.

"To improvise is to innovate on the spot, and for 50 years, our audiences have served as co-creators and focus groups, telling us 7 nights a week what material is hitting and what isn't. We're applying what we've learned from the stage to the practice of innovation with hundreds of Fortune 1000 clients," said Tom Yorton. "Innovation thrives in an environment that supports risk and tolerates failure. We give our clients skills to create such environments, because we know they foster original thinking and inventive problem solving," added Yorton. "What's more, we teach clients to co-create innovations with their customers - so that they're deeply grounded in the reality of people's lives," Yorton said.

The Second City uses its trademark high-energy methods grounded in improvisation training and communications, Second City helps clients go beyond business as usual and set the right conditions for innovation with: Powerful Customer Connections; Deep Insights Beyond Numbing Data; Precise Problem Solving; Innovations Outside A Vacuum; Company Buy-In & Empowerment.

"Improvisation connects so strongly with people because it's based on real life and insightful observations," added Yorton. "We have a lot to offer clients who are looking to become more agile in developing breakthrough innovations that delight customers and meet real needs," he said.

Twenty-year innovation veteran, Chris Miller, the Founder and CEO of the innovation firm - Innovation Focus - added, "Second City excels at getting companies to go beyond business as usual and formulaic methods. They're focused on helping companies develop deep cultures of innovation where new ideas, creativity, and trust fuel breakthrough products and services."

The Front End of Innovation Conference is co-sponsored by the Product Development Management Association (PDMA) and the Institute for International Research (IIR). More information is available at: http://www.frontendofinnovation.com

About Second City Communications

Second City Communications (SCC) is the business innovation and training division of the world famous theater company, The Second City. SCC works with corporate clients to instill improvisational thinking and energy into everyday business planning & operations to foster flexibility, creativity, optimism, irreverence, and openness. SCC has more than 15 years experience using high energy and engaging methods that enable clients to embrace a fundamental axiom of innovation: "Yes, and?" More information is available at: Second City Communications (http://www.secondcitycommunications.com)

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