Improv, Psychological Safety, Compliance & Speak Up Culture: Part 1 “Got Your Back”

Apr 24, 2026

This is part 1 of a 6-part series of Creativity & Compliance, where Tom & Ronnie explore the connections between improv comedy and improving compliance, psychological safety and speak up culture. Today's episode - "Got Your Back!"

Hosts

Tom Fox

Ronnie Feldmen

 Resources

60-Second Communication & Awareness Shorts
A variety of short, customizable, quick-hitter “commercials” including songs & jingles, video shorts, newsletter graphics & Gifs, and more. Promote integrity, compliance, the Code, the helpline and the E&C team as helpful advisors and coaches.

Workplace Tonight Show! Micro-learning
A library of 1-10-minute trainings and communications wrapped in the style of a late-night variety show, that explains corporate risk topics and why employees should care.

Custom Live & Digital Programing
We’ll develop programming that fits your culture and balances the seriousness of the subject matter with a more engaging delivery.

Tales from the Hotline
Fast, fun case studies about workplace behavior gone wrong, brought to life by comedians and storytellers.

About This Episode

Improv, Psychological Safety, Compliance & Speak Up Culture
Part-1, “Got Your Back”

This is part 1 of a 6-part series of Creativity & Compliance, where Tom & Ronnie explore the connections between improv comedy and improving compliance, psychological safety and speak up culture. Today’s episode, “Got Your Back!”

Improvisation is a spontaneous, collaborative art form where performers take suggestions from the audience and create characters, dialogues, scenes and stories spontaneously, off the top of their heads, without a script.

Psychological safety can be defined as the belief that you won’t be punished for speaking up with ideas, questions, mistakes or concerns. Creating psychological safety in your organizations is arguably the most important challenge that an ethics & compliance program faces.

So what do these two things have to do with each other? Strange as it may sound, quite a bit. The philosophies and techniques behind creating an environment where comedic creativity can thrive and creating an environment where employees feel safe to speak up to challenge business decisions and report concerns are similar. There is a lot that ethics and compliance professionals can learn from this connection. You can get a few A-Has from the Ha-Has.

“GOT YOUR BACK”
One thing that every improviser does before they go onstage is approach each other, look each other in the eye and say “I’ve got your back” and then we literally pat each other on the back. This happens at every show, all over the world. This is ingrained in us because we know that all we have is each other. Improv is an ensemble-based art form. We need each other to be successful. And as Amy Poehler said, “it’s easier to be brave when you’re not alone.” If I step out on stage and draw a blank, or say something that doesn’t land well, I know that I’ll be okay, because my partners have my back. “Got Your Back” is a constant reminder that we are making a commitment to an environment of trust and support. This psychological safety gives us the freedom to fail and essentially is the engine that propels us to success.
So how do we apply this concept to E&C in our organizations? Listen to the podcast as we unpack two philosophies and techniques.

  • Say it, Say it Again, Repeat!
  • Create Ensemble

If you’re not into listening and would prefer reading, you can download our Whitepaper: Improv, Compliance, Psychological Safety & Speak Up Culture

Ronnie Feldman is the CEO & Creative Director at Learnings & Entertainments, a learning content provider made up of comedians and entertainers with a focus on corporate risk. We make compliance cool at www.LearningsEntertainments.com

Related Episodes