Museum Leaders Exhibit Sangfroid at Getty Leadership Institute

Museum exhibits inevitably captivate a room. Pitch Lab teamed up with senior-level museum leaders so they can do the same.

We were thrilled when the Getty Leadership Institute at Claremont Graduate University invited Pitch Lab to participate in its 2019 executive education programs for museum leaders. 

One program was GLI 2019, for senior-level museum executives. The other was NextGen 2019, for mid-level managers tapped as the next generation of museum leaders. 

Most participants were from visual art museums and cultural organizations around the world. Many were based in the U.S., while others came from nine other countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America. 

What they all had in common (and wanted from Pitch Lab) is explained by Steve Nash, Director of Anthropology and Curator of Archeology, at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science:

“Museum leaders do a lot of public speaking—to staff, donors, civic leaders, and community members. Pitch Lab was invited to the Getty Leadership Institute to help the next generation of museum leaders take their communication skills to the next level!”

Since 93% of what you communicate comes from your stage presence, body language and vocal tone, the focus was on enhancing all of the above for the museum leaders. 

Participants dove into interactive activities, including comedy karaoke, which helped them learn how to utilize their body and voice to present in an engaging, entertaining and unforgettable way. And those activities all included proven techniques from much-loved comedians like Chris Rock, Robin Williams and Ellen. 

In addition to learning how to improve their delivery and room command, GLI leaders learned new tips to increase audience engagement, create more effective collaboration, and manage that pesky thing called stage fright.

As with all of our Pitch Lab workshops, these techniques were practiced in a safe environment with the goal of learning new skills while having fun. 

What Getty Leadership Institute said about Pitch Lab:

“This was the best public speaking training session I've ever attended. Stand-up + improv comedians show how it SHOULD be done.” 

“This session was inspirational, engaging and fun!  It was a nice icebreaker and a great way to begin the program.”

“Thank you for telling us TED isn't the only way to tell a story. I appreciated the inclusion of all emotions, even the hard ones.” 

“Pitch Lab was a perfect way to kick-off the week—their tips and suggestions stayed with me through the rest of the week and I found myself trying to use them all when speaking up, sharing out and giving my final capstone presentation.” 

Want to learn more about how Pitch Lab can help organization be more effective communicators, differentiate from the competition and build stronger connections? Let’s chat!