Sessions at SXSW Interactive 2012 on Friday 9th March in Brazos

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• Change Happens: Improv for an Unpredictable World

  by Amanda Hirsch and Jordan Hirsch

  "You're fired."
  "The test results are positive."
  "We're out of beer." Change happens - how you handle it is up to you. Improv can help. In past SXSW workshops, we've explored how the lessons of improv comedy apply to everyday life and business. This year, we'll focus on how improv can increase your adaptability - a critical skill in today's workforce, not to mention, key to maintaining your sanity in our unpredictable, fast-changing world. Learn how the skills actors and musicians use to invent on the fly can help reduce stress and make you a positive, unflappable leader, no matter what your career path, station in life, or zodiac sign. Come join us for a session filled with games, laughs, and interactive discussion grounded in real-world examples. You'll leave armed with skills you can use the next time the world throws you a curve ball (i.e. immediately). Marcus Aurelius said, "The universe is change; our life is what our thoughts make it." We couldn't agree more.

  • Improvisation

  At 2:00pm to 3:00pm, Friday 9th March

  In Brazos, Marriott Courtyard Austin Downtown/Convention Center

  Coverage audio clip slide deck

• Your Brain on Multitasking

  by Adam Gazzaley, David Meyer, Peter Bregman and Rachel Emma Silverman

  We all have a zillion tasks that need to be done now. Does multitasking help you work more efficiently and productively? Or does it allow you to do lots of things poorly? Is it better to focus on one task at a time and then move on quickly to the next? What exactly does multitasking do to our brains? Do gender or age make a difference when it comes to multitasking? A panel of the country's top experts on multitasking – neuroscientists, psychologists and a time-management pro – provide the latest findings on how to work more effectively while juggling multiple activities.

  • Brain
  • multi-tasking
  • Productivity
  • Time Management

  At 3:30pm to 4:30pm, Friday 9th March

  In Brazos, Marriott Courtyard Austin Downtown/Convention Center

  Coverage audio clip

• The Future of Work: Serial Monogamy

  by Dan Finnigan

  There's nothing like the thrill of a new relationship, and a rising generation of star talent likes the rush a new job brings. In today’s workplace everyone is an entrepreneur and employee/employer relationships are switching from everlasting to in-the-moment.

  Employees are hyper connected and always positioning themselves for a potential next big move. But instead of looking back at what once was, they’re embracing this new honest style of employee. Hiring managers have begun to develop new strategies for harnessing that energy for the short term, and crafting recruiting tactics to constantly be in touch with a large pool of talented individuals to easily replenish their ranks or grow. They want to get their hands on the talent while it is up for grabs, and are not married to the idea that it needs to last forever.

  Dan Finnigan, CEO of Jobvite, will present industry statistics which reveal how serial monogamist employees can actually fuel a company’s growth and innovation.

  • Careers
  • Hiring
  • Work

  At 5:00pm to 6:00pm, Friday 9th March

  In Brazos, Marriott Courtyard Austin Downtown/Convention Center

  Coverage audio clip