It is always a pleasure to have a guest writer for my weekly letter, and this week I am thrilled to have one of AME’s favorite people, Jon Colby, share his thoughts on the AME conference.
If his name sounds familiar, it should. Jon has been AME’s conference Master of Ceremonies since 2020. Named one of MSN.com’s Top 10 Speakers to Follow in 2025, Jon has been empowering people all over the world with improv for over 27 years. His engaging and interactive approach has successfully helped audiences worldwide become better communicators and leaders.
As a graduate from the world-famous Second City Conservatory comedy program and an educator with 15 years of classroom experience, he can keep an audience laughing while sharing practical knowledge. Jon was so well-received last week at the AME St. Louis 2025 International Conference that he will be joining us again next year at the AME Milwaukee International Conference on October 26-29, 2026, with the theme “People first, progress together” and the tagline “a yes/and approach to enterprise excellence.”
Register here to take advantage of the lowest conference week pricing of $1,440 for individual registrations.
Now, let’s hear from Jon!
"Yes, and" with Jon Colby
I’ve been lucky enough to be involved with the AME International Conference every year since 2020, and I always start with the deceptively simple idea from improv comedy: “Yes, and.”
In improv, “Yes” means I hear you.
“And” means Let’s build on it.
Those two words are the difference between a group of coworkers and a team that actually listens, supports and creates together.
Next year’s AME conference theme, “People first, progress together: A ‘yes/and’ approach to enterprise excellence,” couldn’t be a better fit.
Because “Yes, and” is exactly how progress happens: one idea at a time, built on respect, curiosity and collaboration.
It’s not about pretending every idea is perfect. It’s about creating an environment where people feel safe enough to share the imperfect ones. That’s where the magic happens.
In improv, we say, “There are no mistakes, only opportunities.”
In leadership, it’s not that different. Every challenge, every weird idea, every awkward silence — they’re all opportunities to say “Yes, and” to something better.
So, here’s my challenge to you: this week, catch yourself before you say “No” or even “Yes, but…” and try “Yes, and…” instead. You’ll be amazed at how fast conversations open up and how much faster progress follows.
Yes to people.
And to progress together.
Jon knows I am a huge fan. You heard Jon say that when he’s not keeping us on our toes at the AME conferences, he’s a keynote speaker, corporate trainer and founder of the Colby Leadership Institute. He helps leaders strengthen communication, connection and trust through improv-inspired exercises that teams can run on their own (with videos of Jon explaining each one so nobody can mess it up).
The Institute also offers monthly events and a community to support leaders and keep them accountable as they apply these skills in practice, allowing you to continue growing even when we’re not at a conference. Many of you have asked how to learn more — please visit colby-leadership-institute.mn.co.
“Yes, and,” I will be sharing more from the AME conference in future letters. For now, I would like to acknowledge and thank all who planned, organized, presented, navigated logistics or led with a smile during the week. We saw you and appreciate you, especially the conference team, led by Barry McCarthy, with his:
- Program co-chair team leaders: Todd Reese and Rebecca Michalik
- Program leads Melisa Buie, Terry Spalding, Steve Ebbing, Ryan Zeng and Dave Zink
- Workshops chair William Harvey
- Tour co-chairs Meg Brown and Laura Robertson
- Tour lead Jonathan Jones and his tour team
- Keynote chair Lynne Johnson
- And networking co-chairs Ellen Sieminski and Glenn Campbell
Of course, we must thank the AME Home Team — Regina D’Alesio, Barb Clayton, Sara O’Hara and Jessi Elder — for making the magic happen with the support of Andy Kirshner, Joy Huebner and Laura Woodson.
Thank you also, Megan Judkins and the ProShow AV Services team, as well as the teams at Explore St. Louis, Stetson, Smart City, America’s Center, Marriott Grand St. Louis and everyone else behind the scenes who made this such a memorable week.
As always, please stay safe and keep looking out for one another.
