ListenAdaptResearcher
Researches applied improvisation, embodied learning, nonverbal behaviour and power dynamics in professional and work-integrated learning.
FOUNDER · RESEARCHER · FACILITATOR
Marius Opheim Thomassen
Applied improvisation researcher, lecturer and facilitator working with leadership, collaboration and organisational development.
Based in OsloEnglish & NorwegianIn person worldwide
RESEARCHER · EDUCATOR · FACILITATOR
“I am interested in what people can learn through practice that is difficult to understand through explanation alone.”
“My work sits where organisational development, education and applied improvisation meet.”
A CROSS-DISCIPLINARY PRACTICE
Research, teaching and facilitation—connected through practice
Marius Opheim Thomassen is a lecturer and researcher at Kristiania University of Applied Sciences in Oslo, and the founder of ListenAdapt. His work explores how applied improvisation, embodied learning and nonverbal behaviour can strengthen professional learning, collaboration and leadership.
His background spans technology, business, higher education, acting and improvisational theatre. Rather than treating these as separate fields, ListenAdapt brings them together: research provides direction, teaching provides structure, and improvisation creates a practical space where people can notice behaviour, experiment and adapt.
THE BACKGROUND BEHIND LISTENADAPT
Six strands that shape the work
Educator
Fourteen years of teaching experience across business and higher education, with a strong emphasis on active and experiential learning.
Facilitator
Facilitates leaders, teams, students and organisations—from one-to-one work to workshops with more than 100 participants.
Business background
Previous industry experience includes Google, Norsk Tipping and RED dentsu X, alongside work in digital innovation, marketing and organisational development.
Performer & director
Trained in acting and improvisation, including Method Acting at NSKI and Chubbuck Technique, and works as an improviser, director and teacher.
Cross-disciplinary thinker
Combines an MSc background in engineering and technology with an MBA from Copenhagen Business School and formal training in pedagogy and performance.
HOW THE WORK COMES TOGETHER
Practice makes behaviour visible
Across research, teaching and workshops, Marius works from the same basic idea: people develop relational skills by doing, noticing and trying again. Applied improvisation creates a structured way to make communication, status, listening and adaptation tangible.
01 ExperienceEnter a practical situation rather than only discussing it.
02 NoticeNotice patterns in attention, response, body language and interaction.
03 ReflectConnect the experience to professional relationships and organisational challenges.
04 PractiseTry alternative behaviours in a low-risk setting.
05 TransferTransfer useful choices into everyday leadership, teamwork and communication.
RESEARCH & APPLIED PRACTICE
Applied improvisation as a way of learning through the body
Marius researches what happens when professional learning moves beyond explanation and into embodied practice—where people can experience interaction, reflect on it and test different choices.
Research focus
Current research interests include applied improvisation, work-integrated learning, embodied learning, nonverbal behaviour and power dynamics. A recurring question is how experiential methods can create awareness that transfers back into professional practice.
This research is closely connected to the design of ListenAdapt workshops: exercises are used not as entertainment, but as structured situations for noticing, reflection and behavioural experimentation.
Selected publication
Together with Carina Johansson Nyvoll and Ingvild Seljeseth, Marius co-authored “Applied improvisation as an embodied approach in work-integrated learning: Developing awareness of nonverbal behavior and power dynamics.”
From research to practice
The practical work focuses on leadership, team collaboration, psychological safety, nonverbal behaviour, innovation and the ability to adapt when situations do not follow a script.
SELECTED BACKGROUND
Built across academia, business and performance
ListenAdapt is shaped by a background that crosses disciplines rather than staying inside one professional tradition.
Academic
MSc studies at NTNU and Colorado School of Mines, an MBA from Copenhagen Business School, formal higher-education pedagogy and ongoing research at Kristiania.
Industry
Professional experience from organisations including Google, Norsk Tipping and RED dentsu X, with work spanning technology, marketing and business development.
Performance
Acting and improvisation training in Norway and abroad, including Method Acting at NSKI and Chubbuck Technique, alongside years of performing, directing and teaching improvisation.
Based in the Oslo region and available for in-person work internationally. Workshops can be delivered in English or Norwegian.
AT KRISTIANIA
Teaching, research and learning design
Marius is a lecturer at Kristiania University of Applied Sciences, where he teaches and develops higher-education courses and researches applied improvisation as an experiential learning method.
His teaching work spans digital business, marketing, project-based learning and professional skills, with a strong interest in how students and professionals learn through active participation.
View Marius on LinkedIn →PROFESSIONAL PROFILE
A few details at a glance
Current role
Lecturer and researcher at Kristiania University of Applied Sciences in Oslo, with a research focus on applied improvisation and embodied learning.
Education
MSc background from NTNU and Colorado School of Mines, MBA from Copenhagen Business School, and formal training in higher-education pedagogy.
Industry background
Industry experience includes Google, Norsk Tipping and RED dentsu X, providing a practical business context for work with leaders and organisations.
Acting & improvisation
Acting and improvisation training includes Method Acting at NSKI, Chubbuck Technique and improvisation training with theatres and teachers in Norway and abroad.
Facilitation
Facilitates in English and Norwegian, from individual and small-team work to sessions with more than 100 participants.
WORK WITH MARIUS
What does your team need to handle better?
Share the situation, the people involved and the change you want to support. Marius will respond personally with an initial suggestion for a relevant workshop or development format.
Discuss your challenge