Abracademy is a school of magic that was created with the goal of bringing more magic to the world. A kind of magic beyond rabbits and hats, with power to help people and teams to grow. More participatory, inclusive and collaborative. The secret to this kind of magic is that it starts with each of us.

Impossible? Well, not for magicians.

Abracademy teaches magic to businesses and children to help them become extraordinary, or as we love to say

How do we do it? We teach hands-on, experiential learning. A different type of wisdom can come from the ability to keep trying and reflecting after each experience, and that’s why practicing magic is a perfect medium for learning experiences.

So what can magic do for you? Plenty – here are a few examples:

Magic for Creativity

Almost instantly magic can conjure a creative mindset: creativity is the ability to see a situation in a brand new way by imaginatively combining ideas and objects into different entities. Magic can be instrumental in opening the mind. The process of inventing new tricks and performing magic is all about innovation – an iterative and experimental method of problem solving.

Magic can stimulate new ways of thinking and problem solving: magic brings with it a deep and rich collection of resources that aren’t readily accessible to most people, centuries old knowledge on suggestion, conviction and meaning. Seeing the world through the magician’s eyes can make you think about new approaches and unique solutions to old challenges.

Magic means dual-reality thinking: when you think about how an audience sees a mind magic trick and how you are performing it, you are engaging in dual-reality thinking. The magic mindset is smart and abstract, and draws on human psychology. It gives people from diverse backgrounds and disciplines a rare opportunity to observe a different style of thinking. Magic is about appreciating the marvels of the mind itself, regardless of what has been put into it in the past.

Magic for team-building

Magic has the power to reveal hidden connections in teams and enhance communication skills. It helps individuals flourish and teams create synergies that they can take back into the workplace to create real change. Participants come away with skills to communicate more effectively, engage their imaginations more readily, and approach their work with a newfound sense of awareness. Using magic in teambuilding can help colleagues develop trust, inspire them to try something out of their comfort zone, boost their morale and above all, leave them with the magic mindset: belief!

Magic for presentation skills

Magic can, in a unique way, help you understand your whole self and teach you how to use the magician’s tools for making a magic moment, using the hands, eyes, body, voice and attitude. It also explores different ways of listening to your audience and connecting with them, from empathy to improvisation to storytelling. Create an atmosphere around these skills and build a good personality and you’ll quickly see how powerful you can be on any talk, presentation or stage.

Magic can grab and hold attention: simple mind magic tricks, performed in meetings, pitches or anywhere else, can grab people’s interest and stimulate curiosity in who you are and what you do. We are fascinated by things we’re uncertain about, so when you perform the impossible for people, it stimulates something deep that can’t help but attract others. Magic can help people overcome fears, such as the anxiety of public speaking. It can also teach the powerful mysteries of body language, and help you detect if someone is feeling discomfort or pleasure, or even trying to deceive you.

Magic for you

Magic fascinates every one of us: we love to watch mind-bending performances and search for rational answers for impossible questions. But that’s just part the story. Magic can work best when it’s something you do, instead of just watch. We can all benefit from its secrets and techniques.

It can be a great self-esteem builder because the necessity of controlling both trick processes and the audience reaction, which transforms magicians into people who can deal with unexpected and complex problems.

It builds confidence too: at Abracademy we give people the opportunity to become the owners of their learning process. We teach techniques and behaviours that generate a virtuous spiral of growth through reflecting on performances, feeding back and sharing thoughts. This empowers makers of magic to follow their own journey and never stop improving.

Magic only exists when there is a magician and an audience, which means that being in constant contact with others makes magicians experts in creating a connection with people. How to relate, how to “read” an audience, how to actively listen and how to powerfully speak. If you want to improve communication skills you can hardly beat magic.

Those are some of the reasons why we at Abracademy believe magic should be for everyone. If you want to find out more – or experience some magic yourself, or in your business or school – drop a note to rubens@abracademy.com

Abracademy are a start-up in residence at Made by Many who help bring magic and fun into our office space in London.