Disclaimer: I have never been, nor am I currently, an actor.
Two months ago, though, in an effort to build my community and try something new, I signed up for an improv class. In the past few years especially, I witnessed the value of these skills in my colleagues with more formal theatre backgrounds. I watched in admiration as they engaged Zoom audiences with gusto, and dazzled clients and teams with their confident public speaking skills.
“What was their secret sauce?” I wondered.
Thus began my curiosity about this improv thing, but only recently did I decide to actually look into taking a class.
My intentions coming into the five-week improv class were threefold:
Have fun
Meet new people
Be present
When I started telling people in my orbit what I was up to, they were surprised. I got reactions like, “I could never!” or “That’s so brave!”
I noticed that in committing to trying something new, I was inspiring others, and I was also inspiring myself.
Here are four life lessons that improv has taught me.
1. Magic happens in the present
Improv is about more than laughter. Improv is an invitation to…
Let go of our inhibitions and release our limits
Allow the present moment flow through us and dream of what’s possible
Create the scene from our visible (and not so visible) resources
And, if we don’t accept these invitations?
We might miss key context, a valuable facial expression, or details that we can use to build the current story. That is a high cost to pay!
In coaching, the same is true.
If I am worried about what a client will think of me, if my question is “good,” or find myself feeling triggered by something they share — I am no longer fully with them. This results in missing critical clues, like an eye roll, a voice crack, or even a strong word choice.
If we’re not present, we miss things — in improv, coaching, and LIFE!
2. Allow the story to unfold
Respond to what is, not what you anticipate. Improv requires letting go of overthinking, the need to be “right,” and the fear of “what happens next.”
For those of us living in (or recovering from) the Fixed Mindset, this can be especially difficult! We want to be right. We want to be funny and “please” the audience. We want to advance the story in the “perfect” way.
One of the biggest pieces of advice my improv instructor gave our class over and over, was to not try to be funny. Instead, she recommended we respond to the information we are given with what comes to our mind first.
Allowing the story to unfold naturally creates the humor.
When we allow the story to unfold without trying to contort it into our own vision of the story, it evolves in ways we can’t predict — and that is part of the fun!
In a recent coaching conversation, one of my clients shared that they never can predict where we end up. As a coach, I, too — must allow for the unfolding of the journey, and trust that the process will, in itself, be of value.
99% of the time, I have no idea where my coaching conversations will end! My commitment as a coach is to show up in full presence of and service to my clients, rather than attach to a specific outcome.
3. Ambiguity is an adventure
Improv is the ultimate training for navigating ambiguity. The truth is, it’s near impossible to predict what exactly might come out of someone’s mouth.
We have to get comfortable with the darkness of the unknown, ambiguity, and uncertainty.
We get to choose if we view ambiguity and unknown as frightening, thus limiting ourselves and keeping ourselves hugging a metaphorical wall… OR, we can decide that we are walking into a pitch black room, and we have no idea where we are (or where we’ll be) but what if it’s a surprise party? Or we meet the love of our life? Or we get the big promotion?
We get to choose how we want to be with ambiguity. Will we let it hold us back, or let the adventure unfold? If the former, the adventure will still unfold, but we’ll likely spend our time worrying about it, which takes us out of the present, and the joy of ambiguity. If we choose the latter, we might just have fun, and feel energized by the process!
4. Relate to others
As human beings, we are constantly relating to one another and our surroundings.
In the context of improv, this means working with classmates to build a story — not only through words, but also through sounds, intonation, and body language. It means using the room and our imaginations, too.
Maybe it’s running off stage, to open a “closet.”
Or perhaps it’s bending down to take a “scone” out of the “oven.”
Or even opening a “door” to usher a shift in the environment.
The closet, scone, oven, and door may not be “real” or “tangible” but, then again, what is? Our thoughts create our reality, after all.
In coaching, I get the opportunity to guide my clients to play with their thoughts, through the power of perspective. Whether it’s incorporating a cat that suddenly saunters across the screen, beams of sunlight pouring in on Zoom video that are impossible to ignore, or a bright pink pen on the client’s desk — our surroundings can serve as a resource to help create and shift the scene.
If we allow ourselves to look a little closer, we might realize that we don’t create anything alone.
Let’s reflect
What are you taking away from this reflection? What’s one way you might bring the improv philosophy into your day-to-day?
I’d love to hear what’s unfolding for you now. As always, you can comment below, reply to this email, or hop on a call with me.
In loving support of you,
Grace