improv by Walt Grassl
Susie and Ron had been working together for eleven years and both had been managers for the last
three.Ron was struggling with the challenges of getting his organization to perform at a high level.He had noticed that Susie consis- tently stayed within budget and not only met - but exceeded - her goals.
Ron saw Susie in line at the company cafeteria and asked if he could sit with her at
lunch.After some small talk,Ron shared his struggles with Susie and jokingly asked what her secret was.
Susie mentioned that she had been taking improv classes for a few years,and not only were they a lot of fun,but they helped her overcome her fear of speaking in public and helped her to make a bigger impact in meetings.
Ron was not familiar with
improv.Susie explained that improv is unscripted comedy that requires quick thinking from the participants. In improv, the plot,characters and dia- logue of a scene are made up in the moment.
The key to making improv work is that the players all follow a specific set of
rules.Susie recognized that those rules could improve her performance at work,as well. She explained to Ron five of the rules of improv,and how following those rules helped her as a leader:
1. Say yes.
Agreement, saying“yes,”is one of the most important rules of
improv.An improv scene begins with each individual doing some space work,which is the physical representation of an activity,and making eye contact.
One character begins the scene with a line. If you are doing space work in which you intend to be“hanging a picture,” and before you label yourself that way,your partner instead says you are“a striking worker shaking your fist,”you must discard your idea and agree with the label your partner gives to you.
80 January February 2015 Youmustagree with what your partner says.
In the workplace this means respecting what your fellow employee says or has
created.Do not dismiss it because it differs with your perception or your opinion.Take time to understand their belief and their feelings,and then proceed from a basis of agreement.
In addition to saying yes,an improv performer should pro- vide their own information to the scene, saying "yes,and.”In the example above,now being labeled a striking worker, the improviser should add information like,“Yes,and I will con- tinue to strike until management lets me bring my pet igua- na to work.”If you merely agree in an improv scene without adding information,you put the weight and direction of the scene entirely on your partner’s shoulders.
In a professional sense, this means that you should not make your teammates do all the work; contribute both your work effort and your ideas to help move your projects forward. Contributing your ideas means both giving your new and novel ideas and also looking to grow and add to the ideas of your
teammates.Yes, I understand your idea,and what if we modify it this way.
“Yes,and...” 2. Mistakes are okay.
Following on the heels of the first rule, in an improv scene when a performer makes a mistake, it becomes an opportu- nity to“yes,and”the mistake. If you and I are in a scene,and you say my name is Michael,and then later call me John, I can acknowledge it and say something like,“You’re just like my mom, she confuses me and my twin brother John all the time.”
At work when something doesn't go well, there are lessons to be learned or potential new opportunities to arise from it. Why did the mistake happen?What is the result of the mis- take? Can that result be used in a different way?
Use Improv to Improve Your Business Skills
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