What is improv?
Improvisation is a form of spontaneous response to the circumstances and situations we find ourselves in. You may know it from jazz clubs: after the band plays the theme (main melody) of a jazz standard, the musicians take turns composing new melodies on the spot that fit the chords of the piece. Another form of improv is improv theatre, such as Improtheater (my favourite) or Zurich Improv Comedy. A few actors get a topic from the audience and invent scenes, dialogues and characters on the spot. “Okay, but why are you telling me this if I’m not an actor or an unshaven saxophonist?” you might ask. Because improvisation is useful in many situations in life, not only on stage!
Benefits of learning improv
- Greater self-confidence in social and business situations
- Ease in answering unexpected questions from the audience during presentations
- Faster decision-making
- Openness to change and uncertainty (ugh, who likes that?!)
- Learning to deal with your inner critic and to make mistakes
- Becoming a better observer and listener
- Learning to follow someone else’s lead (a bit like dancing)
Can you learn to improvise?
When you see people who feel completely at ease answering questions from the audience or creating scenes live on stage, you might think: either you’re born with it, or there’s no hope. 😉 You may be surprised, dear reader, but improvisation can be learned. In fact, it has to be practised. Before creating beautiful phrases and melodies, jazz musicians spend years in small (often cramped) rehearsal rooms, practising scales and phrasing and learning standards and the rules of harmony. By mastering the basics, they can use them at a masterful level. It’s the same with improvisation on stage. It’s the ability to open up to the unknown, react quickly and go with the flow.
Improv rules: how to learn to improvise
Silence your inner critic
One of the challenges of improv is to stop judging others and, as a result, yourself. The beginning can be difficult, because when we say something that seems meaningless or not funny, we may want the ground to swallow us up. That’s not the way. What matters most is that we try. Making mistakes is part of the process. When it happens, we give ourselves a high five and try again, and again, and again…
Above all, have fun
Learning improv is a bit like stepping back into a child’s shoes. Improv isn’t a matter of life and death. It’s play, joy and often tears, but tears of laughter.
Say “yes, and…”
Improv also teaches us to accept what comes our way. In a scene, one person suggests a situation or characters, and we can either go along with it or not. The key rule of improv is “yes, and…”: accept your partner’s idea and add something of your own. If we enter a scene with our own agenda, it’s hard to create anything interesting. Being open to other people’s ideas and building on them is also useful in relationships and teamwork.
Be here and now
One of the many benefits of improv is learning mindfulness. Improvisation, especially in a group, requires full concentration and being in the here and now. There’s no room for thinking about dinner, your annoying boss or whether that long-awaited reply on Tinder has arrived. Without full focus, we lose the context of the scene and get completely lost. If you’ve already completed a mindfulness course, improv is a great next step.
Don’t try to be Al Pacino
It can be very liberating to accept that we’re okay just as we are in this moment. You don’t have to be a brilliant actor or improviser and perform verbal acrobatics. Give yourself permission to be average and be okay with it.
3 simple improv exercises you can try today
One-word story. With a friend or partner, tell a story taking turns, one word each. It teaches you to listen and to let go of control over where the story goes.
“Yes, and…” planning. Plan an imaginary trip with someone, starting every sentence with “Yes, and…”. You’ll notice how quickly ideas grow when nobody blocks them.
One-minute talk on a random topic. Pick a random word or picture and talk about it for 60 seconds without stopping. It’s great practice for unexpected questions after a presentation.
Summary
Improvisation is a skill that anyone can learn, and it pays off far beyond the stage. It builds confidence, helps you handle unexpected questions and teaches you to listen. Start with small exercises, silence your inner critic and, above all, have fun.
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Author:
Hi, I’m Magda Kern. I’m a psychologist, the top 11 public speaking coach worldwide, a lecturer, working for companies from the Fortune 500 list, a business trainer with 12 years of experience, a TEDx coach, and an ex-vocalist based in Switzerland. I help people prepare and deliver unforgettable presentations and deal with stress.