By Shawn Utterback, CEO of The PlayStorming Group
Say Yes, and…
The first lesson that an improviser learns is to accept every offer that is made. This basic rule is known as ‘Yes, anding.’ This principle allows improvisers to be positive and always look for new directions and opportunities. By saying ‘yes,’ you accept an idea ‘and’ you develop the idea further, making it better. An idea will quickly grow if you’re positive. You also validate the person making the offer, which opens the door to communication and collaboration.
Be Flexible…
An improviser never really knows what he will be confronted with, so he should not be too fixated on following his own plan. He has to be willing to abandon his own ideas and go along with other people’s. Flexibility also helps to create new associations and connections.
Listen to Understand…
Many leaders listen just enough to respond. Cue sound bites from any political debate or town hall meeting. How many of us listen to understand. When having a conversation, do you think about what you are going to say next? Is your response run through the filter of ‘agenda’? Active listening facilitates understanding and authentic connection. This requires one to be “in the moment”. Which leads us to…
Be In The Moment…
A great improviser lives in the here and now, in the present. He is alert and is able to respond instantly and sharply to changes or sudden twists and turns. This means that all sorts of other thoughts do not distract him, but that he is totally focused on things that are happening around him at that particular moment in time. By being in the present, and not judging the situation, all options are open and everything is possible.
Experiment…
Before they start doing anything, great improvisers focus on the big picture. The details will follow spontaneously once they start improvising and experimenting. If you want to plan all the details in advance, you will spend a lot of time only to discover that reality is more resilient than you thought. It is only through experimentation that you will find out what does and doesn’t work. Practice exploration and discovery.
Make Others Look Good…
A good improviser is very altruistic by nature. One of the ground rules of improv is: make sure the other person looks good. When you watch two improvisers on stage, you can easily see this habit at work. They do not try to outshine the other person. Instead, they make strong choices that set others up for success. What choices do you make as a leader that sets other up for success?
Dare To Fail…
It’s very important that a great improviser dares to fail. It is the opposite of trying to prevent every mistake. If you try to control the whole situation, you end up spending more time and money instead of making the mistake and learning from it. And learning from mistakes is a vital part of improvisation (and leadership). So go for it, fail fast and learn fast.
About the Play Storming Group:
PLAY STORMING is a collision between work and play, a consulting network that uses experiential learning methods – including techniques from Improvisational Theatre – to help people with COMMUNICATION, CREATIVITY and CHANGE.
