Improvisation

I just finished an improv class from Brainwaves, and not only was it a lot of fun, but it gave me a lot to think about. Here are some principles of improv and how I think they apply to non-performance situations:

Be fit and well. "Fit and well" means two things. Firstly, it means that you project, physically and mentally, that there is nowhere you would rather be. You are present in the moment with your full attention. This can mean taking a couple minutes to psych yourself or stretch/jog a bit to get your energy up, so that you enter the situation fully fit and well. Secondly, it means that this projected energy and presence lend credibility to your input. It's the same old thing- what is said with confidence and ability is persuasive to the listener. A person is less likely to challenge or doubt something said by a person who is fit and well.

Be in the moment. In improv, you can't try to force your preconceived agenda on the team. If you're fit and well, you listen to the input you're given with your full attention, and respond to exactly what you're given. If you try to anticipate and plan ahead, you're not in the moment, and your input is off-key from the actual situation.

Accept all offers. This is also the "yes and" that people who have taken improv classes talk about. It means that you don't negate or ignore any of the input you're given. Everything said is an "offer", and in order to be a good team member, and be in the moment, you have to consciously and deliberately attend to and accept each of them. The inverse is to not "block an offer" - someone says something and you ignore or negate it.

Given my personality, some of this is a challenge for me. I think I have "fit and well" down pretty good, but I tend to anticipate a LOT, and my mind naturally spins itself down several divergent paths, thinking of the impact and consequences of many different courses of action. Not only does this anticipatory thinking take me out of the moment, but it makes me less of a "yes AND" person, but more of a "yes BUT" person. When offered input, I often refuse it, since I feel as though not only have I already thought of that, but thought of all the pros and cons and long-term consequences and weighed the alternatives and rejected that option. This is happening so quickly in my mind that I tend to not clue people in to where my mind is going, and it comes across as negating the input of others.

I learned quite a bit from the class, and had a lot of fun as well. And I hope that I'm able to take some of those lessons into my next workplace, since I think some of these practices will have a really positive effect on my team.