I often talk about how much joy improv brings and how it lights people up. And this ‘rocket fuel for happiness’ angle can take the lead when I share my passion for it.
But belly laughs and chest expanding freedom aside, improv is seriously useful.
Stop smiling and read on.
Adaptability
Life is a series of surprises and turns. Any attempt to gain control of the slippery beast called Life is a futile endeavour. As the variously attributed quote goes ‘You can fight with reality all you want. Reality always wins’. So don’t fight it , join it. Become flexible in the light of surprise. Be able to pivot with ease. Improv exercises train this muscle of easeful adaptation so that when we have to roll with punches in real life it’s easier and more natural.
Control
Do you like to keep control of every situation? To have the plan and sort it out. Improv builds the part of you that can trust and let go. Or are you a follower, someone who prefers not to take the lead? You’ll learn to trust yourself and step up. Because improvisation is collaborative – a constant dance between giving and taking control, you learn to find comfort in both roles and be present in the moment.
Creativity
Creativity is not a finite supply. We are abundant with it and the more we flex it the more we have. All we need to do is get out of our own way. Release the filter and allow the flow out without judging or limiting. Not everything you create will be brilliant. Some of it is rubbish. Some of it is gold. But you’ll never find the gold without turning the tap on! By adopting ‘divergent thinking’ in improv (‘yes and’) you uncover a well of creativity that spills over into creative problem solving or innovative projects in real life.
Embodiment
Embodiment is how we show up in the world, the way we hold ourselves. With a level of softness of tension, fast or slow, staccato or smooth – there are a million ways to distinguish the different experiences people have of being in their bodies. These embodied habits become the filters through which we perceive the world and determine how we behave in it. By embodying different characters in improv, you step into new modes and try them on. You feel what it’s like to have a different level of status or personality. Since the body learns from its experience, not reality, it’s easier to have a bit more strut in the office when you’ve played at being a superhero.
Communication dynamics
Collaboration. Building it together. It all relies on effective communication. Spot your patterns and habits through the exercises and uncover the effects of different approaches. This awareness can supercharge your communication style in the real world, from 1-1 conversations to team meetings and projects.
Response to failure
Improvisation teaches us that failure is an opportunity. So does the birth of Post it notes, penicillin and the pacemaker, which were all created from something that ‘went wrong’ Mistakes are inevitable and re-engineering our response to failure is life changing. Improv instills in us the skill to bounce back and keep playing with whatever happens.
There is a perception that improv is “just a bit of fun”. It’s often scheduled in conferences as an energiser or an something to break up the rhythm of the “proper serious work”. I’ll take out the ‘just’ from that because it minimises its value and impact. On the surface level it does generate real happiness but the cogs underneath are shaping the way we approach life itself. So improv is a ‘bit of fun’ and a ‘whole lot more’.
I often say that improv exercises are like a mirror – the way you play those is the way you play Life, which can be confronting but is hugely beneficial to personal development. Being able to spot our behaviour in the safety of the improv container gives us intel and experience for Real Life – which is all improvised anyway.
Awareness and practice change the game.
Even if you never laugh once.
(Though I bet you do!)
Check out my upcoming course Improv: an Embodied Practice to get some Serious Play into your life. 😉
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