How improv will improve your work and your life

Improv, as I’m sure you’ve heard me say, is a powerful tool for morning show talent. So if you haven’t yet done a class or convinced your management to do a team-building workshop, get on that. I recently found an improv teacher who teaches on Zoom, which cuts down on costs and logistical blocks. Let me know if you’re interested and I will pass along his info. 

As an introduction, this 10-minute long TED talk video, Improv to Be a Better Human Being, explains how the rules of improv change not just your show, but also your life and every interaction you have. In the video, he reviews the fundamental tenets of improv: 

• Saying yes

• Making other people look good (rather than trying to make yourself look good)

• Staying positive and good-natured

Even a prestigious news organization in the US sent their news people to improv school. For our jobs in radio, active listening can make the difference between a good and a great show. Improv helps with listening by teaching you to stay in the moment – not a beat behind or a beat ahead, but right in the present. Here’s one easy exercise you can play with to practice active listening. 

The other benefit to improv is flexing the muscle of “if you’re thinking it, say it” without second-guessing yourself. Coincidentally, I came across a powerful writing prompt from author Susan Harrow recently: What I really want to say is ____________.  What are you thinking and not saying? 

The most important concept overall in improv, in work and in life, is to show up whole-heartedly and bring your best every time. 

Keep showing up! 

~ Angela