The Three-Headed Expert on Goats

What I learned from week 1 of improv class.

Aubrey Schieuer
Sep 7, 2018 · 4 min read

Be Fearless

I’m doing improv because I’m terrified of public speaking. I said that aloud, stammering a little, and everybody in the class smiled encouragingly or even clapped. This is a place where people grow because of their discomfort. Our instructor Missy said:

“If you stay in your discomfort, and press into it, that’s how you learn.”

Missy said that after two years of improv, she doesn’t get nervous — even in daily life. It’s not an emotion she feels anymore. I heard that and knew I was in the right place. My goal is to reduce anxiety while speaking in public. But I know it’s the journey, not the destination, that matters. In this first week, I realized that there’s a lot to learn about improv.

Make Your Partner Look Good

We played a game called Three Lines. One player would get a cue from Missy, and say a line. The other player would respond in kind using the most famous rule of improv: Yes, and. In other words, they would affirm what had happened, and add to the narrative in some way. Then the first player would say something in return. Just three lines spoken, so this was very short-form improv.

I was paired with an experienced player, Brooke. She was super encouraging and skilled at making me look good. Making it easy for me to play along, she established that she was my daughter right away. She needed me to darn her favorite socks. I played the role of harassed mother doing lunges and told her that her socks were already darned, essentially yelling at her.

I was way too intense. I was stressed about being in front of people, and it showed in my “choice” of haranguing my “daughter.” A better choice would have been to say something like, “I thought you didn’t wear socks on Tuesdays.” My anxiety played out like authoritativeness, which probably didn’t set my partner up for success. Brooke was kind to me anyway, which speaks to her patience with new players and obvious love of improv.

Missy would ask after each short little jaunt: “How did that feel?” One player admitted it felt bad. But Missy and the experienced players were quick to point out how the person had done well.

Listen. (Get Out of Your Head)

We played a game called A > B. It goes like this: you stand in a circle. One person says a word, like ocean. The next person in the circle says a word that pops into their head, like blue. The key is to listen (not plan your word ahead of time), and be quick.

Missy told us that if you’re in your head, planning your next word, you’re not listening. Active listening is critical for improv, and it’s a skill that needs to be practiced. I saw the experienced players stretching and swinging their arms while they stood in the circle, so I did, too. I found moving my body a little helped make me feel more present.

A > B was challenging, because I wanted to have a word in mind so I didn’t take too long and look silly. It was especially intimidating because the player next to me in the circle would pause while staring at me, then give her word with intense eye contact. Her eyes were so piercing, I’d stumble on my word.

Then the game got harder. It became A > C. You were supposed to think two levels of abstraction, and still be fast in your response.

Missy was kind enough to point out in that nobody knew if you actually went two levels (A > C) instead of one (A > B). So even if you think you failed, you really didn’t.

The Three-Headed Expert

This was a fun one. Three players stand in a row with their arms linked. Players speak one word at a time, answering questions from the audience on their “area of expertise”. The middle player bows when the answer is over as a visual “period”.

We had a three-headed experts on a variety of topics: goats, boats, green beans, and more. Missy complimented my group for matching the tone and energy of each other well, meaning our answers sounded like it was coming from the same person.

A trick to this game: if an audience member asks you a yes or no question, answer, “No” and bow. Gets a laugh every time.

Lessons from Week 1

  • Be fearless
  • Pressing into discomfort is how you learn and grow
  • Listen actively
  • Set your partner up for success
  • Yes, and!
  • Don’t let your anxiety influence the scene (relax!)
  • Get out of your head
  • Move your body to feel present
  • Think fast
  • Nobody knows if you “failed”
  • Match the tone and energy of your partners

Aubrey Schieuer

Written by

Copywriter. Fascinated by how people think.

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