Have you ever been caught off-guard by someone’s comment and you stagger to throw together a cohesive argument or even thought? How about a time that you had a great story to tell but you realized you lost everyone’s attention a while back?

Well, that’s where improv comes in.

Improv is a form of acting that requires you to be given a bare bones topic and then the actors build a scene from seemingly nothing. Usually, the end result is a hilarious mix of ridiculous props, characters, and challenges.

The audience gets to be involved in the creation of the scene so whatever crazy ideas they have get turned into something live for their entertainment.

Of course taking the first step of performing improv is the scariest. For me it was a simple google search, where I found there was a fairly decent improv scene in Columbus, Ohio. When I started, there was one teacher and he taught classes for super cheap on the weekends. I signed up, figured I would give it a shot and a few short weeks later, boom, I was in it.

Fears

Initially the big fear for me and others in the class was “I hope I don’t look like an ass.” Like any good coach, my teacher instantly made everyone look completely silly by introducing the game, Whoosh and Whoa. The next thing you know, the entirety of the class is “passing energy” to each other and animating their entire bodies in doing so. Instantly, we were on the same page and laughing with each other.

The bigger fear for most people is the crippling fear of being on stage in front of people, but that’s something that is completely forgotten when you realize you aren’t being yourself. You aren’t opening yourself to anyone, you are in character and therefore, you can do anything.

What sort of class brings together actors, lawyers, business executives, and musicians under one roof? Improv

What class brings people from all backgrounds, value, religions, and economic status and immediately levels the playing field? Improv

How could one silly activity bring so many people together and have such influence? Well, it’s a blast and everyone loves games.

Now, let’s proceed to what I learned

1. Confidence

I was scared going into my first improv class. I used to be in a sweet rock band in high school, but since then, I hadn’t been on stage performing, let alone front and center.

Whew, this was going to be a petrifying doozy

So I get to class the first thing we do is play this game called “whoosh, whoa” it’s where you’re passing energy along to the other people in the circle. Instantly, I felt at ease. I look like an ass playing this, everyone else does as well.

One of the best things about improv is that you’re in this together, everyone is. The people you’re sharing the stage with are always there to help out whenever you’re struggling, the audience is there trying to give good, funny suggestions because they want to have a good time too. They’re coming to the improv show because they want laughs.

And that’s one of the biggest lessons in confidence. Everyone is in this together, you just need to find out what they’re in it for. At the improv show it’s easy, everyone’s there to laugh. At the grocery store, everyone’s there for groceries. At the bar, people are looking to hang out, have fun with their friends, meet someone.

It’s all about reading the situation and your audience. That’s what gives you confidence. Not every joke will land, but neither will every business pitch, or every time you talk to someone new. You’ll be beaten, but it’s all about getting back up and trying again. Deal with it.

2. Empathy

One of the best things about improv is leaving yourself to be another person. Does the scene require two doctors? Well it looks like you’re a doctor now, better draw on every doctor visit you’ve been to, Grey’s Anatomy, House, and whatever else you can think of because you’re now in their shoes.

Putting yourself into someone else’s shoes is really all there is to it when it comes to empathy. How would THEY feel in this situation or how would THEY respond. Be real with yourself.

No matter who the person is, they won’t like being yelled at. There’s easy common ground to pull from that is sort of common ground for all humanity.

Being someone else gives you the perspective of whoever you’re being. To really melt into the character, you need to further understand where they’re coming from, what’s driving them to be whatever they are, what problems they might be having at home.

This easily translates to general human interaction. Everyone is coming from something, has other interactions, and is thinking other things than you. You need to be able to grasp that and take a second to think what’s going on in their life that’s leading them to do what they’re doing now.

3. Story telling

With building this repertpoire of characters and actions you’ll be building all these stories into whoever you’re embodying. The stories will come naturally.

In this scene I’m Nancy and she’s had a hard day at work is going to take it out on her husband who she’s no longer in love with.

“Bill, how come you didn’t do the god damn dishes? I just got home from a terrible day at work, that new girl Brittany thought she was my boss today and was trying to give me all kinds of work, I swear I’m going to strangle her one of these days. Now, I get home and see that the one thing I told you to do, you didn’t. I’ve had it up to here!”

The story comes naturally to the scene if you’ve built a whole picture of the person. With practice, these stories will come so naturally as you build stories into the characters you’re portraying. You’ll learn to tell them in ways that are engaging and reel people in.

You’ll learn that there’s all kinds of ways to tell a story, whether it’s just weaving it into natural conversation or if someone’s prodding you to tell the story about the “one time x happened”.

In most cases, you want the stories to come naturally. Don’t force your stories into places they don’t belong, because no one likes the “Story guy”.

4. Finding joy in everything

One of the first things we learn to do in improv is observe.

We’re observing our partners, listening to whatever they bring to the table and reacting accordingly. We see the direction they want to take the scene and contribute with our own thoughts to build the scene into something tangible.

With these gained skills in observation, we get a new look at the world around us. Seeing everything as a “yes, and,” you can build on everything the world throws in your direction. Everything is a growing opportunity, say yes, and take part in something new and enjoyable.

The world looks different as an improvisor. People watching is no longer a tool for judgment, it’s a tool for you to understand what makes people tick. You notice the wooden table you’re sitting on, the scenes unraveling around you. If you’re present in the space and taking everything it will help you convey that scene in the future when you’re acting it out.

When taking in your surroundings like this, you gain a new appreciation for everything. There is so much beauty in the world around us, from the art on the wall next to you, to the interactions of the couple you’re next to at the coffee shop.

Everything is beautiful.

5. Staying Creative

With enjoying everything that’s surrounding you, you learn how to use those ticks in your own routines.

How can you implement the body language of two people on their first date? The tone of the barista at your favorite coffee spot? The way construction workers are talking to each other?

Everything is something new to implement in your games, but not only that.

You’re considering so much more whenever you interact with someone, it keeps all your brain synapses fresh and ready for new ideas. These can manifest themselves in so many ways. Maybe you discover someone struggling with their zipper and it spurs you to think of an invention that could replace zippers. Or, you notice there’s a lot of cool art at the restaurant you always go to and it inspires you to give it a try.

Most importantly, you’re encouraged to keep your mind open to new ideas and experiences, and that’s absolutely lovely.

Improv has so much to offer, this post doesn’t do it the justice that it deserves. There’s so much to learn, so much to observe, and too much fun to have to ignore it.

Improv, improve, and impact the world around you by taking part in improv.

If you like this, feel free to follow/like my improv group, Donut Sundae, on Facebook. We’re fairly new, but we’re trying to share improv with the world by hosting live videos where the people of Facebook can intact with our scenes. Please beware, we’re just starting with this stuff so be patient. We aren’t making Spielberg-quality videos just yet.