Let’s think about things like making small talk, meeting new people, and introducing oneself to a group of strangers. Just a handful of these occurrences make 10% of us lie awake in bed terrified of what’s about to happen. Nevertheless, 10% of us also experience thrill and anticipation before bed as a result of these occurrences. For the remainder of us, it is simply a necessary task. We’ll probably experience some butterflies in the stomach or dry mouth, but we’ll persevere because it’s necessary for our employment or other professional commitments. If you’re among the uninformed, hopefully, this list of advantages will change your mind about improv.
Learn the “Yes, and” Principle
People aren’t always in agreement, are they? Sometimes, when we hear someone else’s opinions, our first instinct is to consider why they are incorrect or ignorant rather than why their ideas or thoughts make sense.
In improv comedy, the concept of “Yes, and” denotes accepting what people around you are saying and adding to it. You can support someone else’s theory without endorsing it. Yes, your proposal makes sense, and let us add a few other ideas as well. An infinitely superior approach to difficult talks, particularly when you’re meeting new people. Negating someone starts a conflict right away and could influence how people interact with each other in the future.
Take Improv Comedy Classes to Gain More Self-Assurance
These were a few straightforward takeaways from the improv class experience that you can find to be meaningful. We sincerely hope you will give improv courses a try. Although improv lessons and online workshops may not be cheap, the experience and the friendships you will make along the way will make the expenditure worthwhile. The intention is for students to gain both short-term and long-term insights that will benefit them in their lives, both on and off stage.
Acquire the Ability to Expect Anything
We have attended enough meetings, made enough new friends, and participated in hundreds of social events linked to our job to know one thing: anything can happen. Although you should always arrive at a meeting prepared, you should also be aware that your efforts may have been in vain. It is a waste of time to lie in bed the night before your presentation, fretting about what could go wrong during that terrible moment of public speaking.
You won’t ever know exactly how it will turn out, so stop trying to run through possible outcomes in your head on an infinite loop. The lesson of improv comedy is that things will always go as planned if you have expectations. You can be certain that everything will work out as planned or perhaps better than you anticipated when you have expectations and everything goes as planned.
Acquire the Ability to Stay in the Moment
Being present is one of the first improv lessons you learn in improv comedy. We are all guilty of dwelling a great deal on the past or future while ignoring the present.
When someone is presented to you by name, have you ever shook their hand, met their gaze, and then almost instantly forgotten their name? The most often-used justification is “Oh, I’m just bad with names.” No, that isn’t the issue. The actual issue is that your thoughts are not where they should be.
You may learn to be present for moments like these by taking improv comedy lessons. So, when you are meeting someone for the first time, make a concerted effort to pay close attention to them and the present moment. A person is significantly more likely to open up to you if they sense that you are genuinely interested in them and that they are engaged when they are meeting someone for the first time.
On stage, the same rules apply: show up, pay attention, and show interest in your scene partner. It gives us both more confidence in ourselves and our abilities when we are doing this for one another.
Creativity Is Enhanced by Improvisation
Divergent thinking is aided by improvisation. Numerous studies show a connection between improved divergent thinking and improv. One study looked at the effects of improv on the divergent thinking, teamwork, and self-efficacy of marketing students. They asked participants to come up with as many uses as they could for a paper clip to assess their divergent thinking. This is a traditional test of diverse thinking. Comparing a ten-week improv training to a control group, they discovered that participants were generally able to come up with more inventive uses for the paper clip.
Based on what research on improv comedy has proven so far, you should start transforming yourself right now. Who knows? Maybe when you start feeling more confident in your daily life, you’ll discover that you don’t mind taking center stage and enjoying yourself.