6 REASONS WHY TAKING A WEEKLY IMPROV CLASS WILL GET YOU A HEFTY BONUS IN 2023

When I first started working at The Second City in the late 80’s, the bulk of people taking weekly improv classes were folks who wanted to be the next Chris Farley or Bonnie Hunt or Tim Meadows. Flash forward a few decades and you will find that our beginning improv classes full of marketing and advertising executives, CEO’s and aspiring CEO’s, educators, health care personnel – name a field and someone from that field is opting into a world where one learns to build the skills that allow them to better navigate uncertainty, communicate more effectively and build the muscle of greater resilience. Why? How? Here are six reasons:?

1. It’s a VUCA world, improv is a VUCA skill.?

What’s VUCA? VUCA?is an acronym coined in 1987, based on the leadership theories of?Warren Bennis and Burt Nanus and adopted into US military education that stands for Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity. The post-Cold War state that our governments and business world find us living in. Improv classes allow you to practice being effective when you don’t know what’s coming next. The skills that allow you to create a script with your classmates are the same skills you need to navigate VUCA.?

2. “Yes, And” is the precursor of “Both, And” Thinking?

In their powerful new book, “Both/And Thinking: Embracing Creative Tensions to Solve Your Toughest Problems,” business professors Wendy Smith and Marianne Lewis double down on needing a “Yes, And” mindset to adopt “Both, And” thinking. They write, “The more we think we are in control, the riskier our decision making.”?Improvisation teaches you to loosen the grip, take advantage of all ideas and expand your resources to becoming a better leader and more effective teammate.?

3. Listen, Listen, Listen!?

In my keynotes, I often ask the audience this question: “Do you think the world would change if every human being could improve their listening skills by 3%?” If anyone disagrees with the answer being an absolute yes, I haven’t met with them or their afraid of saying “No.” That’s fine, but “No” is part of the problem. One of the earliest things you learn in a weekly improv class is just how poor a listener you are already. And 8 weeks later, you can feel how improved your listening has become. FYI: the reason about talking about weekly improv classes is that a one-off workshop is like going to the gym as a one and done. ?

4. Communicate like a great storyteller.?

Just as listening can be hard for us, our own ability to communicate is hampered if we can’t effectively garner true attention. So many of the early-stage improvisation exercises are focused both on group communication but also on improving one’s?ability to tell a great story. Evidence-based work that The Second City developed at the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago shows us that human beings are reluctant to share details of their own lives which is a keyway we garner the attention of audiences. In improvisation, you are always creating your stories in conversation with your audience.?

? 5. The future of work will be in those considered creative and innovative.?

This one is simple. Every noted futurist and organizations like the World Economic Forum list creativity and innovation as the core skills one will need to flourish in the workplace. How many educational programs have you taken that were entirely undergirded by those two key elements. And the key here is that creativity is not the same as innovation. Creativity is the space in which we allow anything to happen (a space of true “Yes, And”). To do that, one must learn to not be in judgement of self or others, to cede the need to be right, and to make mistakes work for you. Innovation is when one ceases to yes, and, to apply the skills to build from a creative stage to make a thing – be it a comedy scene or a campaign launch, a stage production or HR protocols.?

6. Resilience.?

I mean, let’s be real: Life and work are hard, especially in our present environment. And that’s not going to change. You do not have control over most events, the only thing you do control is your emotional response to those events. When COVID came and we were all working from home, I was asked to help build a virtual improv workshop for a global beverage corporation. I asked my wife, Anne Libera – a long time expert in improvisation – if she had any ideas for exercises. She taught me about her exercise, “Wish.” Everyone gets a piece of paper and a pen. Create three columns. In the first column, write down a wish you had right now that you are unable to make happen. I wrote down swimming in the salt water. In the next column, write down the emotion you think you would feel. I wrote down refreshed. Finally, write down something you can do right now to experience that emotion. I wrote down go for a run and splash water on my face. Improvisation is a practice in resilient mindsets. ?

Now, sign up for that class and go get that bonus: https://www.secondcity.com/classes/chicago/improv-1-chicago/?