Improve Your Uncertainty Tolerance with this Improv Exercise

Painted above the mainstage at the People’s Improv Theater in Chapel Hill are the words “FOLLOW THE FEAR.” It’s only visible if you are performing.

It’s the perfect motto for improvisers.

You have no idea what’s coming at you. A blindsiding audience suggestion. Random ideas from a scene partner. Zany characters! Impossible situations!

But somehow, improvisers are able to handle it. Onstage. In front of an audience. Without any preparation.

How do they do it? How can they be so comfortable with that? Many of us fear getting up and speaking in front of an audience — and that’s with a script.

Improv in the Real World

Improv has been the go-to for professional comedians of our generation. Steve Carrell, Stephen Colbert, Keegan Michael Key, Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, Conan O’Brien all got their start in improv.

But recently, improv has been finding its way out of comedy circles.

University entrepreneurship and business courses have incorporated it as part of their curricula. Companies use it to strengthen team cohesion, creativity, and emotional intelligence. Founder Michael Dubin even credits improv as the backbone of Dollar Shave Club’s hyper-viral commercial.

The connections between improv and soft skills has spawned several scientific studies.

Researchers from the University of Michigan and Stony Brook University have concluded “improv promotes divergent thinking, tolerance of uncertainty, and affective well-being” and that “unpredictability can distinguish improv from other social interactions.”

Two Words for Uncertainty

Watching a live improv show can feel like magic. Seeing my first one did. The performers crafted worlds of their own with their own rules. Characters came from out of the woodwork. There were even times when lines felt like poetry.

I was spellbound.

I wanted that fearless confidence of creating wonder onstage.

Before I let any negative self-talk get to me, I found a local improv group, open to anybody. Before I knew it, I was in front of fifteen strangers, with the suggestion “caterpillar.”

Caterpillar? I hadn’t thought of a caterpillar since first grade.

I look over at my scene partner, Ivan, who starts spinning in circles, talking about his dream of being a beautiful butterfly.

And then there was silence.

I had no idea what to do.

“No, stop spinning. You’re not going to be a butterfly.”

A whistle from the audience. The coach paused the scene.

“Gus, don’t say no,” she said,

“When we’re not certain what’s going on, we want to start with the words Yes And.”

She restarted the scene. Ivan said his same line. Slowly, I followed it up with “Yes… and… I’ve got 50 bucks on you being the most beautiful!”

A laugh from the audience.

I was hooked… and still am. I’ve been doing improv since 2013.

Manufacturing Uncertainty

So do you need seven years of improv to tolerate uncertainty? Do you need a razor company with a billion dollar exit?

How can you start building your tolerance right now?

1. Get a friend to improvise with. Single-person improv sets are beautiful when done perfectly and painful when done any other way. We need to manufacture uncertainty quickly. What better way to do that than adding another human being?
2. Get a random suggestion. I like the site can-i-get-a.com. It provides nouns, locations, and relationships at the touch of a button.
3. Have your partner say the first line. It can be anything! Anything! Do not get bogged down in trying to craft Sorkin dialogue. No matter what you say, there is a 0% chance you can predict the scene. It can be as simple as “Sure is hot out today.” We just need something for you to Yes And.
4. Yes And them. Yes And is made up of two parts, the Yes and the And. The Yes is to accept whatever information your partner is providing. The And is to take that information and add to it. If they say “Sure is hot out today,” you can continue the scene by including these two words in your response. Even if you repeat their sentiment. “Yes… it is hot out today… And… our dang air conditioner is broken again!”
5. Repeat step 4 as long as you want (or until you think the scene is done). Them: “Yes… our air conditioner is broken… And… I’ve been studying elementary HVAC to repair it.” You: “Yes… you’ve been studying elementary HVAC to repair it… And… the air conditioner manufacturer says you need at least intermediate HVAC to repair it.” Yes… And… Yes… And….

Each repetition will pull you further and further into this story and farther and farther from anything you could have predicted at the start.

From the very first line, we are in uncharted waters. Improv has no method of planning. Everything is done on-the-fly.

There’s no time to say “Wait, hold on, I thought we were going in this direction!” We have to trust our partner will continue to Yes And us as we Yes And them. We are building something together. We are both uncertain. We are both a little scared. But we’re working our way through it.

Follow the fear.