Improv/Nego #4: shyness is not a curse, just an unnecessary luggage. Improvisation is the art of travelling free

Improv/Nego: the art of improvisation, the science of negotiation

Here are 4 clichés on improvisation that need to be debunked.

1st?cliché : ??I am a lousy improviser, I have no wit and quick retort and I have little imagination”.?

Don’t worry. Actually, you are (already) a seasoned improviser. How can that be? Well, remember when you were a kid, you played on your own or with other children, and the less toys you had, the more imaginative you had to be. You spent your time improvising in your room, in your bath, during meals, in the car, in your bed. At breakfast, your bowl of cereals became a flying saucer and the bottle of milk a formidable fortress. Later, with your own kids, you made up stories to entertain them during meals, bath time and bed time. They were enthralled and always asked for more. You enjoyed telling stories and you were actually quite skilled. Your children thought you were the best storyteller ever. How is it possible ? Are we talking about the same person: you, the unimaginative and dull person described earlier ? The explanation is very simple. During all those years, you enjoyed improvising because nobody was judging you, you felt no inhibition and you allowed yourself to play and act silly. You knew how to let go. And the more you acted silly, the more your audience enjoyed it. As years went by, you started to become more self-conscious, more sensitive to other people’s judgment, and your improv skills became a little rusty.

2d cliché?: I am a shy person, I dread to be on stage, I’m sorry but I am just not an extrovert, I am a quiet person.?

Don’t worry. Shy people, introverts prove to be better improvisers than extroverts, loud mouths. Why? Because introverts tend to be really good listeners contrary to extroverts who prefer to talk and have other people listen to?them. On the strong listening skills of introverts, read Susan Cain, Quiet: the power of Introverts in a world that can’t stop talking (2013), translated in French under the title “la force des discrets” (Poche, 2014). Extroverts are more into talking than listening and this can be a problem on stage since listening is the top skill any improviser must possess.

Introverts follow the rules of improv better than extroverts. They cooperate more, they show more empathy vis-à-vis their stage partners, they play as a team, contrary to extroverts who can act as lone wolves,??are self-centered and more inclined to show off and take all the credit when successful. Extroverts like to shine, they don’t listen much as they are intent on cracking a joke or use a pun. They make fun of others, they tend to belittle them when introverts like to share a good laugh with others. They don’t follow rules, they make up their own rules. They feel threatened by others’ success.

Many great actors started a career in acting as a therapeutic move to stop being so shy. Contrary to conventional wisdom, they did not launch a career in acting because they were extroverts with a lot of self-confidence but because they were shy persons who wanted to broaden their comfort zone. Stage was the best of all therapies.

3rd cliché?: ??why learn to improvise ? I’m a little lazy. Why don’t we just improvise ?

?Far from being a contradiction, one must admit that improvisation cannot be improvised. There are rules which govern improv. Improv in music, especially in jazz is not an arbitrary combination of music notes. Likewise in theatrical improvisation. Behind apparent chaos, there is structure, a search for a common meaning, a joint need to tell a story, a willingness to pull in the same direction. This tacit coordination of the minds which usually goes unnoticed by the public is at the core of theatrical improvisation. Without underlying rules, storytelling would turned into chaos with selfish attempts to win the public’s support at the expense of the others.

Improv is governed by a set of rules that are easy to understand but hard to master.?True, children improvise naturally each time they play, yet, when they become adults, they stop improvising as they conform more and more to social norms and expectations. Creativity is replaced by conformity. We encounter improv but only intermittently, almost inadvertently. Our improv. skills turn rusty for lack of use. When we think of improv, we become nostalgic and we cherish our childhood memories. End of the story ? Not quite. It is possible to rediscover our bold self. It is possible to make up the delay and hone this too long neglected skill. How ? By practicing improv again, regularly and with some feedback. Improv concerns all of us, not just aspiring comedians. It is a way of interacting with others through tacit connections which carries tremendous value. It emboldens you, it empowers you. It helps you connect to your true self, it helps you become more self-confident and venture outside of your comfort zone.

4th cliché?: “improvisation and stand-up comedy are just the same, it’s all about shining at the expense of others.”?

Wrong. Stand-up comedy is?not?improv., it’s actually the opposite. To go on a rant, to ham it up turns the audience against your stage partner just to trigger a cheap laugh. Such an actor is called a ham. On stage, he does not play with the other comedians, he plays against them. He does not share attention, he retains all of it. He is on his own, his partners are mere stooges at his service, not allies. He does not contribute to the plot or the narrative, he ends it. His good words don’t open doors, they close them.

Improv is a team sport whereas stand-up comedy is an individual sport.?

A stand-up comedian is a ham, a lone wolf. An improviser is a team player, he co-constructs a narrative with his stage partners without preparing or conferring with them. On stage, improvisers are allies, they share the same fate, they embrace a common goal which transcends their differences.

Introverts make better improvisers than extroverts (after some training)

Conclusion. There is more than meets the eye. You need to challenge clichés on improv. Introverts make better improvisers than extroverts (after some training).

Introverts already possess the right set of skills : they are good listeners, they are respectful of others, they take criticism and are open to change, they don’t have an inflated ego : they enjoy team work as they are not overshadowed by others (see Susan Cain on why it’s good to be an introvert in her remarquable book ??Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking?? (2013), traduit en fran?ais “la force des discrets” (poche, 2014).?

Conversely, a more self-centered person (a ham) will not listen to others, she merely listens to herself, she never challenges her own assumptions and she does not welcome criticism since she feels threatened by it. More generally she views success as a fixed-pie game : more success for others means less for her. For her to succeed, others need to fail. It’s a game of survival. You win or you lose. That is why she wants to shine at their expense.