The Power of Comedy: Driving Creativity and Innovation

Where can we look for ways to motivate, align, and move people to a different head-space, and generate innovation and creativity that is within all of us?

Part of the answer can be found in a smoke-filled comedy or improv club.  I have been both a comedian and improvisational actor, and see similarities and lessons to learn from.  

Comedy offers wonderful tools that work in everyday business life as well as they do on stage. As a comic, you create an environment for creativity and innovation within the written material and take what the audience gives you.  In improvisation, the entire process is about creation and reacting/responding to the outside environment, completely in the moment. As such, it is creativity in its purest form.  

Both forms demand that you are in touch with your audience. When you first walk out on stage, you must connect with the audience immediately. You need to create space—in short, you need to have the audience’s permission to be there.  That first minute or two is about probing and seeing where the audience is at, and where it wants to go.

Good leaders do the same; they naturally take the pulse of their team and direct reports, and are constantly asking for feedback and adjusting accordingly.   

They also try new things; they float ideas with people they trust; and willingly risk falling flat. Failing from time to time does not matter when you have the skill set and commitment to move on and not get paralyzed. If something doesn’t work, try something else.

Let’s have a quick look at both art forms:

Improvisation:  

Improvisation is a collaborative effort between the audience and the actors. There is an end in mind, even though it may take many different turns and twist to get there. The magic of it is that no one knows how the scene will work out, but it always does. It is a great microcosm for business. Why?

1.      There is a risk-free environment where failure is part of the equation.

2.      Everyone has to be in the moment, and as such, creativity can flourish.  

3.      There is a structure, a set of rules and a clear objective. It’s not just unstructured play, although playing can also lead to innovation and inspiration.  

4.      Creative impulse and following your gut are key tools 

Stand-up comedy:

With stand-up comedy, the process is different but the end game is the same.

1.      There is structure with the routine, but for it to work, you must understand where your audience is at. In the business sense, where your team is at.

2.      You must ensure the “team” (in this case the audience) is aligned with you through connecting authentically with them. Once you do that, you can create good moments together.

3.      Communication is critical.

4.      The content can’t be delivered the same way every night without regard to the environment or the people. Sometimes you bomb and some nights you leave them laughing. The only thing that changes is you…your delivery and how attune you are with the audience.

5.      If you do it right, a good comic can handle bombing and turn failure into a successful evening.  

The common threads for innovation and creativity in both art forms are permission to experiment, to fail, trusting what comes up in the moment, and to be present. Replicating these threads is important in a business environment where creativity and innovation drive performance and growth, both in a start-up and mature organization. It becomes a fundamental leadership skill.  

You can experience the power of Applied Improvisation in business at the Creativity Lab for Leaders I am co-facilitating with Maritza Morales in Miami on April 26, 2018 at BizNest (Coral Gables). We would love to see you there! Registration: [email protected]