Taking Action

If you told me 18 months ago that I would be the comedian hosting an awards dinner, I’d think you were mad. Yet, on Saturday 18th November 2023 I hosted the Professional Speakers Academy Awards dinner. As a comedian!

How on Earth did that happen…. ?

Well, in simple terms, by Taking Action. And by that, I mean a collection of small steps that led to a mix of coincidences and harmonising of universes, which gathered and built momentum, to create this incredible moment.

Let me take you back to June 2022. I’m standing on the Professional Speakers Academy (PSA) stage for the first time to retell a story of fundraising for schools. My first small action. And what better time to throw out a line about quiche. The audience laughs. Out loud. One member of that audience, a comedian, encourages me to take up comedy. Because I have timing.

Talk about timing! Or was it coincidence? Or the Universe? Whatever, that quiche moment was a catalyst and has become PSA folklore.

And for the record, let’s just say that quiche is not for everyone.

The stepping stones that followed quiche were not huge, but they embodied commitment, conviction and - maybe - terror. The first small step?

Join an Intro to Comedy course, where the quiche gag was further baked. Appear on a local radio show pledging to put on a stand-up show with my new comedy crew, aka The Comedy Shomedy. Do the show as a school fundraiser. Get immersed in improvisation comedy. Do more sell-out stand-up and improv Comedy Shomedy gigs. Win a couple of speaking awards, as you do. Become a mentor (a mentor!) at The Professional Speakers Academy. Buy a ticket for the 2023 PSA Awards dinner. Check the e-ticket and see your name up there as one of the HOSTS! Get up on stage in front of the PSA luminaries and, yep, host. Full circle.

I didn’t ask for it. I didn’t see it coming, any of it really. But literally that’s how it happened. That’s transformation thanks to taking action. My very own case study.

So, what does taking action actually take for it to work?

Self-belief: Which is not an easy commodity to come by. It can come from inherent talent, peer groups and support networks, family or deep within. Seek and reap your own self-belief. What’s to lose? I’ll tell you what – the doubters in your life. Self-belief doesn’t need doubters.

Embrace failing: You read it correctly. You need to get comfortable with failing. Am I good enough? Will it work? Is it relevant? Am I an expert? Stage fright…. Argh! Taking action needs your inner self to accept you might fail. This is the fear of stepping out of your comfort zone. But here’s the thing. You don’t have to step out for long before your comfort zone expands. To quote Les Brown, the motivational coach,

"You don't have to be great to get started, but you do have to get started to be great."

I promise that when you start taking action, you will soon see failing in a different light. Your fails become a catalyst for the next step. You’ll literally fail your way to success.

Passion: If you have passion for your thing then you act and behave genuinely, which is an easier act to put on than, say, an act. Unearth your passion and the taking action becomes more purposeful too.

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu

Happily, there’s an approach that helps develop all three of the Take-Action aptitudes above.

Applied Improvisation techniques train people to experience and manage being out of their comfort zone – like when they’re taking action. Improvisation practitioners learn and experience ‘stepping up’. In fact, Applied Improvisation is literally taking action, in a theatrical and physical sense. And that can lead to personal transformation.

Footnote; my teacher on that Intro to Comedy course…. well that’s the brilliant Victoria Hogg - The Confidence Whisperer , who’s my new business partner at IMPROV Inc. The comedian who believed in me after that quiche gag? Katie Reddin-Clancy … she only went and won the big ￡25k prize at The PSA Awards I hosted.

This is a script you simply couldn’t write... except that we did.

So, what action are you going to take?

You may be curious to know more about Applied Improvisation and what it can do for you!

Do drop us a line to found out more.

Email?[email protected] to set up a call and visit?www.improvinc.co.uk (please bookmark: coming shortly).