Today in Play: 3 Lessons from Clown Camp

What wisdom can be found

When learning to clown?

Turns out at its core

It's a way to explore

Connecting with others around

At the beginning of July, I spent an immersive week at the Celebration Barn in central Maine studying with clown extraordinaire, Avner the Eccentric, in a cohort of 10 other students.

My motivation for going was somewhat abstract-- it was an instance of my gut leading my brain and insisting I had to be there even though I didn't know anything about the venue, instructor, or what I was really getting myself into. But as a chronic overthinker who usually insists on doing a full investigation into even the most microscopic of decisions, I cherish the moments when my neck-down body makes an enthusiastic choice before my brain gets a say in the matter.?So off I went for 6 days of sleepaway clown camp.

In short, it was an incredible week that will stay with me for a long time to come. The creativity and generosity of the group contributed to a space where it was easy to take creative risks and flop gloriously. I'm pretty sure that the delirious grin on my face in the picture above came from an evening workshopping session when Avner graciously told us that something?really?didn't?work?in our tapping clowns routine.

But what I left really excited to share with you were 3 surprising connections to leadership:?

1. Redefine success to be something that is in your control

The clown?knows why they are walking on stage. For example, it could be to sweep the stage, drink a cup of tea, put on a tie, or eat dinner. A string of problems and silly but logical solutions ensues from there. The important thing is that their reason for walking on stage is?not?to make the audience laugh, because that would be attaching success to something that is beyond their control (the audience). We learned to treat laughter as an interruption to the task at hand that should be acknowledged, but ultimately is not the end goal of the clown. Instead, they want to see their original task through to a satisfying completion.

Likewise, an important step in coaching individuals and leaders involves reshaping their definition of success to be something within their sphere of control. For example, instead of "I want people to be comfortable with this reorg we're rolling out," we eventually shape it into something that sounds more like, "I want to thoughtfully and clearly communicate the decision to change the team structure, and be available through multiple channels to understand any questions and concerns." Suddenly, what was effectively "hope as a strategy" turns into concrete, values-aligned actions the leader can take to help influence their ultimate goal.?

2. Our emotions are contagious, and our breath is a powerful way we communicate and can shift those emotions.

We spent an?entire day?just practicing entering the stage and using our breath to silently communicate "I am comfortable with you watching me." Specifically, the?exhale?is what communicates "I feel safe here with you all" and invites the audience to exhale as well. When you unintentionally hold your breath on stage you are unloading your anxiety to the audience. As Avner put it, you are communicating "I really hope you don't think I suck."

This reinforced my experience with leadership: People consciously and subconsciously take their cues from leaders about how to feel about what is scary and what it is safe to be curious about. Intentional breathing is a valuable strategy for regulating our emotions and creating space to shift from a place of anxiety to curiosity.

3. Acknowledge and validate your audience.

While it is the case that people take their emotional cues from leaders, people don't?want to be controlled, told what to do, or how to feel. Clowns or performers who?demand?applause or your laughter for something that you didn't find funny or impressive immediately break rapport with you, and from there it is very difficult for them to recover their act. Great clowns let the audience have whatever reaction they are naturally having to the situation, and then meet them where they're at. If the audience laughs, the clown can authentically join in the delight of the audience with a silently communicated sense of satisfaction for whatever task they've just completed.

If you've ever experienced a leader who demanded that you feel more positively about a change they were?rolling out, or was quick to dismiss your fears and concerns, you probably know that inner feeling where you register that this is not a person you can fully trust. In my experience, it is very hard for that leader to ever fully recover. In contrast, effective leaders continuously build trust and rapport with their teams by acknowledging the feelings that are present, validating that the feelings make sense given the circumstances, and moving forward from that place of understanding.?

To wrap up...

While we tend to use the phrase "just clowning around" to say we're just being silly, I now have a deep appreciation that the art of clowning means so much more than that. Clowning is at its core an act of leadership -- an opportunity to redefine success, recognize how our emotions impact those around us, and build trust by affirming other people's realities. So moving forward I will absolutely be adding "what would a clown do?" to my repertoire of playful perspectives to support leaders on their journeys.

Warmly,

Sarah

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