Spotlight on Marketing

34 Reasons To Learn Improv

Posted on 12 January 2013

I perform with an improvisation troupe, People’s Liberation Improv, in Hong Kong, and people often ask me why I think it’s a good idea for anyone to learn and practise improvisation, even if they have no intention of ever performing in public.

People’s Liberation Improv at the TakeOut Comedy Club Hong Kong

I say it’s because it improves your ability to:

1. Accept what’s happening in the here and now, and build on it (“Yes, and…”)
2. Spot patterns and unexpected connections between unrelated things
3. Combine two ideas in unexpected ways
4. Tell compelling stories
5. Have fun, and take yourself (and life and business) less seriously
6. Think on your feet
7. Be spontaneous
8. Change course quickly if circumstances require it
9. Experiment, take risks, fail and try again
10. Spot opportunities
11. Spot needs
12. Solve problems
13. Be emotionally intelligent, i.e., to “read” people and situations, and understand psychology (your own and other people’s)
14. Try on different characters and behaviours, and see things from a different perspective
15. Understand and play with the dynamics of status in a group
16. Make your team-mates or colleagues look good
17. Make bold choices and decisions
18. Listen and observe
19. Come up with lots of creative, innovative ideas
20. Be open to ideas from other people
21. Lead
22. Follow
23. Surrender control and let go of your preconceived ideas about what could/should happen
24. Get comfortable with ambiguity, chaos, randomness, surprises…
25. Let go of judgement (of yourself and others)
26. Focus on others instead of yourself
27. Handle interviews
28. Trust others (and yourself)
29. Present your ideas confidently
30. Sell your ideas/products/services
31. Communicate more effectively
32. Invite participation
33. Do something that feels scary
34. Make people laugh, cry, empathise…

Those are all pretty useful skills, in life and in business, don’t you agree?

Can you think of any other good reasons to learn and practise improv?

2 responses to 34 Reasons To Learn Improv

ken says:

January 14, 2013 at 12:31 am

Give your audience an “Ah Hah” moment as they think outside the box.

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• kay says:

  January 14, 2013 at 7:15 am

  Good one, thanks Ken.

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