Four WRONG reasons why you can’t do improv.

Four WRONG reasons why you can’t do improv.

Hello, it’s Eran from PowerProv Improv Training with Carolyn also from PowerProv, and today we’re going to talk about the four most common reasons people say they think they can’t do training improv with us.

Improvisational Skills

The first one is people think I’m not funny.  It’s nine times out of 10 people say to me, “I can’t do improv because I’m not funny.” And I say, that’s not what it’s about.  What’s improv? What is it about for you?

For me, I love the way that I learned how to be present, listen better, active listening, communication, and connection with people. Yeah, I love that the most out of anything I’ve done, anything I’ve learned, that is what I get out of it, and that’s what I take with me every single day. Yeah, I’m the same.

Also, I think like the thinking on your feet, being more spontaneous, being more open to ideas, and getting excited about ideas and improving them and adding to them really can build momentum, not just in conversations but in your life.

I think that’s a really big part of it. So the not funny thing is really, I guess one of the ways I talk about it is like, it’s just about being present and being aware. You know, when you go deep into the Behavioral Science, you start talking about editing and auditing and, we can talk about that in another video, but basically I think it’s just really about acquiring a set of skills that anyone can and should have to really just move through life with a different kind of confidence and ease that’s right at work but also, it’s amazing how you take it from your work but into your everyday life.

And I think, I think I constantly get surprised that I have that with me every day. There’s still a part of improv that has stuck with me from the very beginning, and I have it with me every day in all my relationships with the kids, partner work, all of it. That’s awesome, yeah, cool.

So all right, so the first one, you don’t have to be funny, it’s not even about that. It’s a set of skills that helps people become active listeners, hyper-communicators, and really just like I say, play at the top of their intelligence. That’s right.

Okay, the next reason people often say they can’t do Improv, they say, “Oh, I couldn’t do it because I’m an introvert.”

So am I, yeah, and I love it. For me, it’s, it’s I can still be an introvert. It’s about, I find what I find refreshing about it is being an introvert but also, as an introvert, how you connect with people and introverts connect differently than extroverts do, and it gives me that sense of play and freedom and vulnerability which I think is so important when you’re trying to have connections with people.

Yeah, that’s interesting. I feel like all of us to a certain degree are introverts and extroverts at certain times. An introverted person at the office might be extroverted when they feel safe in the group of their friends.

And I think one of the great things that PowerProv does so well is create what we call that Ensemble mindset, right? That we, not me mentality, the sense that I have your back, you have my back. And that creates a safe place where I may feel more welcome and interested in sharing my ideas or speaking up. And if you can create that kind of environment for yourself and for your team, it can be really, really powerful.

And often the introverts are, have the most interesting opinions if you just give them a chance to share. Yeah, yeah, yeah, absolutely finding that space where people feel they belong, they’re comfortable, they feel supported, not judged, it’s amazing what comes out of people, yeah, cool.

All right, so you don’t have to be funny, don’t have to be funny, you can be an introvert and still be an awesome improviser and awesome at learning how to use improvisational skills in your everyday life, yeah.

Confidence Building

The third reason people say, “Oh, I can never take a class or sign up for this,” is that they’re not an actor or they’re a comedian.

What would you say to that? Better still, better still, you’re coming from a different place where you don’t want to perform, you’re not looking for the audience, you’re looking to connect with human beings. And I said it’s for me, it’s more refreshing sometimes not to be a performer and to find that part of you that wants to connect more so than perform, yeah, that’s interesting.

I think for me, like the idea that we’re all sort, you know, as what is it Shakespeare said, the world’s a stage, and the reality is that we’re all kind of pering every whether we consider it a rehearsed expression of our best self or not, the reality is, you know, whether it’s at work or with our friends or with our family or our partners, you know, we’re all we’re trying to be the best version of ourselves that we can.

And so I think any toolbox that you can reach into to pull out skills that help you just genuinely be a better human, like I think improv gives you that, right? And we touched on some of them already, like learning to actively listen, eye contact, non-verbal communication, all those sorts of things that are really, really powerful ways of connecting with an audience, even if that audience is just one person, whether you’re boss or your girlfriend or whatever, that’s right, yeah.

Okay, so actors and comedians often do improv, right? That’s a true thing. But the reality is that more people do improv that aren’t actors and comedians, absolutely, there’s yeah, very few. I think people get put off thinking that the class will be full of actors and performers, but for me, 80% of the students have are generally everyday people who just lawyers, doctors, you know, accountants, they’re all in there, and they’re all most of them don’t aspire to jump on a stage, okay.

And the last, the fourth reason that we most often hear people say, “Oh, I can never take an improv class,” is because I don’t aspire to perform on stage or screen.

So I think we sort of touched on that, but I think, you know, there have been instances in the past where people have taken a class with PowerProv, fallen in love with improvisation as the art form, and discovered that they do want to perform and they can perform. Two of my favorites, one was a lawyer and one was a banker, you know, the kind of people who stereotypically you think would never have that creative silly goofy entertainment type brain put themselves on stage, you know, two nights a week after.

So it can, and there are of places you can get great improv comedy training, but I think what sets PowerProv apart is we take those fundamental philosophies of improvisation as they relate to performance on stage but apply them to a more corporate business life skills setting so that you can perform where it really matters which for most people isn’t a stage, it’s at work, it’s at life, it’s in relationships.

As you said earlier, we are improvising all of us every day. We’re all making it up as we can long we haven’t even rehearsed this, yeah, at all. So yeah, so all right, so the objections we often hear, I don’t have to be funny or I have to be funny, that’s not true, I can’t do it because I’m an introvert, definitely not true, I’m not an actor, I’m not a comedian, totally okay, and I don’t aspire to perform on screen, well, I think you probably do aspire to perform in other areas of your life and certainly this training can help people with that, we’ve proven that over the years.

Relationship Building

There’s also a note here about relationship building, I think that’s if you think about like how people win in the game of life, you know, it’s the relationships we have that make everything we want to do and can do possible and great relationships start with great communication. And I think again looking at the fundamentals of PowerProv and improv in general, learning to listen actively, communicate like a real legend and really make people feel heard and understood and respected is a great, great talent that anyone can learn and that’s part of what we teach, yeah.

So there you have it, four reasons to not take a class that we’ve completely dispelled hopefully for you and if you want more information jump on the website or get in touch, we’d be glad to answer any of your questions, thanks for watching. Tell your friends about PowerProv and subscribe for updates and freebies.