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Written by Randall Willis
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Using improvisation to open communications
(from the May-June 2007 issue)
In the last two columns, we’ve literally moved you out of the office, but sometimes you can get just as much relaxation and insight by simply moving out of your head—which is quite distinct from going out of your mind—and allowing thoughts to flow freely. Such is the case with improvisational theatre—improv.
As a medical practitioner, you are frequently called upon to make quick choices about a patient. Sure, you rely on years of medical training and experience, and your specialty provides you with guidelines that provide generally accepted practices. But patients are individuals, bringing a basketful of particulars that sets their case apart from others. Thus, you are required to adapt the guidelines and experience to suit the new situation.
The same is true for improv. As part of an improv group, you may walk into a situation with preconceptions or even have a plan of attack, but the people and events around you typically force you onto tangents. It is only your quick wit and willingness to react rather than act—to cede control—that keeps things moving.
“What we found is that the same skills that our actors need to be successful in an improv theatre context are the skills that you need to be successful in business,” Tom Yorton, president of Second City Communications, told Training magazine in April 2006. “Things like how to listen, how to read a room, how to react to tough problems in the moment, how to build trust and disperse teams, and how to create and innovate.”
Games people play
Like any skill, you need to exercise and practice your improvisational skills if you expect them to improve—note the word “improv” is more than half of “improvement”—but this can be difficult if you’ve never had formal training. Luckily, comedy and improv classes can be found in almost any urban centre, whether through dedicated organizations, such as Second City, or through local community colleges or adult education centres.
At Toronto’s Second City Training Centre, participants make their way through five levels of improv work, each level adding new layers of complexity. The goal is not so much to churn out the next stars of Whose Line Is It Anyway?—unlikely, but not impossible—so much as to teach people how to explore new channels of creativity within themselves and communication with others.
The trainers—typically working improv and comedic actors—start by taking participants through a series of games designed to break down self-conscious barriers and to foster response without thought—no self-editing allowed. You will feel like an idiot, but you’ll be in a supportive environment, surrounded by other people who feel like idiots. According to Bryce Moloney, account director for Second City Communication’s Toronto office, it’s all part of the process of learning how to play again.
Word play
Within the context of play, however, these games also teach people general lessons about human interaction.
The game “Yes, and”, for example, helps people understand the power of language, Moloney says. As he explains, two people start a simple conversation, the only rule being that each exchange must start with the expression “Yes, but”.
“Person one may say: ‘I’m going to take my son skating because one day he would like to play hockey’,” he says. “The second person may then say: ‘Yes, but hockey is a dangerous sport and your son might get hurt’, to which the first person responds: ‘Yes, but hockey is our national sport and he will learn about teamwork’, and onward it goes.”
Very quickly, Moloney says, the conversation spirals downward into an argument and nothing constructive occurs. The facilitator then changes the rule so that each statement must start with “Yes, and”.
The very same exchange may go: “I’m going to take my son skating because one day he would like to play hockey.” “Yes, and my daughter also enjoys skating, so perhaps she would like to play hockey too.” “Yes, and women’s hockey has taken off in recent years.”
“It doesn’t take long for people to realize that this is a much more constructive conversation,” he says. “They learn that the words you use matter. And it makes for a much healthier environment for the exchange of ideas.”
Moloney describes these subtly worded exchanges as microtransactions. He offers the example of a nurse who is afraid to speak her mind for fear of being dismissed and how she would be more likely to take that risk if presented with a physician who uses words and attitudes that seem to welcome new ideas.
“These games and exercises help to bridge the barriers or gaps to the exchange of ideas,” he says.
Oh, I couldn’t
If you’re not ready to make a long-term commitment or if you think your office or department might benefit from a little help, Second City Communications and other organizations also offer on-site workshops tailored to your group’s needs. Typically starting with an interview with management, the workshop trainers will engage you and your staff in games and interactions designed to address issues that may be barriers to optimal performance.
There isn’t one personality type or professional level that does better or worse in the workshops, according to Moloney, but some people do seem to get more out of the workshops than others.
“Where we see the most growth is in people who don’t think it’s for them,” Moloney says, in contrast to people champing at the bit to participate. “The people who are the most nervous; the people who don’t always get to practice their communications skills; these are the people who have the most room to grow.”
“It may sound cliché, but we want to help people unlock the things that may be holding them back,” he adds.
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