Improv-ertising

For the past few months, I’ve been taking Improv classes. I had no experience in Improv really, although I have been called “quippy.” (I have also been called lots of other things, but I don’t think there are classes for those.)

Since I don’t really envision myself ever becoming a performer, I hoped the classes would teach me things I could apply to my current line of work as an advertising creative director.

Here are a few of the things I’ve learned:

1.“Yes, and”

This is probably the most well known Improv teaching. Successful “Yes, and-ers” simply recognize what their partner is doing, accept it, and then try to build upon it.

It’s such great advice, really. When someone is stating a point of view or presenting an idea, the very best thing you can do is listen to it, try to understand it, and then see if you can’t just build upon it. Even if you think the thought is, um, less than awesome, just try to understand what they’re attempting to do, and help them get there. Or, use it as a springboard to get to a better place.

If you start to do this at work, you’ll find you’re helping people feel validated, and better yet, not-ready-for-prime-time thoughts won’t be squashed, but will be given the chance to spur better ones. Nice.

2. Make a strong, clear choice

In order for someone to “Yes, and” you, they need to be clear about what you’re trying to do. For example, in Improv, if the character you are portraying is a child, you need to make that as obvious as you can right away so your co-performers know how to react to you.

At work, this holds true. State a clear point of view. Put an option on the table. Let others know the direction you have in your head. That way, they’ll have a basis on which to react and build.

Now, this doesn’t mean you have to fall on a sword defending this choice. It just means that putting a strong clear option out there will get the ball rolling so that others can take the thinking and run with it.

I think this is particularly good advice for a new business pitch. When new prospects are evaluating you, they should not be confused about exactly what you would do for their brand. They should know, because you presented a strong, clear choice, just what you think their brand should be doing and why.

3. It’s about human relationships

Get this - Improv isn’t about being funny. Wait, what?! I thought it was crazy too. But as I learned more, I realized that truly good Improv, the kind that an audience gets engaged and invested in, is really about portraying humans and their relationships with one another.

If, as a performer, you’re focused on who your character is, and how that character feels about the other characters in your scene, you’ll find that the funny moments just come naturally. That’s because human relationships are, in a lot of ways, awkward or confusing or unlikely. And awkward, confusing, and unlikely things, when portrayed well, are just naturally funny.

This is the lesson I’m going to think about the most as I do my work. If I start imagining what an audience’s relationship with a brand might be, as if they were two humans, where might I go with that creatively?

Is the brand the customer’s friend or nemesis? Is there a love/hate relationship between them? Is it an obligatory relationship, or a desired one? Imagine where those lines of thinking might take you creatively.

Taking Improv has been such a great way to open myself up and get out of my comfort zone. If nothing else, that is a benefit in itself. Is it going to transform my work? Yes, and…