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Yes, I’m biased. I’m a former theatre guy.
I think of this as I stumble on an article about improvisation in, of all places, the Wall Street Journal (7/8/2016). From a young age on we’re taught to master impulse control. It’s what grown-ups do, right? We manage our emotions. Avoid distraction. Aim for a zen-like focus, a sense of control.
Enter improvisation. The art of conscious impulse surrender. At Second City in Chicago, the improv comedy troupe that has launched the careers of celebrities like Jim Belushi and Tina Fey, scientists and engineers and nurses and psychologists now practice the art of impulse surrender. It’s been a total change from left-brain attorney to right-brain class-taker , says Second City student and retired attorney Irv Levinson. In a recent episode of “The Simpsons,” Homer recovers from giving a disastrous speech by taking an improv class. Yes, improvisation has left the theatre vault.
There is a place for impulse control, of course. It behooves me to know my blind spots. Left unchecked, I can swing toward sarcasm. I am a better person when I stay mindful of this impulse and let it pass.
But here are just a few of the brilliant gifts of conscious impulse surrender. They are subtle and sweet, and they elevate any business conversation we have.
Celebrate the wealth of words.
We habitually consume language as if were fast food. Taste-less, quickly discarded, instantly forgotten. We babble without paying attention to linguistic nuance. Improv reminds us that at our best, we are consciously creating a conversation, moment by moment, word choice by word choice. It begins by truly hearing the words that come our way. By explicitly picking up on those cues in our response. When done well we actually call it word play. Nice, right?
Seize the energy of the moment.
Every moment has pace, velocity, stasis or momentum. Improv sharpens our ability to tune into the energy of a person, a group of people, a moment. We sense it, and we consciously merge with that energy, subvert it or expand it. We begin to revel in the unspoken dynamics of a conversation and playfully mold them. So liberating, right?
Embrace the gift of the detour.
In our linearly prejudiced world, we are programmed to avoid tangents like the plague. Detours are considered sacrilegious. Improv gives us shameless permission to investigate any cue, linear or not. It knows that a detour is often more illuminating and insightful then the predetermined path. It implores us to not simply give the answer we think they want but to follow the thought that wishes to be expressed. Way cool, right?
Excavate meaning.
Great improvisers don’t simply spout funny stuff and or do silly things. They seize an impulse and create meaning in split-seconds. They have trained their meaning-antennas. They note implicit meaning, seize it, blow it up, shape it into a story. A key leadership skill for any corporate leader is the ability to articulate meaning. It’s easy to offer pre-packaged meaning. But how much more resonant it is when we notice the meaning that actually emerges in a moment! Stirring, right?
Wanna transcend transactional competence in your daily endeavors? Well, you may not be able to take a course at Second City, but you can sure practice a little bit of impulse surrender every day.
It doesn’t mean simply “going with the flow.” It means consciously shaping the impulses you notice in a moment. Words. Energy. Thoughts. Meaning.
Conscious impulse surrender helps you to stay present. It’s also great fun. And as you practice it more often, flow shows up.
That is really way way cool.