“Yes and …” Communication lessons from Improv.
“And we can find out what the customer believes they’ll get from the other vendor that they won’t get from us.”
Or you could react with… What happened? Who is is responsible? How did we get in this situation?
Not necessarily bad questions and maybe not as helpful or effective.
A friend of mine and I went to a UP HIVE event a couple days ago. The event was a presentation on the communication lessons learned from improv. The improv group started out with an improv show then discussed the “rules” of improv and their application to business. The group was made up of young professionals who practice and teach improv on a regular basis.
Yes and … Lessons from Improv.
Here are some interesting and practical rules of improv:
- “Yes and…”A staple of improv to get you to go with the current situation and statements right in front of you.
- Just go with it. Yes, and just go with with what the other person said. Follow up with a related question. Great way to build communication by letting the other person know you heard them.
- Listen with ears, eyes, and other non-verbals. You have to be able to hear, see and feel what the current situation is telling you.
- Relax. So you can hear, see and feel.
- Have fun with it. You never know where it’s going. Who knows? It might just lead something very interesting and useful.
- Clear your thoughts. Be open. Stop the talk in your head that tries to get the next best question or response out.
- Even conflict can lead innovative or new ideas.The disagreement in the room might lead to something you didn’t think about before.
In a meeting you still have to stay on track and get back to the point. For brief moments you can explore ideas before you corral the discussion.
Yes, and…
“Dominate your life with Focus, Decision and Execution.”
