It’s not just actors who benefit from improv skills.
If you think about it, we improvise in many business settings – from presentations and meetings with clients, to brainstorming sessions with coworkers.
Strong improv skills also can’t hurt when it comes to on-camera interviews and job interviews alike. In seeing a replay of himself in an on-camera interview, a friend of mine recently took a basic improv course at the famed sketch comedy club Second City in Toronto. Media interviews have come a lot easier to him since, he says.
Starting next month, Second City will offer an improv class exclusively for business professionals – even if your industry is a far cry from anything creative.
If nothing else, improv is both humbling and confidence boosting at the same time (yes, I’ve done it). The Second City course promises to build confidence to approach business (and personal) decisions with more creativity and collaboration through the organization’s philosophy of “Yes, And…”
“Yes, And…” is one of improv’s most time-honoured principles, where participants accept what their scene partners do or say as part of the reality of the scene (there is no contradicting or challenging them), then build on it with their own contributions.
Sounds kind of like a productive boardroom brainstorming session, right?
The “Yes, And…” philosophy requires the ability to listen carefully (sometimes a lost art in the workplace), live in the moment, and build on pre-existing ideas.
Developing improv skills will enable you to think outside of the box.
Major companies like Google, PepsiCo., and McKinsey have all sent employees to improv workshops.
Don’t just take my word for it, either. As Forbes points out, studies have shown that people can improve their communication skills and lower their anxiety with regular improve practice.
If you find yourself with a new-found love for the art of improv, Second City’s seven-week course will provide the foundation to continue to study with The Second City’s Improv Level A-E stream upon completion. Who knows, it may inspire you to ditch the desk and become an actor.
Classes begin on Tuesday, August 23.
If Tuesdays are problematic or you can’t make it this session, Second City also offers other classes relevant to the business world like Public Speaking to improve your performance and engage audiences during presentations and speeches. Another option is Improv for Anxiety, designed to help overcome fear and avoidance associated with work and social situations (something many of us could use).
And if you’re still not sold, you can also attend an Improv Drop-In class, perfect for those who are trying improv for the first time.
Not only could an improv class improve your business game, you’ll also have fun doing it and build strong personal and professional connections in the process in an environment that’s a lot more inspiring than a bar.
Well, most bars.
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