If you’re anything like me, then the idea of improvising is actually pretty terrifying. I’m someone who loves a plan and implementing that plan brings me pure joy. Sure, I’ve learned to be more spontaneous over the years, but improv? Um, no thanks.
So when I recently learned about a women’s improv event in my local community, I definitely hesitated.
But then, after learning the workshop would be led by two of our country’s funniest ladies, I decided to take a giant leap and signed up. Plus, just to be safe, I dragged a couple of friends along with me as well – after all, there’s safety in numbers, right?
It turns out, I had nothing to be afraid of. In today’s episode, I’m going to share with you the three key points I learned about why improv is actually vital for building a strong brand or business.
The workshop was let by Rebecca Northan and Christy Bruce who have been best friends for 30 years and who also happen to be two of Canada’s top award-winning improv comedians and alumni of Toronto’s Second City.
So in Episode 135 of the Power Your Platform Podcast, I'm sharing with you my three key takeaways from this improv experience. Because the workshop really did help me change the way I approach life and business. And while I haven’t yet mastered the art of improv, I’m definitely working on it.
Lesson 1 – Adopting a “Yes And” attitude in life and business .
When we have a fixed idea of what the end result of a project is going to be and so we often resort to “yes but” conversations with our team members. However, when we adopt an attitude of “yes and”, we can incorporate more creative solutions into our projects and the end result is something that we might not have expected, but is often more effective.
Lesson 2 – As women, we need to trust our gut more. Because it knows the way.
Without a script to follow in life, there are daily opportunities for us to write the script as we go along. And here’s the amazing thing: WE have the power to create our own internal and external dialogue. So rather than following along with the story we’ve been handed at a young age where we act a certain way and think a certain way and follow a certain path, we can trust our gut to help us create a brand NEW script that leads us in the direction we feel led to follow.
As Oprah once said, “You define your own life. Don’t let other people write your script.”
Lesson 3 - We all need each other.
Because just like WE are improvising our way through every single day, so is everyone else around us. Remember, no one wakes up with a fully developed life script in the morning. Even though we always assume others have it easier than we do.
The truth is that we all feel awkward in life and none of us feel prepared for the unpredictable parts of life. But when we’re a part of a community that encourages and supports us along the way, we’re all better off.
