3. Who is he and why is he doing this?
My name is Joe Kremer
Stage and TV commercials for 15 years
Improvising in scenes and working with lots of different actors taught me a lot
of great techniques to use with regard to communicating
I realized that not every one uses these techniques, and there are some real
advantages to understanding them and utilizing them when dealing with
everyone you work with, not just clients
4. What is the definition of improv and how
often do we use it?
Creative adaptation
Contrary to popular opinion, it is not ‘unruly and chaotic’
It’s a discipline with a system of rules that guide conduct
It’s not just “yes…and”
We improvise every day, sometimes without noticing it
5. The Practice
Notice more (pay attention to your instincts and surroundings)
Let go (keep an open mind; let go of expectations)
Use Everything (gather opinions; gain different perspectives)
6. Notice more Let go
Use
everything
Notice more Let go
Use everything
EAO
Everything’s An Offer
7. Everything’s An Offer
To see everything as an offer means to regard everything that occurs as
something you can use.
In order to do this you really need to notice what’s there
This means letting go of labels, knee-jerk responses, or conventions
8. Notice More
Pay attention to your instincts
Observe your own feelings
Four main areas that we need to concentrate on:
The wide world
The immediate environment
Other people
Ourselves
Listening to not just what someone is saying, but HOW they’re saying it (Can
you repeat it back the same way they said it?)
Try to block out distractions (the old joke of turning down the radio to find an
address)
9. Let Go
Keep an open mind
‘Let go’ of expectations
Example: You saw the word “improv” in the title of this presentation and
immediately thought that you’d have to do some game in front of everyone
If you instantly decide how things are, you give them no chance to become
anything else
10. Use Everything
Gather opinions
Try to gain different perspectives
We all make mistakes, so use them as offers. Use them as learning
opportunities and communicate that learning experience to others
Try to use unforeseen circumstances, accidents, acts of God, disasters, and
delays as offers and stop thinking of them as just bad things
11. Everything’s An Offer
You can plan, plan, and plan for more, but you have to be ready for the
UNEXPECTED
Noticing more, letting go, and using everything can help you plan for the
unexpected
These tools are only a compass, not a map. They won’t tell you what to do,
but they will show you which way is north. The terrain to get there must be
managed by you
13. Next Part: COMMUNICATION
We do this all day, and improvisation is how we do it
Monologue vs Soliloquy (what’s the difference?)
Audience Needs:
Why should they listen to me? (Why should they trust you, the driver?)
Who am I, beyond labels? (They need to know who you are as a person)
What is expected of them, what are they going to have to do? (Don’t assume that
they’re listening. Ask for feedback often, or have a conversation with them
afterwards about what you spoke about)
What are they going to get as a result of listening?
Are they being seen and acknowledged? (If they feel that they’re not being seen,
they may behave in order to be seen)
14. Next Part: CREATIVITY
Put creativity in DOING, not just THINKING
Ideas can come from simple things such as: sitting in on meetings that you
normally don’t sit in on, or calling the customer service line
Find the end user realities and expectations
Prepare for your first ideas to not be great. But remember, Everything’s An
Offer
Embracing Constraint: creativity is stimulated by embracing constraint, not by
a complete absence of constraints. It’s much harder for improvisers to create
a scene/story with no suggestions from the audience and nothing at all to
limit them (example: “First letter…last letter”)
I always use the French Foreign Legion basic training methodology
15. Next Part: LEADERSHIP
Here’s one definition: to inspire and move people to do things they wouldn’t
otherwise be willing or able to do
The person leading is the person who can see best: Distributed leadership
When in doubt, use the ideas of improv practice:
How can I notice more? (this will slow you down and help you become more
present)
What can I let go of? (this encourages you to question assumptions, expectations,
personal agendas, etc.)
What can I use? (this helps you reframe problems and errors as opportunities)
16. In Action
This is only meant to complement analysis and planning, not act as a
substitution
Review progress often, and use this practice to help decide a new course or
simply a few new steps
Try using this practice in your personal life as well
Respond and adapt; Act and React
18. CREDITS
Do/Improvise/Less Push. More Pause. Better Results. A New Approach to
Work (and life). Robert Poynton; Published by The Do Book Company 2013;
Works in Progress Publishing Ltd.
Game: Presents; learned by Robert Poynton
Editor's Notes
Mistakes: 9 out of 10 times, saying to a client, “I’ve tried it that way before and it was a disaster” usually works in helping steer a client in the right direction.
Bad things: thinking of these things as “bad” also helps you let go of judgement
A leader who is willing and able to take ideas from anywhere is strengthened, not weakened. Serve the story, not yourself. Psychologist and executive coach Jon Stokes says that the more self-centered you are, the lest people trust you. This is his formula. Serve the story, not yourself.