Using Improv Comedy to Align Your Team

0:28This episode is brought to you by Google Chrome. of America for a reason. With SUVs made to move with your rhythm. The versatile Equinox tackles your entire day. The spacious Traverse fits your crew and your whole weekend. And tracks bring style with value you can count on. All infused with tech that has your back. So your drive always hits the right chord. Chevrolet, together let's drive. When I bought improv comedy classes as a Christmas present for my husband, I did it almost as a joke.

1:10In a lot of our conversations or our meetings, we tend to shut down others ideas. In improv comedy, You're trying to build scene or working on exercises, and they're based on principles that fundamentally help people interact with others more effectively. The rule of the yes and is a rule where you always start from a point of acceptance, and then you add to it. So imagine that you are in a meeting or in a brainstorming sessions, and everybody's trying to contribute to the discussion, is much better to do so by adding ideas that starts off from a point of acceptance.

1:55Think about situations where you were the one person talking, expressing an idea, and then your colleague jumps in and said, yes, but that is not going to work in this context. All of a sudden, you don't feel as if your contribution is valued. And what we know from research is that next time around, you're going to probably stay silent. Improv brings about a lot of discomfort. You need to shift your attention from yourself to the other person. That's not how we live our lives. Usually we're very focused on what we are going to say. So improv teaches us to have a little bit more respect for others' contributions in a way that makes all of us better off.

2:41Thank you.