1958 – Transformative Impact of Improv on High-Performance Communication with Ross Kimball

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1:05With us right now, it is Ross Kimball. Ross, you are the founder, I guess we'd say, of Show Up Better. That's your website, showupbettertoday.com. And listen, I think folks are going to recognize you immediately when we started thinking about some of your credits. And I love what you do. You teach and guide high performers to show up better in every communication scenario. I'm just going to let the cat out of the bag. you were Ross on jury duty, which I was, you and I were chatting beforehand, my wife and I, my whole family, we watched the whole series twice because it was just such a magical, kind of genie in the bottle kind of television moment.

1:51And I just, I hope you could maybe just share a couple of ideas. Unfortunately, you know, we don't have hours to talk about all the things I'd want to talk about. So I hope that certainly we can, you know, provide some value in terms of like who you serve and what you do. But Ross, thank you so much for joining us. Yeah, thanks for having me. I just want to, first of all, a little peek behind the curtain. I'm so thankful that Josh had no idea who I was before we got going. Off air, he goes, oh wait, so how are you a part of jury duty? And I go, oh, I'm in it. He goes, what? So I'm so stoked. I'm so stoked to be talking with you.

2:25And yeah, my journey started with signing up for an improv class. and then two years later, finally going to that class. I was so scared to get out of my own way. So that's why I love working with people, high performers in sales, in tech and startups where they have these great ideas and they know what they want to say, but they can't do it. They're in their own way. So using improv, using mindsets, putting some systems in place to get them to where they want to go communication-wise. That is what I'm all about. And yeah, we have fun along the way. I am such an advocate for what you are talking about.

3:03So I think it was about 10 years ago that my wife and I had been going to SAC, which is an improv outfit here in Orlando, where Wayne Brady got his start. We've just very avid attendees. And finally, I said, you know what, I'm going to take the classes because I feel like there's probably going to be some business justification for doing so. In addition to, I hope it's going to be enjoyable, meet some friends, you know, that sort of thing. It was all of the above. And, you know, what I'll just say, and I, you know, obviously, we're here for your point of view on this. But what I can say personally, is the biggest thing, Ross, that I became aware of, is the voice in my head, who would constantly filter or, oh, no, no, no, don't say that, right?

3:52You know, because I'd always marvel of people who seem to be really good on their feet. And I said, what an amazing skill that they've got. And what I came to find out, for me anyway, is that it was allowing my analytical brain to just relax a little bit. And that, you know, what you say doesn't have to be perfect. And it's that relaxation and that comfort that I feel has really allowed me to be far more comfortable in those situations where I do need to be on my feet. You know, I've done a lot of stuff in media and obviously, you know, the podcast and so forth. But that, you know, getting that filter to quiet down, I think is just such an amazing gift.

4:34And honestly, I cannot think of a more direct route to adjust that filter than through acquiring some skills in improv. Yeah, you mentioned your self filter, I call it the self editor, where we are talking and talking And then if you're a high enough performer and you've been talking and you've been doing your thing a long enough time, you become self-aware. And you're like, wait, I'm just rambling. Or you keep things to yourself. And then when you're driving home or you're on the bus, you're like, why didn't I just say that? That would have been influential. So when I started taking improv, my editor in my head took a vacation in a good way.

5:12I wasn't saying everything on my mind. But I was like, hey, you know what? I can add value here. I was getting better on my feet. I also, and you can put an attest to this, Josh, I became such a better listener where I was in the moment. I wasn't worried about what the next thing was saying. I was just in the moment and making that other person look good. And that is pretty much what you do the first few weeks of improv class is it takes the pressure off you so much where you're like, all I'm here is to make this person look good. And if that's their goal to make me look good, we're paddling the same boat.

5:44and getting people on board, especially I work with companies on this a lot, especially the sales team and the customer experience, the customer service side, where our job is to make everyone's job easier because if that's the mindset, our job gets easier. So like you said, this could be a longer conversation, way longer because I get really pumped about improv because it's cliche to say, but it really did. It changed my life. I was a teacher for a long time and I realized I need to get better at communicating. Also, like you, Josh, I was watching these improv shows and I'm like, you know, I think I could do this.

6:16I think I can probably do this. And you sign up and you go, holy cow, I have all these things and my thoughts and ideas and just these reactions and responses that I have that have been under concrete for so long. And then what happens is with improv, it just opens us up. And the people that are listening that are thinking, I'm not funny, I'm not quick, I'm not, that's not what improv is about. Improv is about being in the moment, responding, respecting everyone around you, treating them like geniuses and poets. And it gets a little woo-woo. But I tell you what, it has changed everyone that I have implemented this with.

6:54Companies, C-suite, CEOs, they said, holy cow, I feel so much more confident and clear and concise when I communicate. And that's what it's all about. And we're losing that nowadays, Josh. As technology gets more, I'll tell you what. if you can speak with a person, human to human, that's going to make you a tank. I call them human tanks. It's going to be the thing that changes everything. I think that in today's social media environment, and I think that the pressure where there's just so much more visibility, I think that there is an undue pressure that many leaders put on themselves that they think, I need to be brilliant.

7:36I need to be amazing. And that pressure, in my opinion, is the antithesis to, I think, what is actually most helpful, right? Whereas if we spend our time focused on how we can use platform and how we can use environments to shine the spotlight on other people, well, it psychologically, it diffuses the pressure that we may feel when we know, listen, I don't have to carry the scene. I'm just here in improv parlance, right, to just add a brick. And then, you know, just trust that, you know, if I shine the spotlight on other people, I don't have to carry all the weight, right? It's like I'm learning, you know, how to play bass guitar.

8:18And, you know, bass guitar just has to do one part of the song. And if you break it down into those little bits and pieces, you realize that to create a masterpiece or, you know, a, you know, a stairway to heaven or whatever, you know, you just have to do one fourth of the job. And it's so much easier when you can share the scene with others. And that as well, I think alleviates a lot of pressure that we as leaders may, as I mentioned earlier, put on ourselves. Yeah, absolutely. And you nailed it with learning the bass guitar or anything. It's just, we're a little, you know, for lack of a better term, these bricks.

8:53But if everyone is on the same page of, I have a yes and mindset, especially in meetings. I deal with a lot of tech people that have to come up with new ideas or a lot of people that are coming up with app developments and they have these ideas. The best things happen when you just throw out all the bad ideas and you just, yes, and yes, and yes, and, and, and things can happen with that. And if everyone's on the same page with that, no one has pressure to say the right thing. And you mentioned it before where it's like people that try to be perfect, people can tell when you're trying to be perfect.

9:26Yes. And their shoulders go up and they're like, holy cow. The first thing I talked to when with my clients, I'm like, everyone wants you to crush it up there, whether a presentation or a zoom, or you have to give a little speech before a birthday. Because selfishly, no one wants to be nervous. No one wants to be a nervous audience member. So it's that it's that mindset. And that's, that's what helped me. I was like, Oh, okay, everyone wants me to crush it. So I'm just going to go up there and crush it. I'm going to use the things that I've learned and just trust my to trust myself with the things that I've learned.

9:58Yeah. Yeah. It's, it's similar. What I noticed to it's, you know, in improv, um, there were a couple of people in the classes, um, and, oh, I don't know if I mentioned this to my audience. I, I, oh yeah, I did. I took a year of improv classes a number of years ago. Anyway. Um, what, one thing that I noticed is, I mean, there were a couple of people, um, who felt that it was their job to try to be funny. And usually when you have someone who tries to be funny it's it just like exactly like you just mentioned we all kind of feel it and it's just it's it's it's a little unsettling and to me that parallels very well a leader who seems like they're trying too hard to be inspiring or charming or whatever like it's it's it's audiences can feel it we all know what's going on there yeah i i'm too old to say this phrase but you get the ick you get the ick from from people that are trying too hard and bulldozing scenes or it's like i know what's right instead of opening up and be like hey i'm here to listen i'm here to yes and i want to make you look good i want to make everyone look good yeah and and i i when you said there was a few people in my class i've taught improv for so long and i've done improv for so long where it's it's the same people you know you always have the people it's half the class like I want to get better communicating and then half the other class is like I'm the funniest person in my friend group so let it I'm gonna let it rip and you're like all right great let's try to work together yeah I love it um listen I would be remiss Ross if I didn't ask you for at least you know some perspective or you know some story of your experience with jury duty um to our friends listening if you have not watched jury duty It received four Emmy nominations.

11:43It is probably one of the cleverest and most original. It's one of those, like I said, genie in a bottle moments where you're like, I am witnessing something that I don't think we've really ever seen in this way, short of, you know, the Truman Show and so forth. But I will just say it is hilarious. It is inspiring. And by the final episode, my wife and I were in tears because it was just so beautiful. and you see humanity portrayed. I'd love your take on the experience. I could talk three hours on this, but it's on Amazon. For those of you that are looking for it, it's on Amazon Prime, Jury Duty.

12:26And what it is, it's essentially The Office meets The Truman Show. So everyone is an actor except for one person, our hero, Ronald Gladden. And this person thinks he's a part of a documentary about the jury duty system in America. And 95 % of it was improvised. And so it was three weeks long. We were sequestered. So our phones were taken away. Internet was taken away. And we had to come up. We were given characters. And we just had to go with the flow. And the audition process was wild for that. And then also knowing every day that we can get caught. There were two days that I thought I was going to have to start looking for another job.

13:07and that was and josh and whoever has watched this knows chair pants day yeah when chair pants day was like okay well we're gonna get caught this day i'm gonna have to look for another job that was fun and then the other one was when we were at margaritaville all of those people josh and margaritaville are extras they hired 200 extras and you can't see it but when next time you watch it because i know you will now because there's so many jokes that people miss and there's so many little aspects of the show that people miss but next time you watch look in the background a little bit all those people that are talking they're not saying anything because if they have to talk then we have to pay them a little extra so and and and i love i love when people say or they they mention or they comment on on my stuff on instagram they're like there's no way that i would have gone with this i would have figured it out in two days let me tell you it would be impossible we keep you so busy and there's so many things happening that it was a dream job for me because i love improvising and it was 10 hours of improv improv and then realizing i sat behind him every day so my character changed after the first day because ronald uh he he mentioned one of his favorite movies was masterminds which which i I'm in with Owen Wilson and Kristen Wiig, Zach Galifianakis.

14:27And he goes, Oh, it's one of my favorite, favorite movies. And thankfully I looked a little different because I had a full beard and I was like, okay, I'm going to get caught. And they're like, no, we're going to put you behind him. So he can't look at you. And then I just became the voice of reason because they don't show it in the show because it's a half hour show, but there's so much footage. Whenever crazy things would happen, he would look behind me and be like, what is going on? And I'd have to be like, I don't know, man, I'm just trying to get through this. I'm trying to get back to my wife.

14:51And then we, then, and then, you know, we reveal my wife, We have my birthday party. So if you're watching this, you're like, oh, what is going on with the show? It is a hero's journey. So a lot of people don't want to press play on it because they think, oh, it's a prank show. Now, what it was, it is so special because, again, it's never happened before this length. Humanity. I was crying, which thankfully they don't show. But we put this person through so many things to show what the human spirit would do, what the hero's journey would do and accomplish. And it's inspiring. I don't think it will ever happen again.

15:23And I am so thankful that I was a part of it because I get to use my experience everywhere I go. When I'm teaching improv, when people are asking, oh, what's it like to be on set? And you have all this high pressure. I'm like, you just have to know that you have value and you just have to put these tools. And again, Josh, I love that you took an improv class. I hope that encourages other people to take a class. Please do. To our friends, if you've been on the fence, please do some searching. Even if it's just a local improv meetup, just try it. Just try it because I promise that there is value for nearly anybody from just that experience.

16:01Just in playing, just in playing together. And if you're scared, that's a good sign. That means you should show up. That means you should go because it is the most freeing. It is the most supportive group I've ever been a part of. I've been a part of so many sports teams. And I can't tell you just the yes and mentality. I want to make you look good. We're building this together, trusting yourself. It's all of the above. And we lose that. And there's a study done after the age of 24, we just start, stop playing. We stop getting creative. And I believe everyone's creative in the sense of it's just doing or looking at something differently.

16:35And that is what we're all capable of from top to bottom. Ross, your website is showupbettertodate. Can you share just a bit about who you work with today, what that looks like, and someone who's listening to our episode right now, you know, and they could really benefit from some of the wisdom and experiences that you bring. Explain that a little bit. So I love answering this question. My elevator pitch is when, hey, what do you do? I always ask a question and say, do you know how you know your stuff? You're so good at what you do. You're a high performer. You're going on vacations. Maybe a few times a year you go to Orlando or Scottsdale and you pick up some hardware because you're a good salesperson, but you get up in front of people and you blink you start sputtering and that's because maybe you have had bad experiences with public speaking you don't do it that much but essentially I call my site and I call what I do show up better because I believe every day we have a decision to make to get better at communicating whether that be in the boardroom or at a backyard barbecue.

17:38So from small talk at parties to small talk at networking events to getting up in front and presenting. I work with a lot of salespeople in the medical field where they do the same thing over and over again. And how do you keep that fresh? And so I work with people, especially C-suite people with public speaking, presenting. And if you look at my site, it's all there. I do improv workshops as well. I do, right now I'm consulting with a company down in Florida and I'm working with our sales team just on just blanket communication and customer experience. So anything in the realm of communication, especially when you're dealing with human, which again, we mentioned it's a little lost nowadays.

18:16I love helping people level up that experience. So if you go to my website, showbettertoday.com, there's information there. Also, I'm going to offer this to everyone listening. If you book a call, I would love it. We'll do a free half hour session just talking about your communication. and I'll give you a free PDF about how you can show up better in your public presentations. I'd love to do that. Ross, you also have a podcast. I do. I do. It is a, it's a comedy podcast, but it's masked as a communication podcast. It's called Good at Parties. It's called Good at Parties. And it happened during the pandemic where I realized, hey, everyone's coming out of the pandemic feral.

18:56No one knows how to talk. Everyone's talking over each other. Everyone's talking about the same four things. and I would just want you to get good at parties. So whether that be at the boardroom or backyard barbecue, I want you to get better at small talk, how to be a better listener, how to start a presentation. And they're short, they're short little episodes, but it's really fun. It's really fun. So they can check that out as well. The podcast is good at parties, Ross, your website, show up better today.com. When somebody goes there, what would you recommend they do? You mentioned obviously grab a call with you.

19:29Sure, sure. Sure, double click on everything. I would just double click on everything. Double click, just to be safe. I would say just check it out. You can book a call with me or you can DM me. All my information is there. But I'd love to chat with anyone that has an inkling of, man, I want to get better at this thing. Because if you're thinking that, it needs to happen. I love it. Ross Kimball, thank you so much for joining us. Again, showupbettertoday.com. The podcast is good at parties. Ross, thank you so much for joining us. Josh, thanks so much. And everyone, if you've made it this far in the episode, thank you so much.

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