Best of — Using Skills From Improv to Master Your in-the-Moment Communication

URL: https://share.snipd.com/episode/af96d233-a24a-4aef-bff3-19d340ab9eda

Chad Hudson's AI podcast notes from Best Of: Using Skills From Improv to Master Your In-The-Moment Communication

People's tendency to shut down or talk too much
Key takeaways:

• People have the ability to shut down or talk excessively, hindering their effectiveness in the moment.
• We are skilled at improvising in most situations, but struggle when put on the spot.
• Humanity as a whole is comprised of experts at improvisation.
• High-stakes situations can lead to over-awareness and hinder performance.
  Transcript:
  Speaker 2
  And it's amazing people can shut down or sometimes people can talk too much, where they can get, you know, their voice can get, huh? It's low. It's like their mind body is running away from them. It's doing everything except kind of what they need to do in the moment. But we are expert at that because for most of the time, we're improvising. Nobody wakes up and writes the script of the day and everyone else goes along with that script. We're actually experts improvising. It's just when we get put on the spot.
  Speaker 1
  Yeah. And when Adam says we are experts, he doesn't mean me and Adam.
  Speaker 3
  He means like humanity. We are experts. Like, we are experts. That's true. That's why you're here. We just want to make sure everyone. We're all experts.
  Speaker 1
  And we see this in lots of high-stakes situations. I think of athletes who for years have been practicing what they do, but in that high-stakes situation, that pitch, that putt, where all of a sudden they fail or they struggle because Of that over-awareness that you're talking about. (Time 0:02:38)
  - Tags:: communication,

Finding Your Way: Embracing Uncertainty and Discovering the Unexpected
Key takeaways:

• Getting lost can lead to valuable discoveries
• Being comfortable with discomfort allows for problem-solving
• The mindset shift is to intentionally get lost and see what is found
  Transcript:
  Speaker 2
  One of my favorite stories is that when I first moved to the Bay Area before GPS, that's how ancient it was, I would go to San Francisco and every time I would get lost every single time. And it wasn't until the seventh or eighth time that I got lost. And I looked up and I said, I don't know where I am, but I've been lost here before. And if I just make a right and a right, I'll get back on the freeway and I know how to get home. And for me, that was a mindset shift. That was, I don't need to have all the answers. I need to be present enough to kind of find a way to solve the answers. I need to be okay enough, comfortable enough, being uncomfortable that I can plug in. And our mentor, Patricia Ryan-Matson, who wrote this great book, Improv Wisdom, when I told her that story, she said, no, no, no, you've missed the point. The point is to get lost on purpose and discover what you find. And for me, that was another mindset shift. (Time 0:03:56)

The Liberating Power of Daring to Be Dull
Key takeaways:

• The ability to let go is crucial in overcoming pressure to do things right.
• Daring to be dull can be liberating and relieve the pressure to be interesting.
• The fear of being seen as unoriginal is a common inhibiting fear.
• Being obvious and genuine is more powerful and creative than striving to be original.
  Transcript:
  Speaker 1
  That I think is really the crux of what hinders a lot of people in these situations is that ability to let go, there is such pressure to do it right. The expectation is that I've got, I've been asked to do this or I need to do this, and I want to do it right. And I know in your experience and on a lot of the improvisation that you bring to the work you do, letting go of the getting it right is really important. So can you share some ideas about how we get out of our own way? There's a wonderful saying that comes from the world of improv and I'd love to hear your thoughts on this, but this notion of dare to be dull. And when I have the audacity to be in front of my MBA students and say, dare to be dull. And it sucks the air right out of the room, because I immediately have to follow it up with why. And would one of you like to help articulate why daring to be dull is so liberating? It's exactly that. It's liberating because it takes the pressure off. We are so driven to be interesting. Our mentor, Patricia Ryan-Matson, she had a mentor in improvisation is Keith Johnstone. So he's like our grand mentor. And he... Great tool. He said, he said, these are fear of being seen as unoriginal is one of the most inhibiting fears that we carry. And so the idea of dare to be dull or be obvious, be obvious is the most powerful, creative mantra that there is. He said, when you're trying to be original, you sound like everyone else trying to be original. But when you're obvious, you're yourself. And that's what's genuine. (Time 0:05:50)
  - Tags:: obvious,

The Importance of Being Present and Listening in Spontaneous Moments
Key takeaways:

• Being prepared and knowledgeable is important in a surgeon, but the ability to improvise and communicate is also crucial
• Deep expertise in a subject allows for more conversational and organic presentations
• Being present-oriented and listening are critical in spontaneous moments
• Improvisation teaches the value of embracing offers and opportunities in Q&A situations
  Transcript:
  Speaker 2
  Well, in Patricia's book, in the opening, she says, you know, when I go to a surgeon, I certainly want a surgeon who is prepared and schooled up and knows what they're doing. But I also want if something goes wrong for them to be able to be present and improvise. You know, also, I would like that surgeon to be able to talk to me about what's going on. I think if you get expert enough in your material, then that frees you up to be more connected, more conversational, because you know, deep down, I know this, you know, sometimes we'll Do an exercise where we'll have somebody tell the story of their name, just some story about their name, first name, middle name, laugh name, whatever, or tell a story about what they Did this weekend and remind them that when you're an expert on the material, you don't have to have every word perfectly staged. If you build a comfort in your material, then you can be a little more free-flowing in how you present it.
  Speaker 1
  Being present-oriented is really critical in what I'm hearing us discuss. And I know a lot of improvisation requires or invites that kind of present orientation. So I'd like to hear from each of you a bit about how present orientation helps in spontaneous moments. And also, let's include in that this notion of listening, many of us in a Q&A situation where people are asking us questions or asking for our feedback feel that in that moment, we are Being challenged, that we are that we are being evaluated and I know attacked in some cases. And I know improv has a lot to say about this notion of offers and opportunities. Do you want to make mention of that? (Time 0:10:08)
  - Tags:: challenge, communication,

Offers and Engagement in Improvisation
Key takeaways:

• There are always offers coming at improvisers from different directions that they shouldn't ignore.
• An improviser can interpret their partner's posture as an offer and use it to guide their performance.
• Audiences also provide offers to improvisers.
• Challenging audience members are engaged and present an opportunity for performers.
• Improv performers should embrace mistakes and find excitement in unexpected situations.
  Transcript:
  Speaker 2
  Yeah, I mean, one of the improvisers mantras is that there are always offers coming at us from all different directions and that we shouldn't notice those offers. So, an improviser goes on stage with absolutely nothing planned. And just the posture of their partner coming on stage will say, ah, that person is just a little slumped or that person is a little proud. And I'll notice that and I'll treat it as an offer. And now I'll have a sense of what we're beginning to do on stage. So, there are these offers everywhere and our audiences for sure are giving us offers all the time. Yeah.
  Speaker 1
  When in the moment when an audience member is challenging, when they ask a question that might have an aggressive tone to it, something that might put you on the defensive, especially If you're not that confident about that specific area, one of the things that I learned as a facilitator, I was taught and I've seen it happen over and over again, that person is the most Engaged. That's what they're showing you. They are engaged and they are the best opportunity. It's not a fight. You're not going to fight with them, but they're an opportunity. So, take that energy, get delighted. Whenever something goes wrong on the improv stage, improvisers just get excited. (Time 0:12:00)
  - Tags:: communication, engaged,

The Importance of Presence and Listening in Effective Communication
Key takeaways:

• The story highlights the importance of being present and perceptive in order to recognize valuable opportunities.
• Active listening and asking follow-up questions can lead to uncovering useful insights.
• When faced with objections or questions, it is crucial to approach them as opportunities for growth and dialogue rather than mere defensive situations.
• Transforming interactions into conversations instead of one-sided performances can be highly impactful.
  Transcript:
  Speaker 1
  What I love so much about that story is it brings together many of the things we talked about. You had to be present in the moment to see that that's what was going on. You had to take the offer that he was giving you and see it as an offer that there was something of value there. So you really had to be present. You had to listen and have that much.
  Speaker 2
  I did paraphrase. I asked a question back as Dan said, tell me more, why, where is this coming from? And it turned out the deeper source was something useful to both of them.
  Speaker 1
  I think for folks who are find themselves in situations where they're handling objections or taking questions, this advice and guidance is critical. You have to listen. You have to be open. You have to see how this is now an opportunity to expand and extend versus to just defend and entrench.
  Speaker 2
  I mean, one thing that was very powerful that I learned was from you, Matt, which is to make this into a conversation rather than a performance. (Time 0:15:10)
  - Tags:: challenge, communication, conversation,

Episode AI notes

1. People have a tendency to either talk too much or become speechless in high-stakes scenarios. This can hinder their effectiveness in the moment.
2. Getting lost can lead to valuable discoveries and problem-solving. Embracing uncertainty and discomfort is important.
3. Daring to be dull can be liberating, relieving the pressure to be interesting or original. Being yourself and genuine is more powerful and creative.
4. Being present-oriented and a good listener are crucial skills in improvisation and spontaneous moments. Deep expertise allows for more organic presentations.
5. Offers from all directions, including the audience, are valuable opportunities for improvisers. Engaging with challenges and embracing mistakes lead to excitement and growth.
6. Being present, open, and actively listening in communication can uncover valuable insights and turn objections into opportunities for growth. Approaching interactions as conversations instead of performances is key. (Time 0:00:00)