Improv Your Training: Engaging Lessons from the Stage

At a past CHART Hospitality Training Conference, we had an amazing and hilarious closing keynoter Joel Zeff. He brought several of us on stage to play improv games, and I (gasp!) cursed on a microphone. The absolute horror that I would do that in front of so many people I greatly admire and respect still makes me quiver in shame. I’m told from different members of that audience that they did not hear the actual infraction. However, Joel did announce my F-bomb to all 250+ in attendance immediately after as a part of the improv scene. It was a moment. He also asked me, on stage, how I was so good at being angry!

His (and your) encouragement has led me to take improv classes. I am about to start level three and am beyond excited for the sheer fun and learning that will occur. Would you permit me to share some of those lessons with you?

1. Listen Aggressively

This means being truly present in the moment. As hospitality trainers, we have all heard of (and many of us have taught) active listening. While actively listening is a great quality, to do it well in improv, it must be aggressive. Every movement and every syllable are a clue that adds to the story. When a scene partner does not pick up on these subtle cues, there is a missed opportunity in “what could have been” and the evolution of that story.

2. Get. Out. Of. Your. Head.

Yes. It needs that much punctuation. You can’t be a good scene partner if you anticipate what others will say or do. I know…this is the complete opposite of what we train in hospitality. A big part of me wonders what would happen if we shifted away from training to anticipate, and into the realm of being present to make someone’s experience better. Perhaps this is an experiment to come soon.

3. Do NOT Block

You have likely heard of the cardinal rule of improv: “Yes, and” …which means that you accept what is offered and build upon it. A simple part of that rule is that you are never to block or deny what your partner is offering you. There are many reasons for this, but a big one is that it tends to erode the trust with your scene partner. No one likes being shut down, less so when it is in front of others. The other reason is because the block tends to lead the partner to go bigger with their next offer. Doing so inevitably seems to kill a character off or end the scene somehow. Trust me, everything cannot end in murder.

4. Play Games

The language around improv sticks out to me. It is not acting or role play. The teacher does not say “next actor” when calling for volunteers. The question is always, “who wants to play next?” Improv is all about the concept of playing a game. The game is the framework of the scene. For the story to evolve, everyone must play.

5. Improv Does Not Have to Be Funny

This was an amazing lesson. My level two instructor has an entire career built on improv. She teaches classes for kids and adults, does improv comedy in different troupes, and works on a military contract that uses improv to teach military personal how to handle certain conversations. Is your mind blown yet? In the framework of particular games, she helps military personnel be in the moment for difficult conversations while showing empathy and engagement.

How can we apply these principles to training? As trainers, we tend to be spectacular at being adaptable. To do that well, we often anticipate what might happen and pre-plan every instance and contingency. We prepare the scenarios we want our trainees to role play and have the exact desired outcome anticipated. Our feedback is even pre-written.

What if we turned that on its head and made role-play be in the framework of an improv game? I recently was teaching interviewing skills. No one likes to learn the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) laws. To make it fun, I framed the lesson as the improv game “New Choice.” Each person sat in the interviewer’s seat. The rest of the class was to yell out “new choice” anytime they felt the question could be asked better. Once the question satisfied everyone, the callouts stopped and the interviewee answered. This occurred for an entire interview. Then we would debrief. After a debrief, two new volunteers came to the front of the room and a new interview began. The students improvising and those in the audience were both engaged and had fun learning a not-so-sticky subject.

As trainers, we know that making the content engaging and fun is far more important than the content itself. In essence, the delivery matters most. Being able to achieve that starts with us, fine tuning our own mindset. Basically, using our skill at adaptability to adapt ourselves. Or, as a dear friend used to say, “be Gumby dammit!”

Want some other ways to use improv in your training? Reach out anytime. In fact, let’s make it a play date. Tag! You’re it.