My improv mates and me. Acting normal and what not before our final showcase.
I DID IT! I took a six-week improv class, where each week I was on stage with my mates zipping, zapping and zopping and learning to say “yes and.” Also, there was that five-minute speech that I practiced for two weeks and delivered like a pro. For me, all of this is about improvement - as a business leader, but also just in my day-to-day life.
You see I first learned about The Unified Scene Theater about two years ago when I walked into a ColorComm event without fully knowing the subject of the evening. I was ready for a lecture, but ended up in an exercise that scared me. There was the zip, zap, zop warmup, but also singing in a circle and dramatizing workplace scenarios. For someone who has a polished reserve, I was panicking on the inside and left before the night was truly over.
Flash forward two years. While public speaking and reporting is part of my 9-5 norm, I still didn’t have full confidence in my ability to think on my feet. So, encouraged by my sister, I signed up for Improv for Business Leaders, and it was one of my better moves for 2019. Now, I’m no improv expert, but practice improves confidence.