Improv Comedy Lesson: One Step Away From Innovation

As an improv comedy performer, you learn very early on that different audiences tend to call out the same suggestions from show to show. It can be very tempting to repeat jokes and scenes from old shows but if you are willing to push yourself you can generate some great innovations. This principle holds true in business as well as in improv comedy.

During one improv comedy show we were playing a game we called “Theatrical Genres”. In this game we would act out a short scene and then play that scene over again in different audience-provided genres.

In this particular instance, the genre was “school play”. This was a genre that we had acted out in past shows, and we ended up playing it pretty much the same way every time. We would play off of stereotypes by having one person get stage fright, another forget his lines, and a third person very obviously prompting from off stage. This was always very funny and always got a good response.

Taking a Chance
Now, I'm kind of a snob when it comes to improv comedy. I hate doing the same thing over and over again, even if it's a guaranteed laugh. As soon as the “school play” scene started the other players started in with the same things we had done in the past. I had about fifteen seconds to decide how I would play it, so rather than just going in with what had been done before, I decided to take a chance.

I asked myself, “What else can I do to play up this genre?” I opened my mind, and the answer came back immediately – I could play the role of the over-zealous school actor who over-acts every scene (and badly at that). We had never done that before, and I had no idea how it would play out or if I could even convey to the audience that that is what I was doing. But I figured that I would rather fail trying something new than succeed playing it safe.

End result? It got a great response, and people came up to me afterwards and said how much they liked that specific portrayal. Success!

Lessons to Learn
So how does this apply off the stage? Well, there are three simple lessons to take away from this:

1. Periodically question what works.
   Often times in life the good is the enemy of the great. If something is bad, we know that it needs to be fixed or improved. If something is good, we usually don't think about how it could be better. Take a look at some of the things in your life or business that are routine or traditional. Could they be improved? It is worth re-examining the good things in your life or business sometimes.
2. Take chances.
   Tradition is a great way to play it safe. If you do things the way they've always been done, you can be pretty sure of the result you'll get. I can understand that level of dependability, but just be aware of what you might be missing.
   
   Take a look at your life. Do you eat at the same places because you know you like the food, or do you periodically try new places? Do you always travel by the same route? Do you listen to the same music, watch the same movies and TV shows, and read the same books?
   
   There's nothing wrong with tradition and doing what you like. If you want to innovate and advance, though, you are going to have to try new things some times. You won't always succeed, but if you don't take the chance you'll never advance.
3. Ask yourself, “What else could I do?”
   Innovating new ideas isn't about throwing away everything you do and starting over. Asking a simple question such as “What else could I do?” can spur your creative mind to come up with new ideas. Sometimes the next great idea is only one step away from the good idea we already have. The key is to remember to ask the question in the first place.

Try these simple ideas in some areas of your life, and see what kinds of great ideas and advances you come up with!