Today’s interview is love at first improv.

Allison Estep is a former Creative Services Associate for the Indiana Society of CPAs and a graduate of the conservatory program at Second City in Chicago. Our conversation focuses on the everyday application of improvisation skills to help us combat fear, take risks, work as a team, and become a more well-rounded person.

Allison strongly believes that every person should take an improv course at some point in their life – it’s simply a great way to learn valuable life skills, like listening, managing your ego, following fear, and working as a team. As a matter of fact, improv games were originally created by Viola Spolin as a teaching tool.

Getting up in front of people (in any situation) can seem like such a scary thing for people that have never been through an improv class, or don't know everything about the practice, but it's a little less scary once you realize everyone is part of the same team and everything doesn’t have to be a joke… and sometimes the most mundane things can be the funniest.

Here are a few Improv Games that you can play with your team, friends, or even family.

• The Human Knot – Five or more people create a circle (the more the merrier!). Everyone puts their arms out and grabs another person's arm to get tangled up. As a group, you try to get untangled without anyone letting go. This game is a great way of learning how to work together as a group to figure out a problem.
• One Word at a Time – Two or more people try to create a cohesive sentence by speaking one word at a time. Don't think – just react. It’s a great tool for teaching people to listen to understand (and not listen to respond).
• Dr. Know-It-All – Three people sit in a chair and they know the answer to every question that's ever given… But they answer one word at a time. To be successful, groups they need to really park that agenda, not anticipate / get ahead of themselves, listen to what's being said, and then react to it.

If you’re interested in taking the next step, find your nearest Improv school and take a class or get in touch with me about coming to your organization.

 

Resources:

• Listen to This American Life 532, Act Two: “Rainy Days and Mondays” - A story about how compassion and improv help a woman with dementia

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Production & Development for Improv Is No Joke by Podcast Masters

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