NEW WORKSHOPS! Find all the information on the newly released website at https://YourImprovBrain.com/offscript

Someone asked in an improv forum how you should actually learn improv, whether that's doing scenes, watching other people, or reading and talking theory. I had a big enough answer that I rebooted the podcast to give it, and to add the one way a lot of people skip or don't think is "a thing" I guess.

I walk through how I'd rank the ways to learn improv, starting with the one that counts most by a lot, then the second thing that shapes your taste and your skills over time. After that I get into the most underused way to get better, I think, and probably the central idea of this whole show really.

If you're neurodivergent, this is also how you work out which standard improv notes fit your brain and which ones you can set aside, and that changed a lot for me.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:

• Why doing improv beats every other way to learn it, and by how much
• What to actually pay attention to when you watch better improvisers
• The most underused way to get better, and why classes rarely mention it
• How to study your own improv brain so it shows up in scenes without thinking, hell yeah
• Which improv notes to keep and which ones to chuck out based on how your brain works

CHAPTERS:

0:00 The forum question that kicked this off

1:50 Why actually doing improv beats everything else

2:21 What to watch for when you watch better improvisers

3:19 The most underused way to learn improv

4:27 What metacognition means for your improv brain

9:03 Two things to avoid when you look back at a scene

10:56 What you actually get from studying your own improv

13:49 How this quiets comparison and self-criticism

20:50 A simple way to start after your next set

22:32 Off Script: doing this reflection with structure, if that helps

RESOURCES:

My answer to the original forum question https://www.facebook.com/groups/improvtalk/posts/2860434757656333/

Post-session reflection sheet (linked in my newsletter) and Off Script workshops at https://yourimprovbrain.com

RELATED EPISODES:

E31: Clear Mind = Get Out of Your Head in Improv: https://youtu.be/QtTu7SvUm-A

E33: 3-Step System & Exercise to Manage Self-Criticism in Improv https://youtu.be/d7X1gFgtkn8

Downloadable content

Download the Free Post-Show Reflection Guide: Sent to your inbox when you subscribe to either newsletter (and added to the footer to each message if you're already subscribed).

NEW! Comprehensive guides all about getting notes as a student, or giving them as a teacher. Two guides, big discount if you get both! https://yourimprovbrain.com/notes

Get a booklet with six exercises to help you get reps in challenging scenes called "Exercises to Ruin You"

Get more downloadable booklets here: https://yourimprovbrain.com/shop

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About

This podcast was created, written, and is hosted by Jen deHaan. Jen has certifications related to healthy communities (Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy), nervous system regulation and soon teacher training certification on community resilience. She has a BFA in teaching creative arts to adults. You can find her full bio here.

This podcast was written, recorded and edited in British Columbia, Canada by Jen.

Mentioned in this episode:

Visit Your Improv Brain

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