I was recently reading the memoir Bossypants by Tina Fey (of 30 Rock fame). There is a section in the book that I found to be very interesting. In the section, Fey talks about the rules of improvisation. (Wikipedia - Improvisation is the practice of acting, singing, talking and reacting, of making and creating, in the moment and in response to the stimulus of one’s immediate environment and inner feelings.)
Fey proposes that some elements of improvisation could (and should) be incorporated in our daily life as a way of living. Fey says she views the rules of improvisation as a ‘worldview’. In fact, she goes as far as to call them ‘The Rules of Improvisation That Will Change Your Life and Reduce Belly Fat” (the last part is a joke, of course). While we definitely shouldn’t completely live by the rules of improvisation, I think it benefits everyone to understand how and why improv works.
Rule 1: AGREE. Always agree and SAY YES.
Fey’s example:
Actor 1: “Freeze, I have a gun”
Actor 2 (bad improv): “That’s not a gun. It’s your finger. You’re pointing your finger at me”
Actor 2 (good improv): “The gun I gave you for Christmas! You bastard!”
In real life, this seems non-sensical. I’d rather have someone tell me I’m wrong when I’m wrong. Where Fey says that it is useful is with respect to ideas. Rather than shoot down other’s ideas or proposals immediately, agree “and see where that takes you”.
At work, this kind of thinking must be used during brainstorming sessions. We often see a person throws an idea and another person rejects it immediately. The whole idea of brainstorming is to go wild with ideas, whether feasible or not. Most of the successful companies today started off with a crazy or an “improbable” idea.
Rule 2: YES, AND.
Fey’s example:
Actor 1: “I can’t believe it’s so hot in here.”
Actor 2 (bad improv): “Yeah…”
Actor 2 (good improv): “What did you expect? We’re in hell.”
Actor 2 (good improv): “I told you we shouldn’t have crawled into this dog’s mouth.”
Kirby Ferguson, in Everything is a Remix, argues that almost every invention or innovation is a remix of existing art. You innovate by taking in something already existing, understand it and you either add on top of it or improve it. Or you apply it in an entirely different situation.
Don’t hesitate simply because it is someone else’s project or idea. If you can add value to it and if you like it, you should do so.
Rule 3: MAKE STATEMENTS. (or “Don’t ask questions all the time”)
Fey’s example:
Actor 1 (bad improv): Who are you? Where are we? What are we doing here? What’s in that box?
Actor 1 (bad improv): Where are we?
Actor 1 (good improv): Here we are in Spain, Dracula.
Who likes that person who is always complaining? Don’t just come up with questions and obstacles, present solutions.
Rule 4: THERE ARE NO MISTAKES, only opportunities.
Well, it’s really nice to say that it’s not a mistake, but an opportunity. Not always. Mostly mistakes cost you. The secret is to reduce the cost. Like Ed Catmull of Pixar says, “Fail early, fail often and learn fast”.
