Just Say Yes: Why Improv Improves Business Presentations

There's a touch of whimsy in the air today, perhaps brought along with the gathering storm clouds over Massachusetts. Not one to reject such things, I'd like to focus on a somewhat unorthodox methodology for standing out in the elephant graveyard of halfhearted PowerPoint presentations that is the typical day at the office. Where could we possibly find a respite from those long, droning quarterly meetings? Follow me, friends, to the land of improv.

As some of you may know, improv is common parlance for improvisational theatre, a practice among actors that involves an entire performance made of ad lib content. In other words, it's all off the cuff. Straight from the brain pan into the fire, if you will. The actors involved feed off of ideas from other performers, themselves, objects in the room, and even the audience to create an array of ever-shifting narratives. This may sound familiar, as it received a great deal of public attention during the run of the TV show Whose Line Is It Anyway?

But what's all this got to do with the PowerPoint that you dread having to present next week? Well, there are several rules of improv that can prove very useful in a corporate situation. The first, and I think most widely applicable, is to just say yes no matter what happens. When interacting with another actor on stage, this means responding in a positive way to an idea that you might not have figured would result from the action taking place. In a business situation, this could mean being willing to go off script or address questions about aspects of your presentation that you hadn't considered. The point is, when you allow yourself permission to be open to the flux of ideas and activity around you, you can think on your feet with ease and respond to even the most difficult circumstances with grace.

Another couple of more pragmatic rules are not asking open ended questions and making your partner look good. Now, when improv folks say "partner," it doesn't apply just to situations in which you are working with someone else. It can also apply to the audience or even to the presentation materials that you use. For instance, you can take an idea that someone brings up in the question period after a presentation and run with it, elaborating on the basic principal and praising that person for their ingenuity. This not only wins you an ally, but also stimulates further discussion and innovation. In addition, when you're in the audience for a presentation, you can apply the principle of not asking open ended questions to give others ideas and generate targeted conversations. If you focus on a specific point, it makes it easier for someone else to respond, which benefits the flow of both improv shows and presentations.

Finally, there's the idea of telling a story. This concept is a bit more abstract, but it pays off to practice it. In improv, telling a story is crucial to building the action in a scene. You need to set the stage or be able to elaborate on the stage someone else has set. Don't just say "there's a fish in the road," say "Melvin! Melvin! Oh God, Melvin! I must have left his tank on the window sill again...somebody, help!" These specific details, as ludicrous as the above scenario may sound, allow someone else to begin picturing what you're talking about, which is important since improv is often done without a set and with minimal props. In business, there's numerous ways to take advantage of this concept. Place specific examples in your presentation, and flesh them out with anecdotes, facts, and your opinion. Paint your proposal across the mind's eye of your peers.

What's the best way to start learning about improv? Watch it and do it. There are numerous improv troupes across the country. For instance, the Boston area (my personal stomping grounds) plays host to excellent artistic efforts such as ImprovBoston, a comedy group that provides five nights a week of entertainment. They also offer classes so that you can immerse yourself in improv practice. Another amazing and innovative group is New York-based Improv Everywhere, who create random scenes in public places, often calling attention in a comedic way to objects or ideas that the general public takes for granted. Please check out these groups, as they are both immaculate performers and excellent resources for improv theory. With that said, I think it's time you got out there and revived that comatose presentation. Let those ideas take you away from the elephant graveyard and into the bright, verdant valley of creativity.