The Improv Mindset: TEDx Talk Summary
This is a summary of five powerful ideas that we’ve been told time and time again have changed people’s lives and work.
About the Improv Mindset
The Improv Mindset is a way of thinking and behaving inspired by how improv theater performers work with each other and audiences.
We first publicly assembled these specific ideas in a Bend, Oregon, TEDx Talk, where we had one goal: to go beyond the famous “yes, and” statement and share our point of view on the broad and true power of an Improv Mindset.
Since that talk, we’ve been sharing these ideas across the world with big companies like Nike, creative firms like Swift, and activist groups like Frank.
We believe the Improv Mindset and these five ideas (with TEDx Talk time codes included below) will change your work and life for the better.
1. Be Obvious (1:48)
Improvisers on stage have to be super clear so the audience can follow along with a brand new story and their fellow improvisers can understand how to respond. The Improv Mindset teaches us to be as clear as possible about what we mean, what we want, and what we don’t know.
2. Don’t Try Your Best (2:32)
Improvisers on stage learn to relax and not try too hard. Why? Because the best ideas often come when you aren’t stressed, as the Yerkes-Dodson Law shows. “Don’t try your best” is how Keith Johnstone said it at an improv workshop we attended in Calgary. It really takes the pressure off.
3. Use What You’ve Got (3:40)
Improv theater is an art form that shows how much you can create with just a few suggestions from the audience. The Improv Mindset teaches us to see how much value and possibility we often already have and to use what we’ve got.
4. Be Willing to Be Changed (4:41)
When two improv actors come out on stage, they have different ideas. The only way something great will come about is if the improvisers allow themselves to be changed by the other. The Improv Mindset teaches us to walk into every room with a point of view, but with the willingness to be changed by others in the room.
5. Take the Focus Off Yourself (5:15)
So much of stage improv is setting up others. The Improv Mindset teaches us to put the focus on other people. Instead of trying to impress others, spend time helping them look good or helping them understand.
