Improv, improving and working with colleagues

Can learning about Improv theatre help people work well and positively in organisations? Oh yes!  An increasing hero of mine is Keith Johnstone. I' m just reading his book Impro for Storytellers in it he writes of some of the things he has noticed when getting groups of actors to tell stories together (contributing one word at a time or telling each other 'what happens next'), here are just three:

people avoid taking the story forward, preferring to just describe the scene

ever been in a meeting where everyone's just telling each other what the situation is... but avoiding actually working on what to do next?

people tend to resolve dangerous or difficult scenes with one big 'solution' "with one bound our hero was free!"

every been in a meeting where managers or participants tell you the big idea that will solve everything? Ever been in a meeting where a particular strategy was proposed as providing the best way forward?

people tend to be negative with their comments

every been in meetings where 'but' is the most common work, where participants tend to knock each others' ideas?

Now, ask yourselves a question... if you work in organisations, what would you do, say, ask about... just to improve any of the above situations by, say, 10% ...

... if you come up with an idea, then you've just taken the first step on the long journey of IMPROVement!

enticing isn't it? 

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