There is a different way of thinking about getting better at improv.
Failure is one of the best ways to learn new skills (this is scientific research, not just me talking). Duration, or number of hours doing a thing, is not. So when you accumulate failures, and learn from them (due to immediate feedback), you are growing a lot faster than you would have been if you did an okay scene.
We really try to avoid failures or mistakes in improv, but perhaps playing it safe is holding you back. So in the 30th episode of the show, I talk about failure as a technical problem, and also a very important part of learning improv skills.
It’s science.
The work of psychologist Anders Ericsson on “deliberate practice” discovered that expertise comes from a systematic process of failing, correcting, and repeating. If you face a challenge, receive immediate feedback (internally or from an external source) and correct failures then this drives the learning process forward. You iterate, change, and refine your skillset.
And this is true for improv, too.
The really interesting part for us, as performers, is that we can actually have fun with this. When we learn to embrace these mistakes as part of the inescapable process, we can play with them inside a scene.
So in this episode, I have a toolkit of SEVEN different ways you can approach a moment of failure on stage. By learning to handle these moments with a set of tools like the examples provided, you begin to see that failure is just a new piece of information.
Each time you fail and recover, you become a stronger, more adaptable, and more well-rounded improviser. It helps you get out of your head, because you are no longer burdened by the fear of messing up. And that is what makes improv fun.
This is maybe the secret of improv. If not? Keep listening and it’ll be in a future episode. I promise. I was told there was a secret of improv… and if this isn’t it, we’ll find it.
Listen or Watch
The podcast and the youtube episode contains all seven “scene hacks” that you can try when you feel yourself going blank, messing up, or freezing because you have no idea what’s going on (yeah, that’s probably me doing that thing). And come ask questions or share your own tips in the Improv Update discord general improv chat channel.
Why You Need to Fail to Learn Improv (7 Hacks to Recover From "Mistakes")
Available Now!
Exercises to Ruin You. This 13 page guide provides six exercises to help practice challenges in improv scenes. Get reps in worst case scenarios! Modifications for solo improv are included for most exercises, and you’ll receive variations and examples not included in the video..
