Steamrolling is one of those topics where most want to talk about the people doing it to them, and very few people want to look at whether they might be doing it themselves. Someone asked me to do an episode about this, and this is that episode.
It’s a great question so I made it, and turns out this episode has some tough medicine in it for both sides it seems. And I’ve taken this medicine so I’m not just dishing it out!
Here’s the thing that took me a long time to figure out about steamrolling: it really doesn’t have much to do with how much someone talks. You can be a big, loud, talkative character in a scene and still be a generous scene partner, and you can say very little while still making the entire scene about yourself. The pattern to watch for is who controls the content. After a scene, can you describe the other characters? Do you know what they cared about, what their deal was? Did the relationship between the characters actually get a chance to develop? If the answer to most of those questions is “I have no idea,” that scene was probably being steamrolled, regardless of how the energy or word count felt. At least a bit, or perhaps a lot.
And what I think gets missed a lot (especially in class or in notes after a show) is that steamrolling often comes from anxiety. Someone is scared the scene is going badly, so they start generating material to try to save it. Or they’re frustrated that things feel stalled, so they push harder. The intention is usually fine, because they want the scene to work but the end result just ends up being that their scene partner becomes a prop for their story or fun.
There’s also an ADHD layer here that I get into in the episode. Verbal processing, impulse control, dopamine from driving the scene. These can all create a steamrolling pattern without the person even noticing it, because the whole time they’re just in a flow and their brain is wired to stay in that flow. And on the other side, if you tend to get steamrolled, there might be a freeze or shutdown response happening where your system deactivates and you kind of lose access to your ideas (and your voice, honestly) in the moment. Both of those are automated responses, and neither one means you’re “bad at improv”.
The episode has exercises for both sides, and there are many other great strategies that I can’t mention for time considerations, but the one focus I’d take away if you tend to run scenes is be curious. Make it your job to learn something about your scene partner’s character that you didn’t initiate. Ask them about something they already brought up, and then actually let the answer shape where the scene goes. It’s so much harder to steamroll when you’re genuinely curious about the other people in the scene. Curiosity is a pretty effective medicine for this, y’all.
Here are those questions to ask yourself at the end of a scene (mentioned in this episode, which you can listen to below):
- Did the other characters get to be someone in this scene?
- Can you describe who they were (what they cared about, what their deal was)?
- What did you learn about them?
- Did your scene partner get to highlight anything, or pull focus during the scene?
- Did your scene partner get to add interest to whatever was happening during the scene?
Listen to this episode
Understanding steamrolling takes practice! I also have a PDF and workbook for getting and receiving notes at improvupdate.com/notes if you want something structured to work with if you are helping or noting someone about steamrolling. Check out the latest ep here:
Key takeaways:
- Steamrolling is about who controls the scene’s content, and it can happen even when both people are talking equally.
- Anxiety and a desire to save the scene cause steamrolling more often than ego does.
- ADHD-related verbal processing, impulse control, and/or dopamine-seeking can create steamrolling patterns without the person realising it.
- Getting steamrolled can involve a freeze or shutdown response, where your nervous system deactivates and you lose access to your ideas.
- The single most effective focus for someone who tends to steamroll is curiosity about their scene partner’s character.
Resources:
- E46: Processing feedback/notes (referenced directly in the episode): https://improvupdate.com/receiving-improv-notes-and-understanding-how-your-brain-rewrites-the-feedback/
- E47: Page for THIS episode with all of those things to consider about steamrolling: https://improvupdate.com/steamrolling
- Downloadable Guides all about notes and feedback in improv (for students and for teachers/coaches): https://improvupdate.com/notes
Related episodes:
- E29: Improving Communication Skills So You Can Improvise With Anyone https://improvupdate.com/improving-communication-skills-improvise-with-anyone/
- E28: Mind Blank on Stage? A 3-Step Reboot for Your Brain https://improvupdate.com/mind-blank-on-stage-a-3-step-reboot-for-your-brain/
- E33: 3-Step System & Exercise to Manage Self-Criticism in Improv https://improvupdate.com/3-step-system-exercise-to-manage-self-criticism-in-improv/
- E46: Processing feedback: https://improvupdate.com/receiving-improv-notes-and-understanding-how-your-brain-rewrites-the-feedback/
