4 Reasons Why Improv Training Will Make You Better at Your Job

November 05, 2015

People often associate improvisational comedy with extroverted performers who are looking to score a spot in the cast of SNL. “I’ll never be the next Amy Poehler,” you might think. “So why on earth should I take an improv class?”

Here’s what you don’t realize: Improv is about more than cracking jokes and willingly making a fool of yourself in front of others. In fact, many of the skills honed in improv training are directly applicable to the workplace. Companies all over the world have incorporated improv tactics into their corporate training programs, based on the idea that knowing how to “improvise” at work makes for better employees and team players.

Here are four ways that building your improv skills will make you better at your job.

Get weird in the Chelsea skirt and Copeland set.

1. Improv makes you an effective communicator.

Being assertive and clear at work is easier said than done. In the corporate world, the loudest folks are often perceived as the most influential—even though they may not actually have the best ideas. If you’re quiet by nature, taking an improv class will help you get comfortable riffing in front of others. Even if you loathe public speaking, it will help you find ways to engage with audiences and manage unpredictable interactions. You’ll learn to speak clearly, confidently, and with conviction—all of which will help you assert yourself at work.

2. Improv helps you think on your feet.

No matter what your role at work, it’s important to be adaptable and able to think on the spot. In improv, you’re often called upon to create a fully developed scene with nothing more than a one-word prompt. This exercise improves your ability to brainstorm and churn out ideas on the fly. You have to make decisions quickly—there’s no time for overthinking. At work, these skills enable you to come up with fresh ideas at a moment’s notice, so you’ll be prepared to fire back with a solution when faced with a challenge or roadblock.

3. Improv encourages you to take risks.

Bold risk takers are often the most successful—in improv and in business. When you’re improvising, whatever happens happens. If a scene doesn’t play out as expected, you have to go with the flow and keep moving forward. And if you’re brave enough to push the scene in new (sometimes strange) directions, others will follow your lead. Strong choices are rewarded in improv; likewise, a willingness to innovate will differentiate you and establish you as a leader in the corporate world.

4. Improv teaches you the concept of “Yes, and…”

“Yes, and…” is the principal tenet of improv. It requires that you always support your scene partner by building on his or her idea, rather than derailing the scene or taking it in an entirely new direction. If you implement this idea in your work life, you’ll become known as an ideal team player and collaborator. The “yes” means that you’ll affirm and support your co-workers’ ideas; the “and” means you’ll help them develop those ideas and find solutions to difficult challenges. It’s easy to get lost in a world of “no”—at work and in life. But when you come from a place of “yes,” you open yourself up to new experiences, opportunities, and achievements.

Ready to be your best at work? Sign up for a class at one of these improv hubs.

New York City: Upright Citizens Brigade, the PIT, the Annoyance, Get Part of IT

Los Angeles: UCB West, The Groundlings

Washington DC: Washington Improv Theater

Philadelphia: Philly Improv Theater

Boston: ImprovBoston, Improv Asylum

Chicago: iO, Second City, the Annoyance