My Improv Odyssey

A personal journal

By Jerry Kail

My improv epiphany came in 1998, on a plane trip to Albany, New York. I was reading "Truth in Comedy", by Charna Halpern, Del Close and Kim "Howard" Johnson, a book I borrowed from my local library in Dayton, Ohio. It looked different, interesting and easy to carry.

As I read about the various improv concepts -- offer, acceptance, justification, advancement -- the parallels between the skills required of improv teams and those required of business teams immediately became apparent. The concept "Yes And" was a godsend for a facilitator and trainer like me. I was used to business meetings in which parries, thrusts, volleys and other similar tactics were commonplace.

I immediately resolved not only to read more about this art form called improv, but to model its tenet - "Show, Don't Tell" - by learning how to perform. I began an acting class at the local parks and recreation department. A fine teacher named Teresa Connair incorporated improv into the agenda. This only whetted my appetite for more. Reading the classic improv authors (Viola Spolin, Keith Johnstone, etc.) and an improv-in-business presentation by Izzy Gesell at the 1998 International Association of facilitators conference spurred me on.

With the new millennium, I enlisted the cooperation of an actor-friendly HR rep at my company named Susan Schnell and an intrepid manager named Sam Conviser. His motto was, "Hey, it's different, let's try it!" Our plan was to work some basic improv games and concepts into a departmental picnic-cum-teambuilding session at Caesar's Creek State Rec Area, near Dayton. We worked in a few basic pantomime exercises, a few rounds of Yes And, Zip-Zap-Zop and What Are You Doing? They demanded more.

My next opportunity to inflict the zeal of the new convert on an unsuspecting horde came with the first annual LexisNexis Human Resources Summit Meeting in June 2000. The assignment to help design the two-day event dropped in my lap. Along with some conventional group problem-solving activities, I managed to sneak in a few more "Yes Ands" to encourage people to think out-of-the-box and to keep a positive attitude. The results weren't as stellar as the picnic, judging from a couple of the feedback forms (Q: "What did you like the least about the Summit?" A: "That improv stuff.") But with the encouragement of my manager, Bob Schwieterman, I resolved to continue down the improv path.

Through the Internet, I met others doing "that improv stuff" in a business context, with at least enough success to merit a web site. Right in my own backyard I discovered Playback Columbus and its founders, Justin Simons and Amy Bennett. They shared my interest in the improv/business connection and considered me as a potential Playback player. Then, in early 2001, I answered an audition call in the local free paper for an improv group called Strangely Attractive that had been performing monthly on local-access cable tv for two years. After I stumbled through a few exercises while making sure to use the right words to show that I'd read all the books ("Yes, and you must accept, justify, and not break character"), the show's producer, Ray Gambrel, brought me on board.

My participation with these two groups helped me build my credibility among potential internal clients. It took me awhile to 'fess up to my coworkers that they could watch me verge on politically incorrect territory from the comfort of their living rooms.

The other significant event in my improv odyssey was the rising popularity of "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" This show greatly simplified the task of explaining to the uninitiated what improv was all about ("Well, you know that Drew Carey show…"). Improv was now becoming less of an academic concept to push onto people and more of a reality.

Through shameless self-promotion, I continued spreading the improv message throughout LexisNexis. I landed a few more teambuilding gigs from my internal clients. A true "ready-fire-aim" thinker, Joan Tyner, asked whether we could do some improv-based exercises with her team on a six-hour van ride from Dayton to Chicago. The thought of going to Chicago in February, and standing up in a van for several hours conducting improv games led me to say, "Sure! Great idea!"

We arrived in Chicago after a round of change-oriented games, including a few ball-toss games that illustrated the rapidity of change and the difficulty of keeping "several balls in the air." That evening, I shanghaied a couple of group members to accompany me on my first taste of Chicago improv, a trek to Charna Halpern's Improv Olympics. The experience brought to full circle the experience that started with the "Truth in Comedy" plane trip to Albany over two years before.

The year 2001 brought more networking opportunities with the ever-growing improv/business community, including a retreat in Asheville, NC. with Alain Rostain's Interactive Facilitation Techniques class and the Convergence 2001 innovation conference in Orlando, FL, where I met Kat Koppett, Finn Kollerup, and other people actively pursuing the application of improv to business and organizational life. I also presented an interactive seminar to Professor Steve Blatt's organizational communication class at the University of Dayton. Better to get to them early before the business world corrupts them!

Despite my growing confidence, I approached the Second Annual Human Resources Summit with trepidation. The previous year's evaluations were still on my mind. Should I make a big deal about improv with this group, or am I beginning to sound like a broken record? My fears were alleviated when a member of one of my breakout groups suggested using some improv to report out our results. Our report-out was extremely well received and revealed improv talent among our HR group.

Later, the summit participants attended a Murder Mystery Dinner Theater. After the show, my group prodded the actors to bring some of us up to do some improv scenes. The experience reminded me of the power of improv and how it pushes us to take risks and find reservoirs of greatness within ourselves.
My improv journey continues. New opportunities await me. But here's what I've learned so far:

• Passion - Nothing substitutes for a deep, passionate commitment to the things you love.
• Serendipity - Planning is important, but many breakthrough opportunities present themselves when you least expect them. Put yourself in a position to recognize and act on the opportunities that come your way.
• Grass-roots action - Systemic, fundamental change comes from appealing to the hearts and minds of everyone, not just the top leaders.
• Shamelessness - The inherent greatness and elegance of an idea may be totally apparent to you, but unless you get out there and beat your chest, nothing will happen.
• Networking - Build a network of like-minded people from inside and outside your organization. It's essential to any cutting-edge venture.
• Risking - You'll never have all the information you need to feel totally confident. You just need to leap ahead with the information you do have and trust that you'll handle things as you encounter them.

You can email Jerry at John.Kail@lexisnexis.com