Improv & Conscious Leadership: Unfreezing Yourself Through “Yes, And…”
Have you ever felt the words stuck in your throat as you speak up in a meeting? Or when you’re starting an important conversation?
It’s a pretty common feeling.
If you let the fear stop you from contributing at work, you’re hurting your career and leadership.
I found myself in this situation a few years ago. Tigers weren’t chasing me, but my body & mind reacted as if they were. I began shrinking and avoiding anything that required me to speak or be seen.
Can you relate?
Somatic therapy helped. So did joining my local improv class.
You may be great at your job, but failing to speak up & contribute costs you leadership opportunities. It’s painful to see this in someone on your team.
Improv is a playful way to close the gap between your subject matter expertise and your conscious leadership skills.
A few things both improvisation & conscious leadership ask of you:
Be in the present moment
Give up being right
Listen deeply
Be self-aware & pay attention to what’s going around you
Shift when triggered by a change
⏱ Drop back into the moment when you mess up (mistakes only kill your ego!)
The big idea of improv is that you say YES and agree to whatever your partner brings to the moment. If she says she’s a fish on a bicycle, you don’t argue. You say Yes, and… add the first thing that comes to your mind.
So let’s practice:
Yes, and…
The most important thing in the game is that you can’t get it wrong. Liberating!
Yes, and it takes practice to allow your whole being to feel OK when you’ve flubbed.
Yes, and you’ll still have the urge to study other people so you get it right.
Yes, and with your heart racing, your throat so tight you can barely speak, you get up on stage.
Yes, and with practice you’ll get comfortable, and maybe even feel expansive, when other people are watching you.
Yes, and… Tina Fey writes in her Bossypants chapter: Rules of Improvisation That Will Change Your Life and Reduce Belly Fat, “means don’t be afraid to contribute. It’s your responsibility to contribute. Always make sure you’re adding something to the discussion.”
Yes, and your contribution counts way beyond the improv stage.
Yes, And…Two tiny words with a big impact on your conscious leadership!
I’m Meg Dennison, conscious leadership coach to ambitious women, workshop facilitator and founder of Conscious Leaders Lab, an immersive experience for women to fulfill their potential by mastering leadership skills to match their expertise so they are promoted, paid and lead confidently in uncertain times.