Just Dive In

It was a sight to behold:  Twenty four ordinarily reserved adults writhing on the floor, speaking  gibberish, morphing into an interlocking, pulsating, noise-emitting machine, and  giggling like kids.  So began a morning of Improvisation Games, part of a two-day Presentation Skills training retreat I recently facilitated.

Well, truthfully, the morning had actually begun with twenty four pairs of eyes staring at me in abject terror.   IMPROVISATION?  Like that TV show “Whose Line is it Anyway?”  Are you KIDDING?

Fear coursed through the room like a current as I explained the simple rules of the road:

  • Stay out of the past and future—be here right now.
  • Move the scene or situation forward by adding on to what your teammate has built.
  • Listen well and respond authentically.
  • It’s ok not to know what’s going to happen next.
  • Speak up so people can hear you.
  • And, above all, don’t be wishy washy:  Make a strong choice and dive right in.

Really, I explained, you know how to do this stuff.  Or you did once, when you were kids.  It’s called playing.  It’s called pretend.  Remember? Like “Let’s pretend I’m Wonder Woman, and you’re a bad guy trying to kidnap my brother!”    Remember how you surrendered to each moment as you went along?  Remember how you just dove right in, all senses go, without question?

And they did remember, even the most shy and introverted diving into the improvisations with a gleeful, silly, anything-goes, childlike attitude.   Afterwards, I asked each participant to summarize their feelings into one word. “Suprising,” someone said; “exhilarating,” said another.  “Empowering… eye-opening… fun… energizing… magical… funny…” Faces flushed, hearts pounding, overflowing with energy, my workshop participants were undoubtedly more awake, alive and connected to their passionate selves (and to one another) as they had been in a long time.

The experience underscored for me not only the value of play for play’s sake, but just how important it is to be able to let go and surrender to the given moment.  This, in fact, is the key to giving a memorable presentation.  Because when you are alive to the wonder of each moment as it unfolds, creativity and  energy come together to make real magic.

SOURCE: http://abecssbr.com/ann-arbor/ann-arbor-2011/guest-columns-ann-arbor-201...

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