The Number One Skill To Develop in Improv Comedy

In this article, I want to talk about a few ways you can improve your improvisation skills.

Before I get into that I want to tell you a little bit about myself and my experience in theater and in improvisation.  I’ve been involved in acting throughout my whole life. Whether this be in  school plays in middle school and high school, shooting short films when I was in college, or my involvement with second city improv in Chicago today. Over the years I’ve definitely learned a thing or two about the fine art of improv and in this article I’m going to share a few of those nuggets.

The first thing you need to understand about improv is the rational side of your brain should not be used when you are on stage. It’s funny because in any other pursuits outside of improv the logical, rational, thinking part of your brain will almost always be directly linked to your success. However, in improv using this side of your brain will actually be your biggest weakness. The moment you start thinking of things to say, or thinking of ways to be funny, or trying to be funny, or forcing things, you almost will always come off as a mechanical, unnatural, and most importantly not funny. So in order to do this you have to stop all filters that you normally would have inside of you when communicating.

For example, when you say things in say a business setting, you almost will always have a filter inside of your brain that make sure whatever you have the say is good enough, interesting enough, or worthy enough for anyone and everyone who is around you. You’re always making sure that you’re not looking like a fool, not saying anything stupid, and making sure it’s appropriate in the setting that you’re in.

However, you can’t have this type of thinking when you’re on stage. You have to remove that filter and just say whatever comes your mind. Whether that is something funny or not, isn’t the problem. The problem is you caring if it’s funny not. It’s very paradoxical in the sense that in order to be funny you have to stop caring about being funny. In order to flow you have to stop caring about trying to flow. This is why in improv, a lot of actors and actresses look at it almost like a way of life. As soon as you start caring too much and start worrying about of the “little me” that’s when your scenes always start to tank.

This is something that you can practice when you’re by yourself even. You don’t need to be on stage to try to remove this filter from your mind. Try sitting at home and just talking to yourself without thinking. Just free flow and let whatever that is going to come out, actually come out. Don’t let anything inhibit you to say what you want, when you want, and how you want. The more you practice this, the less that filter is going to have control over you in your mind, and you'll be able to take that skill over to the stage when the time calls for it.

So that wraps up this article, if you could take one thing from if this it would be following: whatever you say is the right thing to say. Why? Because you say so.  Stop worrying about what people think of you and just do what you want.