Originally published on LinkedIn July 12, 2024
<TL;DR summary> Improv skills are applicable before you even hit the presentation stage. Don’t sweat all the details in many kinds of corporate storytelling, as long as the essence of the story is “tested” as clear to most readers/listeners/viewers. You don’t always need words, or more words, to tell an amazing story. In fact, you may need zero words! The process of ideating a piece of written, spoken, or illustrated communication has a deep overlap with the tenets of improvisational theater, commonly called “improv.” Marketers and writers should explore embracing improv as part of their ideation and creation process. </TL;DR>
The long version
Improv skills are almost always looked at to help the actual presentation. Like, what happens when the projector or internet dies? Or your demo conks out? Or you get a weird audience question? How can you improvise the unknown into success?
But what about leveraging improv skills for other, earlier in the process, aspects of storytelling?
Last night I was at an improv jam, and we played a game where:
- Player 1 (me) told a one minute improvised story to player 2.
- Then player 2 acted it out, without words, to player 3 (who hadn’t heard the original story as players 3 and 4 were sequestered in another room).
- Then, in turn, player 4 returned to the stage where player 3 acted out, without words, their interpretation of player 2’s earlier interpretation of the original story from player 1.
- Finally, player 4 interpreted the story, aloud with words, to the audience.
The original story, which player 1 made up on the spot, involved a string bass player with a wicked heart who was visited by a faerie who turned his string bass into a skillet. He was forced to make pancakes to feed people until his heart became pure, at which point the faerie returned and turned his skillet back into his string bass. (My 1-min made-up-on-the-spot story did get some “awwws” from the audience!)
The full game went well, because at the end, the “acted with no words” and “viewer” players got amazingly close to the original story in its final retelling out loud.
During reflection time, the whole group agreed that the full essence of the story was communicated clearly to everyone by the end of the game, despite some details changing across each telling.
So, what the heck does this have to do with marketing or writing or sales or anything LinkedIn-ish?
1 – The essence of a story can be communicated and remembered even if the details are off a bit. For example, the final story player 4 recounted aloud had burritos being made, not pancakes. But the essence of the wicked hearted bass player being redeemed with a lesson from a faerie came through, to our delight.
Minutia may or may not impact the point you are trying to make. Try to understand, and test, when you can cut something out for length, clarity, and factual or emotional impact. Even when the story is highly technical, this applies, although the level of detail you are willing to lose for story impact will change with business context.
2 – Words can be overrated. Just because you can write something or say something doesn’t mean you have to. Maybe use an illustration, functional or metaphorical or both, depending on the goal. Maybe your point can be made in a cartoon. And no, cartoons are not “stupid” as a former leader once told me when he refused to engage Tom Fishburne , the Marketoonist on a project.
Perhaps when you are preparing to present, cut some words out – or cut all words out – and draw on a flipchart. Or use a physical manipulative to show the audience something. Or just use your face and hands to show an emotion or idea if you can rather than telling them directly. Or reinforce your spoken words with a creative use of written words and doodles. Or sing and dance it out. Or gamify the communication into a more engaging, participatory learning experience, like Valary Oleinik might recommend.
3 – An ideation process can (must?) rely on the tenets of improv. To come up with elements of a story to explain something, sell something, or convince someone of a position, we as product marketers and writers can leverage elements of improvisational acting during storytelling ideation and testing.
- Things like saying the first thing that comes to our mind, unfiltered, whether or not we actually use it in the final product.
- Like “yes, and-ing” your co-workers to allow ideas to connect and build on one another even if the initial idea offer is weird.
- Being willing to try something in front of a supportive audience whose energy and support help the creative process, even when it goes awry.
- Allowing your “scene partner” to speak while you are truly listening and processing.
- Not being afraid of “a silent pause” to allow your audience to grasp and/or roll an idea around on their tongue.
- Finding the “game” in a story, and doubling down on it to allow the audience to engage deeply with you.
- Understanding when you should, and should not, “kill” a test idea – and what portions of that initial, failed idea can be reincarnated into a better, future idea.
Corporate “storytelling” is this, and so much more. For example, outside of the story creation, presentation impacts on storytelling include presence, pacing, tone, eye contact, emotion, rehearsal, technical knowledge and so much more! And there are so many ways to construct a story. And so many types of stories! And so many business goals. Improv skills can be really helpful, or even essential, across all aprts of a story’s lifecycle, including the ideation stage.
Written by Gary Dietz, Product Marketing Manager