Play: Improv is for Everyone!

Improv can seem intimidating if you have only ever seen it on a stage or in a comedy class. You picture the quick thinkers, the bold personalities, the people who seem to pull entire worlds out of thin air with nothing but a sentence and a shrug. But at its heart, improv is not performance. It is presence. It is curiosity. It is the art of letting the story unfold rather than trying to write it in advance.

And that means improv is something all of us can do.
In fact, we already do it every day.

Every conversation, every unexpected moment, every time life changes the plan and you adjust, you are improvising. The more you practice it, the more comfortable you become with surprise, with wonder, with discovery, and with the new parts of yourself that emerge when you just let things unfold. 

Now, I'm not saying "Don't have a plan." You should always try to plan when you have the capacity, but life often laughs at our plans and that is where improv skills are a game changer.

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SURPRISE!

Improv begins with a simple truth: you never know what is coming next. There is no script, no outline, no carefully prepared speech. You begin with nothing but an opening line and the willingness to follow it.

This is where the surprise lives.

Someone names a character you did not expect. Someone introduces an idea that changes the scene completely. Someone says a sentence that suddenly pulls everything into focus. And because you cannot predict it, you have to respond honestly. You have to meet the moment as it is. 

Practicing improv teaches you how to embrace the unexpected instead of resisting it. It trains you to respond with openness rather than fear. It reminds you that surprise is not always a threat. Often, it is an invitation. 

One of the core principles of improv is "yes, and . . . " When someone says a phrase that establishes something, it's almost always better to accept the truth of what they said and build on it.  

For instance: if someone says "that ball is red" thereby establishing a red ball in the scene, it is better to say "yes, and it is sticky!" This accepts the red ball and then enhances it.  Now all sorts of interesting things can be explored!  Why is it sticky?  Where did it come from? What is the purpose of this sticky red ball and what should we do with it?

If your scene partner says "that ball is red" and you reply "NO, that ball is green" then the audience doesn't know who to trust and the scene will likely become combative.

Staying with "yes, and" keeps the momentum and reality of a scene and allows for the next surprise!

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Wonder

When the story can go anywhere, the world feels bigger. Small details become magical. Ordinary ideas become doorways. Even a simple gesture can feel like the beginning of something extraordinary.

Improv invites you to pay attention. You listen more carefully. You watch more closely. You react with just a little more imagination than you did a moment before. And in that shift, wonder shows up.

It is the same feeling you get when a friend tells a story that takes a sudden turn. Or when a Dungeons and Dragons session veers off the rails in the best possible way. The story becomes alive, full of possibility, shaped by everyone involved instead of controlled by a single plan. 

Wonder grows whenever you let the story breathe and it can happen anywhere you let it.  I challenge you to find moments of wonder in your everyday life.  Recently, I've been struck by the beauty of the fall leaves I see on my daily walks.  I make a point to stop and wonder at them as often as time allows.

The more you practice finding wonder in the little things, the easier it is to bring it to the big things, like work and relationships!

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Play

Improvisation is one of the purest forms of play. It asks nothing from you except presence and curiosity. It rewards you with laughter, with connection, and with the gentle thrill of stepping into the unknown.

Most importantly, improv reminds us that storytelling is not a fixed act. It is a living thing. Whether you are telling your own story or helping someone else shape theirs, play keeps the process flexible and honest. It encourages exploration. It invites new perspectives. It helps you discover who you are becoming.

We do not always get to choose the opening line of our lives. But we always get to choose how we respond. And in that choice lives the art of improvisation, the joy of discovery, and the quiet, steady growth that comes from letting the story surprise you.

The ball is red . . .