This past Sunday I took a free improv class at The Comedy Spot in Old Town Scottsdale. In my entire 48 years of life this was the very first such class I have ever taken. At this point you might wonder why a person such as myself – into computer programming and business – would be interested in a class like this.

If you have read some of my previous blogs or follow me on Twitter you know that I’m a huge believer in self-improvement. In the past my work has not required much in the way of public speaking but I have some upcoming ventures which will require it quite a bit. I have also recently heard a quote from Dan Pena that you should do something that scares you every day. My thinking was that taking improv classes would be a great way to get much better at being able to be more spontaneous and thinking fast on my feet. It would also be practice at being in front of an audience and help with presenting / public speaking. And, for me it would be scary!…So I went for it.

At some point in the long-ago past I got on the email list for The Comedy Spot and had been receiving emails about the various classes they offer. In addition to appealing to actors, comedians, speakers, etc. Sean Dillingham (Owner of the club) touts learning improv to help you improve in the business world as well. Among other benefits touted in an email advertisement I received he states that learning improv is for “those who want to learn how to think faster on their feet, be more spontaneous and in the moment reconnect with their creativity, be more confident speaking in public and just have more fun.”

The class that I took was approximately an hour and was advertised as a sort of “free sample” of the typical improv classes that go on every week at the club. There were about 15 – 20 people who showed up for the class. Most attending were either actors or in a profession dealing with presenting or speaking in front of an audience.

Everyone was extraordinarily friendly. From meeting fellow students before class started to participating in the exercises it was truly fun taking this class. For the duration of the class I actually felt like a kid again playing with neighborhood friends.

However, the most remarkable thing about the class was that I could instantly tell that this would in-fact be a great way to improve in public presenting and would probably work faster and better than other traditional methods (i.e. Toastmasters).

The class consisted of about 4 or 5 group exercises. The first exercise was sitting on chairs in a circle and learning everyone’s name. For this, each person had to say their name and give a unique gesture. Then everyone, in turn, would cite everyone else’s name going one by one around the circle. Another exercise was pairing up with another person and talking slowly where one person would lead and the other would follow talking at the same time saying the same words. During this exercise the other person would take the lead (without expressly telling the other person) and roles then were reversed so that the story being told was partially made up by each partner. After that we did spontaneous singing where a person would just sing whatever comes to mind until another random person taps the person and sings something else. For another exercise, there were three students put on stage together at a time and each one had to continue telling a story started by the first person.

The last exercise I remember doing was the the “Yes!!….and…” exercise. For this each student took turns paired up with another student on stage and had to ask the other person a question. The rule of this exercise was that when you were asked the question (no matter what it was) you had to say “Yes!!…and….” ..and continue talking.

Was this class everything I thought it would be? Yes!!…and to give you the short version as to why I will say that learning improv in a class like this requires you to give 100% of your attention to the moment at hand. At the exact moment of feeling fear there is also a huge fun factor of just going with the flow and speaking without thinking first. I have never been very good with names and somehow in the names exercise I was able to recite everyone’s name and gesture on the first go-round. As I participated in the exercises it became obvious how they were helping to sync me up with my respective partners. I believe, this kind of training would work equally well for business while presenting.

Sean Dillingham was excellent as an instructor. It was obvious that he  knows his craft and how to teach others as well. Life is unscripted. The techniques learned in an improv class lend themselves very well to any activity in life which requires you to be in front of an audience – even an audience of one. I’m looking forward to participating in more classes at The Comedy Spot and would recommend it to anyone.