We can learn a lot from improv

There are a handful of rules that make or break improv comedy:

• Always make your partner look good by agreeing with what they say
• Continually build the story by replying “yes and…”
• Make assertions and statements
• Recognise there are no mistakes, only opportunities

Turns out these are actually great rules for the way we approach our work.

Consider what it would look like if, every day, we:

• Sought to make our clients, colleagues and bosses look good
• Changed our default response from “no, because…” to  “yes, and…”
• Boldly asserted our own ideas and contributions
• Weren’t afraid of making mistakes

Consider also that improv only works when partners actively listen, which is yet another useful skill in our everyday.