My friend Tim said to me, out of blue one day, “Hey Al, since you’ve been teaching Improv at our Toastmasters club, why don’t we use it to address assertiveness?” Or something like that. He had previously taught this subject in a workshop and wanted to try again. He soon brought Pam, our fellow Toastmaster on board as he just had a feeling that she would be good. It was great instinct. Pam has more corporate would expernece than either of us and is a calm, cool and collected person. Always logical, a good listener and speaker. It just made sense. Once we decided how we were going to work together, we initiated the launch sequence and put tighter the basics of a workshop. Tim and Pam collaborated on information to be delivered in presentation from and I’m focused on my exercises; researching first LinkedIn on assertiveness training and then my Improv books. Where do assertiveness and improv intersect?
It might seem that improv which is often considered a gateway to silliness wouldn’t be applicable. But improv contains many exercises designed to get a person listening, paying attention to body language, voice intonation and perhaps capitalizing on any humor. Improv is also about being relaxed and in the moment, characteristics relevant to assertiveness. Often in a moment of conflict we charge in or we sit back, trying to guess which is best. Improv teaches us to feel present, participate as a co-member, be in the moment and really listen to what’s being said with a goal of creating something proactive with all involved. Videos on LinkedIn reinforced my thinking; success means paying attention to your voice and body language and not just the content, but the mechanics as well
