Think Faster and Better on Your Feet with Tricks from Improv

CNN and Real Simple have a good article with tricks on how to think faster on your feet, drawing some lessons from improv:

There's no getting around it. We live in an unscripted world. You can rehearse in front of a mirror till the cows come home -- for that job interview, for that meeting where you're expected to speak, for the moment when you finally walk up to that very attractive guy at the gym and introduce yourself. But the minute there's another person involved, the script goes out the window. If you mean to make an impression, you have to be able to think on your feet, hurl yourself into the moment, and improvise.

How? Well, obviously, some people are simply naturals. To help the rest of us develop some techniques, I turned to the professionals.

What's their secret? Interestingly, all the improv actors I spoke to pretty much agreed that the following three principles are at the heart of their art. And, without exception, they use them to propel conversations forward in their real lives, too.

1. The "yes...and" technique.
2. Go with your gut.
3. Make everyone else in your group look good.

The article closes by recommending taking an improv class to learn more. I heartily agree. I took Improv I and Improv II classes many years ago at SAK Comedy Club when I was living in Orlando. Not only were the classes a ton of fun, but it helped me to learn how to better think on my feet too.

What About Travel?

I had never thought of it before, but I wonder how much Improv affected my philosophy for travel? I love taking relatively unplanned vacations and making up adventures as I go. One of the funnest trips I've ever been on was when I spent a week in New Zealand followed by a week in Australia. My only plans before leaving were purchasing my plane tickets and reserving a spot in a hostel for my first night in Auckland and my first two nights in Sydney. Everything else, I made up as I went along. I discovered so much more to do this way than I ever could have had I planned everything before leaving home. (You can see photos from that trip here.)

Leaving room for spontaneity and serendipity in travel can often yield great rewards. The same holds true for life in general.

(HT Lifehacker)