Announce Your Truth

Improv and Parenting

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It’s valuable to acknowledge that when most people hear the word improv, they look for the exit. Their backs start sweating and all energy goes into avoiding eye contact by trying to decipher the pattern on the carpet below them. People hate improv.

I’ve been improvising for over 15 years and one of my least favorite phrases is “and now for some audience participation.” Get. Me. Out of there. And yet, I love it. I love performing it, I love teaching it, I love introducing people to it. For me, it’s less about the show and more about the philosophy. “Applied improvisation” is a somewhat new phrase that describes the borrowing of various rules, ideas and mantras from improv and applying them to everyday life: business, sports, relationships, education and, of course, parenting. This is my kind of improv.

You can read about all of those various connections throughout . There is one, in particular, that is sticking with me today.

One of the most common questions I get from beginner improvisers is “but what if I get stuck?” It makes sense. When you’re taking such a risk as improvising, one of the driving fears is going to be feeling exposed and vulnerable; helpless and frozen. There are a number of antidotes to this inevitable poison. My favorite, though, is to “Announce Your Truth.”