Are You Making These Improv Mistakes?
The 7 Deadly Sins of Improv!

You've been learning skills and techniques to release your creativity.
Now, what are the mistakes to avoid? How can you avoid the stumbling blocks to success? 

Improv is a form of storytelling. Anything that contributes to a good story contributes to the success of improv. Anything that hurt a good story hurts your ability to improvise. And, such things also damage how we relate with people in the day-to-day world. 

Blocking: Negating the ideas and suggestions of other people (or yourself.) 

Anytime someone offers, any idea or suggestion, can be accepted it or blocked.

You could do a simple block:
"You have nice hair." 
"No, I don't."​

​Or, a more complete block:
"Nice hair!"
"I don't have any hair."

Notice that in the second example, you completely took away from any aspect of the reality they offered. That may seem over-the-top, but it happens in real life:
​"Nice shirt!"
"It's not a shirt, it's a sweater." 

You can see and hear blocking all around you​:
"I love you."
"You're just saying that."
"You're doing a good job."
"You must want something from me."

Wimping: Refusing to give information.

People are often afraid to be specific, in an effort to avoid judgement:
"How long have you been here?"
"I don't know."

​By refusing to contribute your thoughts, opinions, ideas and creativity, you'll guarantee that nothing happens.

The same in life: if your boss, spouse or friend asks your opinion and you refuse to give it, you're both stuck. 

Pimping: Trying to get others to give all the ideas.

In another effort to avoid sharing your own personal ideas, you may use questions to have the other person contribute all the ideas.
"Where are we?"
"At the mall silly."
"What should we buy?"
"A new dress!"
"Who's that over there?"
Etc...

This is very common in conversations. One person asks the other person a load of questions. ("Where are you from? How old are you? What are your hobbies? What do you do? What's your middle name? Who's your favorite band?") It begins to feel like an interrogation and the conversation feels awkward and dies a quick death.​ 

You want there to be an even give-and-take, a balance of contribution. ​

Gagging: Making gags at the expense of the scene.

Anytime you make a joke that makes the scene less believable, that's gagging:
"I'm going to shoot you!"
"With a toy gun? HAHAHA!"

Of course, improv is funny and humorous. That's fine. And yet, it can be so much more. It can be personal, moving, and connecting.

​And, it can only be that way if you're willing to let go of the need for laughter. Many people become dependent on the audience for approval. You'll only be able to express yourself fully, when you can free yourself of that need. 

Again, there are some people who can't help but keep conversations at a shallow, superficial level. They'll make joke after joke. They never allow the conversation into what's really important to them and the other person. They may even crack a joke at something very personal to that person, and offend them.

On the other hand, many people are too serious and need to laugh more. They need to lighten up, be more fun and easy going. It's a balancing act. ​

​Hedging: Avoiding being specific.

Think politician:
"What have you brought me here for?"
"That's an excellent question! There are many reasons and they are all important. Some of them may be beyond what you can possibly imagine. In fact, nothing you can..."

​This ties in, again, to our insecurities. When we're scared of failure, we're unwilling to say something specific, because it will lead in a specific direction -- possibly the "wrong" direction. 

Ever tried to decide where to go to dinner with someone and it sounded like this? "Where do you want to go?" "Well, where do you want to go?"

If you refuse to decide on a restaurant, nothing can happen. If you just decide on a restaurant, you can go and find out what it's like. (You can always leave if it's bad.) You'll learn much more by taking action than by sitting there thinking all day. (And you'll eat faster, too.

Remember the old saying: "She who hesitates waits, and waits, and waits, and waits, and waits..."​

Bridging: Avoiding doing something.

I've told students in my classes to fire someone in a scene. It may be minutes before they do it. They'll beat around the bush. They'll hem and haw. They won't just say, "You're fired."

"Well, I've been looking at your performance and it's really not where we'd like it. It's a bit below really. And, you've been behaving like a buffoon with the female staff. Also, there are some questions I'd like to ask you..."​

The person may think they are creating suspense, but they're usually not. They're drawing things out, because they are afraid of what to do afterwards. But, it will only become really exciting for the audience when something happens. ​

In your life, will you just say what you want to say? Or, do you say, "Look, you've been doing great and I really appreciate how nice you've been to Jim lately. I was just wondering, I mean hoping, it's just that sometimes I kind of think that perhaps at some point in the future, will sometime, doesn't have to be soon..."

You need to just get to your point and say it!​

Cancelling: Removing an idea that's been established.

This is a way to negate what's happened and to avoid being influenced.
"Wow, those flying saucers were horrible."
"Yes, Jimmy, but they were just part of your dream."​ (So, the flying saucers didn't exist at all.)

Another example is this.
"There's a tiger!
"I'll let it out. There, it's gone." (A tiger is introduced and instantly vanishes.)

This guarantees that nothing builds because everything is instantly eliminated. If you're one of the improvisers, you'll feel like you're trying to swim in quicksand.

By systematically noticing, recognizing and eliminating these "improv Sins," you'll make yourself a better performer. You'll gain skill coming up with ideas on-the-fly. And, you'll be able to prevent some of the main sources of failure -- whether improvising on stage or in life.