Creative Conversations - How the Rules of Improv can Benefit Your Relationships

I recently re-read Tina Fey’s Bossypants which is a really fun read. I was reminded about the four rules of Improv. It sent me on an online search for the rules and I stumbled upon the 11 Commandments of Improv by Del Close. Del Close was a coach to many of the Saturday Night Live greats like Dan Aykroyd, Mike Myers, Tina Fey, Gilda Radner and dozens more.

It’s amazing how these simple rules can help actors keep a flow of conversation and story going in their improvisational scenes. We’ve thought before that these guidelines could be beneficial in relationship and in our conversations.

We’ve tried these out in our own friendship personally and as we do our work together. These rules of improv have helped us to get unstuck on more than on occasion.

I’ll start by sharing Tina Fey’s 4 Rules of Improv and then we’ll describe a bit how each one works relationally:

Agree…say YES
Say yes…AND
Make statements (as opposed to questions)
There are no mistakes (only opportunities)

Listen to the podcast to see how we unpack each of these in the context of relationships and conversations.