By Pamela Meyer

Most of us hope our audiences will be transformed by our message and by the experience they have in our keynotes and seminars. Yet, how many of us show up to each speaking opportunity with the same expectation of ourselves—that we will transform in response to our audience? Transformation is a two-way street. We cannot provide a transformative experience unless we are willing to be transformed each time we speak.

Good intentions are not enough. It is all too easy to get lulled into our comfort zone with familiar material ("I always get a laugh on this line," "They always have a breakthrough when they do this exercise") or make assumptions about our audience based on past experiences. If you have developed a prescriptive relationship to your material (e.g. "When I do x, y always happens") or have unconsciously established a love affair with a particular way of executing your presentation, you may be limiting both you and your audience’s opportunities for transformation.

The Antidote
Who better to help us rediscover the opportunities of the present moment than those who practice the art of transformation—improvisers who nightly create entire evenings of theatre based only on a suggestion or two from the audience? Improvisers do not simply get on stage each night and try to be brilliant, though they often are. No, they first practiced the principles of improvisation and became fluent in the language of creativity. You can learn to apply these same principles to achieve deeper levels of spontaneity, humor and authenticity each time you speak—to be both the transformer and the transformed.

Say, "Yes, and . . ."
Successful improvisation depends on the ability to accept whatever is given and add to it. Improvisers discovered that whenever they say "no" to something offered to them on stage, the scene stops dead in its tracks. "Yes" keeps the creative energy flowing, it acknowlegdges the gift of the contribution.

The "and" in Say, "Yes, and . . ." is equally important. Accept your gift as if it is the most wonderful thing you have ever received. Then reciprocate by giving something back of equal or greater value. "And" is your doorway to transformation, your opportunity to make a new discovery and reflect it back to your audience.

Accept the gift of a difficult audience member, an insightful question; say, "yes" to a change in your presentation time slot, or length, to the previous speaker (whether compelling or dry as toast). They are all opportunities if you accept them and make a positive contribution in response. M.J. Cross finds many opportunities to use "Yes, and . . ." in her management seminars. "I often use open-ended questions to get the audience to reflect on their experience. The danger is, you never know what you will get back, and it’s important to keep the discussion focused and relevant for all participants. When I get an off-target, or antagonistic response I find it useful to acknowlege the participant with a "yes" then invite additional participation with, "and, who else would like to contribute?"

"Yes, and . . ." keeps everyone engaged without squelching participation. The difficult aduience member is looking for an enemy. "Yes, and . . ." removes the enemy and restores an active learning evironment.

Don’t Compete, Collaborate
I have seen no other organization embody this principle to the degree of NSA. It is what compelled me to join, and inspires me to contribute to the profession in anyway I can. There is no place for competition in the improvising organization or with the improvising speaker. Egos, status, grand standing, turf wars, information hoarding all lead to fear and rigidity—an impossible environment for growth and transformation.

Collaboration demands give and take—an unencumbered flow of information and ideas. The focus is on the success of the group experience, not on individual achievement. What if you thought of your audience as a collaborator? A partner in learning and personal growth? The late Malcom Knowles, who revolutionized our understanding of adult learning, and was himself a legendary educator, speaker and trainer, preferred the role of facilitator or "pointer-outer." Perhaps not as rewarding to the ego, but much more powerful for the audience member and learner.

Have you have missed opportunities to collaborate with speaking colleagues, hotel staff, reference librarians, or your in-flight seatmate? It may not be competition that keeps you from the riches of collaboration. Perhaps you take pride in self-sufficiency, or find it easier to keep to yourself (I often say, "When left to my own devices, I like to be left to my own devices.") If this is the case, challenge yourself (as I do) from time to time to look up from your paper, book or laptop and engage a new collaborator. You may find yourself refreshed and inspired (and generating a wealth of new material) from these encounters.

I had an opportunity to collaborate with my cab driver on the way to a recent book signing seminar. He asked me to tell him about my book (I jumped at the chance to rehearse my introduction). He responded by telling me how he finds ways to apply the principles of improvisation as he creates original music. He gave me a fresh example to share with my audience, one that I would have missed had I chosen not to collaborate!

Make Everyone Else Look Good
Improvisers walk on stage not with the intention to shine as individual performers, but to ensure that everyone else looks good. With that single focus, they are free to contribute when needed, and hang back when it is in the best interest of the scene. Last year, before a particularly demanding presentation I began spinning into uncharted territories of fear. "What if I have too much audience participation for this group," "What if I have too much information," "What if my shoes are too funky," "What if . . . , what if . . . , what if . . . !?!?!" I rescued myself the day of the presentation by writing a note on a bright pink post-it and placing it in my view from the platform. It said, "It’s not about you."

Your job is not to make yourself look good, or impress the audience with how much you know about your topic. You are in big trouble if that is your chief concern. Your job is to be of service to the audience, meeting planner, client, and everyone else with whom you collaborate to achieve the most rewarding experience possible. Not surprisingly, you will look good, no, great, when your focus is on service.

One of my first acting teachers in college reminded his band of eager, nervous students, "The play doesn’t happen on stage, it happens in the audience." Similarly, when we speak to create the experience in the audience, not on the stage, we give ourselves and our audiences the opportunity to make transformative discoveries.

The Process is the Product
"If you start an improvisation knowing how you want it to end, you are already in trouble," I tell my novice improvisers. "The process is the product." Conversely, if you embrace the process, the product inevitably takes care of itself. Doesn’t this run counter to all you’ve heard about well-researched and developed presentations? Not at all. Of course, you will develop a powerful vision, do your homework, rehearse your programs. Trouble begins when you have a deathgrip on the outcome of your story, joke, exercise or entire presentation. When you abandon the process, you will miss some of the most powerful opportunities of the moment.

NSA member Mari Pat Varga, took a course in improvisation to increase spontaneity on the platform. She reflected, "I sometimes get too attached to my agenda, content or outline. And, while I successfully accomplish all I plan to say, by the time my presentation ends, the audience isn’t always there with me. I recall once conducting a workshop where I barreled through my content only to realize that my audience had barreled out. They were distracted and certainly not focused on my message. I flashed back to what I learned in my improv class. I stopped, tossed aside my agenda, and acknowledged that I sensed what I was saying was not what they needed. One audience member shared that an hour before my presentation, the company announced huge layoffs—they needed to talk about how to face those changes. We did just that for the next hour and later the CEO told me how much he appreciated my ability to respond to that need. Improv to the rescue!"

Had Varga been more concerned with the product, than the process she might have missed the message her audience sent her; had she not transformed in response to the moment, the audience would have missed its opportunity for transformation.

There are no Mistakes
Fear of making mistakes or appearing foolish is one of the biggest road blocks to transformation. Any seasoned improviser will tell you: fear paralyses the creative impulse. So how do they create outrageous, and even poignant material on the spot, night after night? They live by the creed: there are no mistakes, only opportunities.

Tom Peters, in his new book, The Circle of Innovation, goes a step further: "Mistakes are not the ‘spice’ of life. Mistakes are life. Mistakes are not to be tolerated. They are to be encouraged. (And, mostly, the bigger the better.)" This is a provocative statement from one of business’ greatest provocateurs. Is he suggesting we start out intending to fail? Perhaps not, but he is challenging us to new heights of growth that are not possible if we are most concerned with avoiding mistakes.

You don’t need to join an improv comedy troupe to take advantage of the wisdom of improvisation. Practicing the principles will restore you to the electricity of the present moment, the only place to discover creative possibilities. Be patient. The goal is not perfection, but presence. There you will inspire and be inspired as you transform along with your audience.

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