#87 Improving Through Improv | Rick Andrews

The latest episode contains skills that can provide levity and improve relationships and are right on time for the holidays!  As we come together with family, it's all about improv and our ability to build on whatever is happening in the room in real-time.  Improv isn't just on stage or about being funny, as you'll learn. Years ago, I took improv classes and was initially terrified.  My fear vanished when I learned the goal wasn't to be funny but to be present and to be able to “yes, and” (an awesome skill you'll learn in this episode). It was a blast and taught me tons about life.  The skills I gained were immediately useful to me both personally and professionally.  In fact, here’s a great article that explains how it can boost a crucial life skill of helping us improve our ability to tolerate ambiguity: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1871187119302470 Because of improv’s ability to help us live more fully, I simply had to dedicate an episode to it. And I found the perfect person to interview: Rick Andrews. Rick is an adjunct professor at Columbia University where he teaches acting to MFA students and he’s been a performer and instructor of improv for over 20 years.  Yes, he is very funny.  More importantly, he helps people improve their listening, public speaking, leadership, professional innovation, and so much more.   You will hear Rick explain what improv is, what it’s not, you'll get a sense of how it's done, and you'll even hear a live improv exercise featuring me and Rick! So please, listen in and learn how to improve life through improv.