Confidence vs Hesitation in Improv Scenes

WORKSHOPS! Check out what's coming up for the Off Script Workshops. We're working on stuff brought up in this ep. https://yourimprovbrain.com/offscriptIf you start building your next line while your scene partner is still talking, you might be solving the wrong problem. This episode is about the improv pause, the beat between an offer and your response.Every improv scene has gaps in it, and most of the time nobody notices them because they stay short and disappear into the rhythm of the dialogue. When a pause runs longer, people start reading it, and the reading is usually some version of hesitation. That gets you the standard notes about committing faster or trusting your first instinct, which assume something fairly specific about what was going on inside your head during that silence. I talk about what a pause can actually be, why two completely different internal situations can produce almost identical silences on the outside, and what you can put into a beat so it reads the way you want it to.WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:Why speeding up your response can cost you the offer you needed mostThe difference between a pause that reads as blanking and one that reads as a choiceWhy the note to just be quicker asks you to fix the one thing that might not be availableWhat to put into a beat so your scene partner stops filling it in for youA couple of options when an offer arrives with more information in it than you can holdCHAPTERS:0:00 Building your line while your partner is still talking1:55 What this episode is about2:17 Improv as a receiving activity first3:05 Beats and gaps, and when people start noticing them4:47 The note you get when a pause reads as a confidence problem6:56 Two very different things that look identical from outside9:10 The third kind of pause10:00 The fix almost everyone arrives at on their own12:20 Processing delays and working memory inside a scene13:43 What a confident performer is actually doing in a beat16:20 Reacting before you respond18:17 Options when the offer has too much in it20:35 Where the phrase "juicy pauses" came fromRESOURCES:Suzi Barrett, improv podcaster, who coined the "juicy pauses" note: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgWKnIrmQ973mnHJtRRNAdAEarlier episodes on blanking and freezing on stage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeilTyCoEKE (and check the description for many more!)Earlier episode on silence and pauses as a chosen dramatic tool: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkIxMS8R30EDownloadable contentDownload the Free Post-Show Reflection Guide: Sent to your inbox when you subscribe to either newsletter (and added to the footer to each message if you're already subscribed).NEW! Comprehensive guides all about getting notes as a student, or giving them as a teacher. Two guides, big discount if you get both! https://yourimprovbrain.com/notesGet a booklet with six exercises to help you get reps in challenging scenes called "Exercises to Ruin You"Get more downloadable booklets here: https://yourimprovbrain.com/shopReview the showPlease consider leaving a review wherever you review podcasts. Don't know where? Here are some options.Apple Podcasts | PodchaserIt helps out! Thanks!Support the showLike this episode or show and want more? Support us with a one-time tip: https://learn.improvupdate.com/products/supportWe love our podcast host Capitvate.fm! Contact to ask me anything, anytime. You can support the shows by signing up with Captivate here: https://www.captivate.fm/signup?ref=yzjiytzWe have our newsletters on Kit.com. We also have our tip form with them, and sell products on their platform. Easy, and they don't take a cut! Check Kit out and support the show using this: https://partners.kit.com/ijdkivtf8nddTranscriptions by MacWhisper. I use and love the Pro version (subscription free!) - you can get it too using this link: https://gumroad.com/a/20303251/ivpqkSchedule posts? We use Metricool (reasonable for multiple accounts/brands/shows). Support us using our link: https://f.mtr.cool/VZBOZRSupport the show and get creative templates and assets: https://share.uppbeat.io/p4od8inwhc2jAboutThis podcast was created, written, and is hosted by Jen deHaan. Jen has certifications related to healthy communities (Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy), nervous system regulation and soon teacher training certification on community resilience. She has a BFA in teaching creative arts to adults. You can find her full bio here.This podcast was written, recorded and edited in British Columbia, Canada by Jen.Mentioned in this episode:Visit Your Improv BrainWorkshops, this show, newsletter & Jams, downloads and more. https://YourImprovBrain.comThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacyPodcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacyPodtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp