| Do you want to improve your presentation skills | | | | 2) You will develop natural movements - Many |
| and be a great speaker? Then you should | | | | presentation skills coaches and instructors teach |
| consider learning improvisational comedy! | | | | you to not move your arms at all, and to keep |
| I know what you're thinking: "I don't improvise my | | | | them at your side. They say that hand gestures |
| speeches. I write them out and memorize them." | | | | are distracting. Not true! While excessive hand |
| That may be the case, but there are three | | | | gestures may distract the audience, it is even |
| reasons you should still learn improv comedy: | | | | more distracting to watch someone struggle to |
| 1) You will definitely find yourself in situations | | | | stay still who likes to move. The exercises in |
| where you have to give an unscripted speech. | | | | improv comedy can help you develop |
| Maybe you get asked to speak on short notice, | | | | movements that are natural and don't distract. |
| or for a presentation so small it is not wort | | | | 3) You will be funnier - Even if you are not a |
| scripting. | | | | humorist, if you can make an audience laugh, or |
| 2) Things will go wrong, and you may have to go | | | | at least smile, you will be a success. It's called |
| "off-script" and improvise. | | | | improv *comedy* for a reason. By learning |
| 3) Learning to improvise will absolutely 100% | | | | improv, you will develop you own natural sense of |
| improve your scripted presentation skills! | | | | humor and learn to use it off the cuff, as needed. |
| If you're unfamiliar, improv comedy is a form of | | | | 4) You will be better able to connect with the |
| theater where performers take the stage with | | | | audience - Improv is an interactive performance |
| nothing prepared in advance and make it up as | | | | form. The audience is part of the show. As you |
| you go along. Learning improv comedy can help | | | | become a better improviser, you will learn to |
| your presentation skills in the following powerful | | | | work with the audience and automatically sense |
| ways: | | | | when they are with you and not. |
| 1) You will be more authentic - The best bit of | | | | Consider taking a class or joining an improv group. |
| advice you can receive as a speaker is to "be | | | | All major cities and many smaller ones have |
| more authentic." Unfortunately, many people who | | | | improv groups that put on shows and offer |
| suggest this never go on to explain *how* to be | | | | classes. If not, try checking in with local theaters - |
| more authentic. Any competent improv instructor | | | | many of them offer classes in improvisation. |
| will not only stress the importance of being | | | | Not only will you improve your presentation skills, |
| authentic when improvising, but will also take you | | | | but you will also have a tremendous amount of |
| through exercises designed to help you learn how. | | | | fun! |