WEBVTT

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[MUSIC PLAYING]

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In a previous episode, we talked about this idea.

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Getting good at improv is to rack up 10,000 failures

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instead of trying to actively avoid them.

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We talked about why failure is the engine of learning

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and how to reframe it in our brains.

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I also gave you different hacks for what

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to do in the moment when you feel like you're

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failing inside a scene.

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I'll link to that episode in the show notes and the

description.

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So if these kind of challenges are the key to growth,

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how do we get our reps in?

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How do we practice these kind of challenges in a way that

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actually makes us stronger and more adaptable and maybe

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a little bit less nervous?

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Today, we're going to get practical with full exercises

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that you can practice for in-scene recovery, ones

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that you can do safely in a practice session or a class,

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or even on your own.

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I'm going to walk you through six specific exercises

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and include those modifications as well for solo practice

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for some of them.

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This is so you can do sessions with or without others

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to deliberately train your failure muscle, I guess.

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By the end of this episode, you'll

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have that full workout, a full plan

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to put you in those tough spots and teach you

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how to get out of them so you can train yourself

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for these kind of moments when you come across them.

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Hi, I'm Jen deHaan, and this is your improv brain.

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I really like improv.

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I've taught it, I've coached it, and I make improvised

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audio dramas now at my production studio called

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StereoForest.

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So we'll get to today's exercises,

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but if you also want to download a booklet of these exercises

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that I'm about to describe, head to

improvupdate.com/downloads

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to grab it.

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I'm adding some additional examples of setups, coaching

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notes, and more in that booklet.

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So the goal of these exercises is

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to help you safely experience feeling things going wrong

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while you're in that controlled environment.

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You will build up a tolerance, hopefully, for chaos

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and learning that you always have a move to get out of it.

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This is that deliberate practice we talked about

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in the episode on failure, creating real challenges

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so you can work on error correction.

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So the first exercise is all about being thrown

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into a situation that is designed to be difficult

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from the very beginning.

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So exercise one is called wild setup, wild pivot.

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So this is an exercise that a teacher or coach can run for you

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and it comes in two parts.

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The idea is to create a scene that adds the failure,

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like hot injects it into the scene

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and has the improvisers, you, figure it out on the spot.

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So level one of this exercise is to create that wild setup

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that's a failure in itself, like at the top of the scene.

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So you might set up the scene with a base reality

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and a game that totally doesn't work

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or some sort of really challenging character dynamic

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that you want to work on that has always failed.

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You might want to start sort of mid-scene

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within the problem scenario.

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So pick out the kinds of scenarios

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that you've experienced that are tough.

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Part two is a bit more of a real world feel.

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You and your scene partners start a regular scene

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or if you want extra credit, use one of those setups

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that I just described

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that were already really hard and problematic.

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Then the teacher or coach will at some point

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at their discretion pause the scene and throw in that

wrench.

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So this is the problem or failure that you want to work on.

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It might be something that the coach has noticed

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or it's something that they think that will be helpful.

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They'll throw in that change.

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So say they'll say, "Now your characters are completely

different

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in this way that's really hard."

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Or you just learned that player one crashed your car

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because that would be really hard to do in the scene

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for whatever reason.

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And the improvisers have to take on that change

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and roll with it.

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And that's what you're figuring out.

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That's what you're practicing.

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I did this exercise or some variation of it

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with a great teacher who just goes by Berg

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and is really useful in a practical way.

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Plus those like mid-scene plot twists

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were just gold in that class.

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So I know you can do it.

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I know you can do really interesting pivots

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and comment about them.

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Let us know what they are.

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All right, so that exercise puts the failure on you

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from outside, from that external source.

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Our next exercise is about creating

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that failure feeling on the inside

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by forcing you to act before you think.

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So exercise two is jump without looking.

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So in that last episode, I mentioned this as a hack,

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the last episode on failure.

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As an exercise, it's about intentionally creating

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the condition of acting first and justifying after you act.

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So a coach or a teacher could set this up

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or you can even practice this on your own.

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So I'll describe that too.

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So in a practice group with multiple people,

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the idea here is to be responding

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to something unexpected.

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So a basic justification exercise

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that many of us have done

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is when your seam partner gives you an actual gift,

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they say what it is.

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John says, "Hey, Dan, here, I brought you this party

wrench."

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And then you have to reply to John

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and say what you're gonna use it for or something.

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So like a surprise.

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Or why is Dan giving it to you?

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Just justifies this gift choice.

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Now in a scene, this can be quite similar.

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The key now is to practice a very wild pivot

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kind of move.

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This can be done in different ways,

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different ways to set this up,

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depending on what you wanna work on.

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So here are a couple ideas.

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The coach could give one improviser

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something to do in the scene before it starts.

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So like as a secret,

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the improviser at some point

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has to spontaneously do this action

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or make a statement, whatever it is in the scene.

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Now the seam partner or the other person who is surprised

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has to justify that action for the scene,

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work it into the scene.

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This somewhat mimics you surprising yourself

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with saying something that just popped into your head.

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So that's what you wanna do for real,

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but we're kind of mimicking it in this exercise.

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You could also practice scenes

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where everyone knows the person practicing

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will say something unexpected,

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but you'll have to be very honest with yourself

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to make this work in a controlled space

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to say like actually do something unexpected,

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don't pre-plan it.

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You'll have to honestly do that

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and then everyone else can make it work in the scene after.

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Though forced to be spontaneously knowing

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that you will be doing something kind of scary,

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that on its own might make this kind of an extra challenge.

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All right, if you're on your own,

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write a bunch of monologue or character descriptions

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as the prompt.

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Have an alarm set with the description on your phone

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or a bunch of things in your pocket

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you gotta pull out or whatever

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for a time that you just stop and do it.

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So you don't need, you know, try to forget

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when the alarm's gonna go off,

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don't look at what you cut and paste into your phone

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or what you have in your pocket.

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When the alarm goes off, do that monologue

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or do that character, jump it in

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for like five minutes or something.

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Just verbally describe whatever you're doing in the

moment,

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but be in character, just say it and go.

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What does your character think about what you're doing?

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Whatever it is.

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So that's the challenge.

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Just jump, think after.

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So we've practiced dealing with a wild premise

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and our own unplanned moves.

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The next exercise will train you

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to handle a different kind of challenge,

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external distractions.

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So exercise number three is called F these distractions.

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This exercise is all about learning to focus

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when the environment itself is trying to pull you out

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of the scene, pull your brain out of things.

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So this is a lot about executive function

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and neural pruning and all this kind of stuff.

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So the setup for this will depend heavily

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on you or your team's context, where and what you perform.

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But the goal here is to create a setup

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where there are things happening

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that are very distracting to the performers

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who are actually there practicing this.

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So they should be tailored

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to what the people practicing actually find distracting

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and then practice it in a realistic way.

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What would actually be experienced?

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So don't try to heighten things here, just make it real.

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And just a side note, unless this is something being done

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with a group that has discussed what's going on

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and all agrees, you might wanna work out

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how and what these distractions are in advance

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with the people.

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And if you aren't comfortable sharing

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or this isn't the environment for you,

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you can set up the same kind of scenario on your own.

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So you need to monologue instead,

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but it's all certainly possible

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if you want to practice this alone.

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But whichever one you do know

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that you never need to force yourself

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into something you don't need or don't want to work on.

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This one is really one where you need to feel

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like it's something you want to opt into working on

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and that it's worth it to you.

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So before you start, think of some ideas

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of what you want to try to use to focus during the scene.

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So this could be anything.

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I'll make sure that I can't see the audience

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or I'll focus on the ticking of the clock instead

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if that's the thing that really distracts

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or will take away the distraction for you.

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So I might visualize things in a certain way

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or I'll focus on staying in character in a very certain way

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or I'll use a fidget toy in my pocket

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or clench my fist when this particular thing happens.

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So you have to find what works for you.

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It'll take a little bit of work to do the setup

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and figure this stuff out in advance.

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It could be like people talking on the back line

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or in the audience or maybe people eating in the audience

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or piano music in the background, a smell, a sticky stage,

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stopping a scene and resuming.

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That might be rough for you.

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Certain types of movements that you see peripherally

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or whatever.

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So then the coach can set up a scene

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that is maybe on the cognitively more difficult side

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for you to work on or progressively so

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and the players will test out their hypothesized

techniques

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at that point, discuss what works,

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discuss what doesn't work for you and what to try next.

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And I imagine that repeating and refining

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as you learn might help your brain.

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So how we deal with distractions

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and executive function is vastly different person to

person.

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So this is a very unique thing,

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but something you can practice as a group or on your own.

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All right, so the next exercise tackles

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some of the most common and frustrating types

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of scene failure when your partner

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isn't giving you anything to work with at all.

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Exercise number four, I'm gonna call the mannequin

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'cause I've improvised with a mannequin.

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It's fun.

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This exercise one improviser or ideally the coach

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is tasked with giving absolutely nothing in the scene.

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So this player can respond,

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but they don't offer any new information,

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any emotion or any ideas.

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They might just give one word answers

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or ask simple questions that make the other improviser

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add to the scene or they just,

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they add absolutely nothing in these questions.

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They might stand there with a blank expression

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or maybe even block some of the things you add into the scene.

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The point here is for forcing the other person

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to just carry the entire scene on their own

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to add all of that information

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and make it make sense from one side.

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So what does that feel like?

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What did you do?

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This is a simulation of a flat or a failed scene

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and lets you practice injecting into the scene

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or making bigger swings

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whenever you might need to think for two perhaps, right?

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That happens.

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Or if you want to ever get into solo improv,

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which I love, it's a lot of fun.

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It's a great simulation and preparation for that.

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So this is a really fun exercise

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that I learned from the improviser Jake Regal

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who ran it in a class I took.

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So you have to generate all the interest,

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all the emotion, all the game,

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all the storytelling from your own character

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and your own point of view.

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It's a really intense workout,

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but it teaches you that you have the power

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to make the scene interesting, any scene interesting.

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And if you feel like you're all alone

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or you are all alone or the scene is flat,

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it really helps you out

00:13:29.300 --> 00:13:33.380

and it helps you build that trust in yourself

00:13:33.380 --> 00:13:35.420

which is really important in improv.

00:13:35.420 --> 00:13:37.740

So if you're practicing this solo on your own

00:13:37.740 --> 00:13:39.580

it's totally designed for that.

00:13:39.580 --> 00:13:41.340

Write down a bunch of initiations

00:13:41.340 --> 00:13:44.620

and try doing both sides of the scene on your own.

00:13:44.620 --> 00:13:47.860

You don't need to do two voices if you don't want.

00:13:47.860 --> 00:13:50.780

You can use one voice or even one character

00:13:50.780 --> 00:13:52.980

like they're good and they're dark side.

00:13:52.980 --> 00:13:55.540

If you need help keeping it straight,

00:13:55.540 --> 00:13:58.880

what helps me is to either shift your body

00:13:58.880 --> 00:14:01.980

from side to side for each character

00:14:01.980 --> 00:14:03.340

or use a physical prop.

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You might have a hat, you take your glasses on and off,

00:14:07.540 --> 00:14:08.980

whatever it is.

00:14:08.980 --> 00:14:12.620

So what if your partner is instead giving you way too much?

00:14:12.620 --> 00:14:14.880

That's our next exercise.

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So exercise number five,

00:14:17.200 --> 00:14:19.900

I'm gonna call it "They're the worst."

00:14:19.900 --> 00:14:21.260

So this one's the opposite.

00:14:21.260 --> 00:14:23.820

This exercise is inspired by the one

00:14:23.820 --> 00:14:25.180

and only Sebastian Cannelly.

00:14:25.180 --> 00:14:27.380

It's paraphrasing his exercise

00:14:27.380 --> 00:14:29.140

and I can't recall if he had a name for it

00:14:29.140 --> 00:14:30.980

so this is just one that I made up.

00:14:30.980 --> 00:14:34.800

Anyways, here one player is explicitly instructed

00:14:34.800 --> 00:14:37.480

to try and ruin the scene.

00:14:37.480 --> 00:14:39.620

By being completely over the top

00:14:39.620 --> 00:14:43.980

or doing really whatever they want to do to ruin the scene.

00:14:43.980 --> 00:14:47.760

They are absurd, chaotic, nonsensical.

00:14:47.760 --> 00:14:51.800

They're the wildest character they can possibly imagine.

00:14:51.800 --> 00:14:53.920

They might break the reality of the scene,

00:14:53.920 --> 00:14:57.920

they might introduce wild new ideas every second.

00:14:57.920 --> 00:15:00.520

They just wanna create complete chaos.

00:15:00.520 --> 00:15:04.800

So the other player's job is to fix the scene.

00:15:04.800 --> 00:15:07.880

And by fix, I don't mean like shut down

00:15:07.880 --> 00:15:10.280

and stop the partner doing these things.

00:15:10.280 --> 00:15:12.960

They have to deal with this complete chaos

00:15:12.960 --> 00:15:16.120

the best they can for the audience

00:15:16.120 --> 00:15:18.420

as the scene partner is being

00:15:18.420 --> 00:15:21.660

completely chaotic, uncontrolled the whole time.

00:15:21.660 --> 00:15:24.780

The coach might prompt the wild character

00:15:24.780 --> 00:15:26.900

to make even wilder moves

00:15:26.900 --> 00:15:30.120

or add more chaos in particular ways.

00:15:30.120 --> 00:15:32.500

And so the scene partner doing the work here

00:15:32.500 --> 00:15:35.300

has to find a way to ground the scene,

00:15:35.300 --> 00:15:36.860

to make sense of the wild

00:15:36.860 --> 00:15:40.660

and to create some kind of playable reality,

00:15:40.660 --> 00:15:43.820

whatever they can out of this wild energy

00:15:43.820 --> 00:15:46.900

that the partner is throwing into the scene.

00:15:46.900 --> 00:15:49.340

So this exercise is so good

00:15:49.340 --> 00:15:53.020

for learning how to be the anchor in a storm.

00:15:53.020 --> 00:15:56.820

And it's a great test of spontaneous creativity.

00:15:56.820 --> 00:15:58.520

Really, you have to really kind of try

00:15:58.520 --> 00:16:00.260

to figure it out on the spot.

00:16:00.260 --> 00:16:03.720

So this is really good creative problem solving.

00:16:03.720 --> 00:16:07.520

So this one is really tough to practice solo,

00:16:07.520 --> 00:16:10.140

but one exercise that could help

00:16:10.140 --> 00:16:13.220

is to search, do like do an internet search

00:16:13.220 --> 00:16:15.340

or a Reddit search for strange,

00:16:15.340 --> 00:16:18.740

unexplainable, bizarre stories online.

00:16:18.740 --> 00:16:20.380

So it's like, you're looking for those kind of

00:16:20.380 --> 00:16:22.260

BuzzFeed style lists.

00:16:22.260 --> 00:16:25.100

And again, Reddit is somewhere you can often

00:16:25.100 --> 00:16:27.080

search for these kinds of things.

00:16:27.080 --> 00:16:30.340

So find a source of many of these kind of brief

00:16:30.340 --> 00:16:33.420

overviews for these kinds of stories, read them

00:16:33.420 --> 00:16:36.140

and then improvise a monologue

00:16:36.140 --> 00:16:38.860

to explain what really happened here.

00:16:38.860 --> 00:16:41.220

Make sense of that chaotic story.

00:16:41.220 --> 00:16:45.020

Maybe as a character from the story that you read,

00:16:45.020 --> 00:16:47.620

you could give yourself that extra challenge.

00:16:47.620 --> 00:16:50.860

You could also like pause a show or a movie

00:16:50.860 --> 00:16:53.860

that just is wild and doesn't make sense to you

00:16:53.860 --> 00:16:56.620

at the moment, pause it and do that same kind

00:16:56.620 --> 00:17:00.380

of improv exercise, ways to explain what's going on.

00:17:00.380 --> 00:17:03.780

I think many of us probably already do that

00:17:03.780 --> 00:17:05.100

when a show goes that way.

00:17:05.100 --> 00:17:07.900

Anyways, for our last exercise,

00:17:07.900 --> 00:17:09.900

we're going to get personal.

00:17:09.900 --> 00:17:13.140

This one is about identifying your biggest fear

00:17:13.140 --> 00:17:17.400

or weakness and running directly at it.

00:17:17.400 --> 00:17:21.780

So exercise number six is what I'm calling poop,

00:17:21.780 --> 00:17:26.180

hits the fan for insert your name here.

00:17:26.180 --> 00:17:27.660

This isn't really an exercise.

00:17:27.660 --> 00:17:29.960

It's more of a suggestion of what to work on,

00:17:29.960 --> 00:17:31.940

but I'm giving it a name anyways.

00:17:31.940 --> 00:17:35.600

I want you to think about that one exercise

00:17:35.600 --> 00:17:39.060

or skill and improv that always gives you trouble.

00:17:39.060 --> 00:17:41.100

For me, for a long time,

00:17:41.100 --> 00:17:43.960

it was any variation of the alphabet game,

00:17:43.960 --> 00:17:48.880

which is already designed to kind of have people mess up,

00:17:48.880 --> 00:17:53.880

but pick whichever exercise feels like that to you,

00:17:53.880 --> 00:17:56.000

the exercise of dread.

00:17:56.000 --> 00:17:59.120

The key here is to take that thing that you fear

00:17:59.120 --> 00:18:00.400

and instead of avoiding it,

00:18:00.400 --> 00:18:02.480

you create an exercise where the goal

00:18:02.480 --> 00:18:05.720

is to make the mistake.

00:18:05.720 --> 00:18:09.680

So maybe your issue is blocking offers.

00:18:09.680 --> 00:18:13.120

You could create an exercise where one person's only job

00:18:13.120 --> 00:18:15.220

is to make strong offers

00:18:15.220 --> 00:18:18.200

and your only job is to block them

00:18:18.200 --> 00:18:20.840

and the most absurd way possible perhaps.

00:18:20.840 --> 00:18:24.680

And then the whole group has to justify your block

00:18:24.680 --> 00:18:29.480

by leaning into your failure, you get stronger, right?

00:18:29.480 --> 00:18:31.960

Or you get more trust in your ability.

00:18:31.960 --> 00:18:33.720

Okay, so if you're doing like the alphabet game,

00:18:33.720 --> 00:18:35.720

that was mine.

00:18:35.720 --> 00:18:37.160

My brain just dislikes it

00:18:37.160 --> 00:18:40.000

for whatever autism reasons I think,

00:18:40.000 --> 00:18:42.160

but say in this kind of situation,

00:18:42.160 --> 00:18:44.000

the whole group would then have the goal

00:18:44.000 --> 00:18:45.720

of trying to mess me up.

00:18:45.720 --> 00:18:46.960

They might switch the letters

00:18:46.960 --> 00:18:49.800

or make me work with a number instead

00:18:49.800 --> 00:18:52.120

or give me the word to start with

00:18:52.120 --> 00:18:55.560

or maybe it's the last letter of the final word

00:18:55.560 --> 00:18:57.120

that your SEAM partner says

00:18:57.120 --> 00:19:00.560

and they could play at me with adding new final words

00:19:00.560 --> 00:19:03.880

and I never know when they're gonna end,

00:19:03.880 --> 00:19:05.480

but you're free to fail

00:19:05.480 --> 00:19:08.540

and you could just see what happens in your brain

00:19:08.540 --> 00:19:12.680

when whatever pressures you is gone, right?

00:19:12.680 --> 00:19:14.840

And that's what letting go

00:19:14.840 --> 00:19:18.120

or getting out of your head might feel like.

00:19:18.120 --> 00:19:19.880

So that's the workout plan,

00:19:19.880 --> 00:19:24.880

six exercise designed to get your reps in on failing

00:19:24.880 --> 00:19:28.720

so you can build strength, you can be adaptable,

00:19:28.720 --> 00:19:30.320

you can be confident

00:19:30.320 --> 00:19:32.880

that you can handle anything on stage,

00:19:32.880 --> 00:19:34.680

that's the trust in yourself.

00:19:34.680 --> 00:19:35.720

If you found this useful,

00:19:35.720 --> 00:19:38.160

I'd love for you to help me get the word out

00:19:38.160 --> 00:19:39.120

that I'm making these things.

00:19:39.120 --> 00:19:42.720

So other improvisers who might have a use for this,

00:19:42.720 --> 00:19:45.960

these videos and podcasts, 'cause that's why I'm here

00:19:45.960 --> 00:19:48.760

and check out my site improvupdate.com

00:19:48.760 --> 00:19:50.680

for a couple different newsletters

00:19:50.680 --> 00:19:53.040

and a bunch of resources that you can download,

00:19:53.040 --> 00:19:56.540

including the PDF of these exercises in this video

00:19:56.540 --> 00:19:59.720

and more, subscribe wherever you're watching this

00:19:59.720 --> 00:20:01.120

or listening to the show.

00:20:01.120 --> 00:20:03.400

I would love that, it would mean a lot to me.

00:20:03.400 --> 00:20:06.080

And again, if you wanna download these exercises

00:20:06.080 --> 00:20:09.300

in a useful format for running them,

00:20:09.300 --> 00:20:10.660

this video probably isn't,

00:20:10.660 --> 00:20:15.660

but the booklet might be at improvupdate.com/downloads.

00:20:15.660 --> 00:20:18.920

So we're back to our big question for today.

00:20:18.920 --> 00:20:21.020

How do you build a practice routine

00:20:21.020 --> 00:20:23.520

that takes on the things that bother you,

00:20:23.520 --> 00:20:27.720

these mistakes and turns them into improv that is stronger?

00:20:27.720 --> 00:20:30.820

So deliberate practice and error-based learning,

00:20:30.820 --> 00:20:35.460

mostly the ones that you make in a regular scene,

00:20:35.460 --> 00:20:37.220

the fails, the mistakes, whatever.

00:20:37.220 --> 00:20:39.380

You can also try mimicking them in practice

00:20:39.380 --> 00:20:42.900

in these exercises, which helps you trust your instincts

00:20:42.900 --> 00:20:45.380

for when these things happen for real.

00:20:45.380 --> 00:20:48.240

So sure, you can just do some improv,

00:20:48.240 --> 00:20:52.460

but I love identifying specific situations and scenarios

00:20:52.460 --> 00:20:54.020

that challenge me the most.

00:20:54.020 --> 00:20:56.440

I love thinking about them, creating exercises

00:20:56.440 --> 00:20:59.360

that simulate those challenges so I can work on them

00:20:59.360 --> 00:21:02.480

and get those reps in because it's fun.

00:21:02.480 --> 00:21:05.980

And you can look at these threats as gifts

00:21:05.980 --> 00:21:07.640

that they're fun to work with.

00:21:07.640 --> 00:21:09.580

And because it's make 'em ups,

00:21:09.580 --> 00:21:12.180

the stakes are usually pretty low.

00:21:12.180 --> 00:21:15.920

So I'll be back on next Monday for the next episode.

00:21:15.920 --> 00:21:16.760

Bye for now.

00:21:16.760 --> 00:21:18.560

(upbeat music)

00:21:18.560 --> 00:21:21.240

You have been listening to Your Improv Brain,

00:21:21.240 --> 00:21:23.260

a StereoForest production.

00:21:23.260 --> 00:21:25.980

This show is created and is written, edited,

00:21:25.980 --> 00:21:30.140

and produced by Jen deHaan of StereoForest.com

00:21:30.140 --> 00:21:33.540

You can find show information, show notes, transcripts,

00:21:33.540 --> 00:21:36.820

and contact information at the show's page

00:21:36.820 --> 00:21:40.580

at stereoforest.com/improvbrain.

00:21:40.580 --> 00:21:41.800

Thanks for listening.

00:21:41.800 --> 00:21:44.380

(upbeat music)

00:21:44.380 --> 00:21:46.380

[MUSIC]

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