Improv Principles and Guidelines

Do

• Be totally in the moment; don't think ahead or plan; avoid preconceived notions
• Be honest with yourself
• Be honest with others
• Willingness to take risks
• Go outside yourself, i.e create characters!
• "Yes and" - accept/acknowledge and add information
• Do not deny or negate
• Listen
• Trust yourself and your partners
• Respect others
• Communicate clearly and with specific details
• Commit to your choices
• Justify your choices, justify your partner's choices
• Play it, don't say it, i.e. not "I'm nervous", but ACT nervous
• Your imagination is not limited by time and space
• Be physical/use your space
• Silence and waiting are golden!
• Exaggerate emotions

Don't

• Upstage your partners
• Ask too many questions
• Refer to sickness/disease if at all possible
• Go for the quick joke
• Rely on gutter humor
• Actually do physical harm to someone - this is pretending!

* Please consider how following these principles and guidelines will enhance, improve and strengthen your spontaneity, creativity, clarity of communication, relationships, cooperation and performance at work, at play, in relationships - in life! *