Thank you all for attending the BraveSpace session at NASAGA 2019. You are all improvisers and did amazing work.
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Below I have provided: Recap of Session, Additional Resources and Reinforcements. Please do not hesitate to reach out for anything else you might be curious about.
How can Improvisation work to counter the four pillars within the VUCA model and how you can use it in facilitating, training and designing learning for teams to align improvisational techniques to the four VUCA pillars. 1-Volatile 2-Uncertainty 3-Complexity 4-Ambiguity -and how an improv mindset can help you navigate with ease.
Learning Objectives –
-Adapting to frequent, rapid and significant change in real time in a low stake’s environment. Improvisation helps you to move forward with using only what you have in the moment and not letting the fear of the unknown keep you from progress.
-Learn to manage chaos and weave unrelated, unexpected elements together.
-Act without hesitation and with confidence.
-Learn to use what you have in the moments you cannot plan or prepare for.
Seems like there is an article every day now talking about change. It is the only constant in today’s global business environment and the new economy brings with it digital disruption, and transformation, constantly shifting organizational models, AI, big data, sprinkle in a touch of chaos and I’m getting dizzy. Basically, there’s a lot going on and it is extremely difficult to keep up, but the companies facing the reality of where business is, where it’s going and responding to it with different and innovative approaches will beat out complacent competitors. This is not the time for stagnation.
The business world has taken to using the military term VUCA, short for, Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous to describe this unpredictable work climate we find ourselves in. If you haven’t heard of it, I’ll bet you suffer from it. We needed a label for all the chaos and uncertainty because it’s scary and the concept VUCA gives us some context to work within so we can begin to think about a strategy.
The good news is, you can learn to thrive in a VUCA environment and companies can equip their employees to handle the new challenges and uncertainty. By adapting, interacting and even playing with the volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous circumstances we are up against, we can learn to thrive. Organizations can support a “how to thrive in a VUCA state” mindset and even embed it into their culture.
Practicing how to respond to uncertainty and adapting to change in the moment are not skills most corporate environments have created a space for. Not because they don’t get it or recognize the value, the truth is, there aren’t a lot of programs or methodologies that allow people to simulate scenarios where VUCA conditions exist and allow people to practice resilience and adaptability and strengthening these muscles over time.
Improvisation, the art of working without a script, adapting in the moment using only what you have and building something out of nothing is a novel way to tap into and to practice skills like adaptability and resilience, which are really at the core of countering the VUCA pillars. When I started taking improv classes almost two decades ago, I had no idea that over time I would evolve into a “Ninja of the Unknown”. It was just like learning to play a sport with rules you adhere to in order for it to work. In order for it (improv) to work, I had to learn the rules and practice them in given scenarios, and handling the unknown was just one of the rules of improv I had to master. Over time, I watched my practice and toning of the “handling the unknown” muscle help me rise above and apart from all my peers in my sales career. I had a secret weapon.
Allow me to share with you how Improvisation can work to counter the four pillars within the VUCA model and how you can use it in facilitation, training and designing learning to help teams align improvisational techniques and tools to navigate today’s VUCA landscape.
1-Volatile-the quality of being subject to frequent, rapid and significant change
This sounds a little like torture, but let’s be honest, business environments can also feel like torture sometimes. We know that change is constant and fast and difficult. What can we do to condition ourselves to handle volatile conditions better?
Improvisation subjects you to frequent, rapid and significant change in real time in a low stakes environment where everyone is after the same objective and most likely having fun.
Exercise 1-Clap Point Name
This exercise demonstrates how quickly our brains develop patterns and how even minor changes in patterns can feel disruptive. This helps explain the power of habit and how playing games that purposely disrupt patterns increases mental agility and psychological adaptability. These are essential for doing improv but even more important to a successful life in which we will have to navigate change that we do not see coming.
First round: Group forms a circle. Facilitator claps for 1 beat, then points to a person in the circle, then on the 3rd beat says the person's name: Clap. Point. Name. That person then repeats this pattern with someone in the circle who continues the pattern.
Second round: Clap, point to a person in the circle and say someone else's name. The person named then claps, points to a person in the circle and says someone else's name.
Third round: Clap, point to a person, name someone else. The person the right of the person named goes next.
2-Uncertainty is a component of any situation, in which events and outcomes are unpredictable.
Who enjoys not knowing what is going to happen next? Maybe in life, this can be a sweet release, but in business not so much. It really is the “what you don’t know” in any situation that can paralyze us.
Improvisation conditions you to move forward with only what you have in that moment and not letting the fear of the unknown keep you from progress. Practicing the skill of resilience and bouncing back from any unforeseen outcomes.
Exercise 2-Walk Stop
Randomly walk in space, stop 3-4 times
Walk becomes stop, stop becomes walk
Name (shout name) and Jump (hop) (3-4 times, interspersed with walk and stop)
Name becomes jump, jump becomes name (1 min)
Clap and Twist (practice 2 times), interspersed with other commands
Clap becomes twist, twist becomes clap (1 min) - mix up all commands, end on 3 twists and circle up
3-Complexity involves a multiplicity of issues and factors, some of which may be intricately interconnected. (Some models also include chaotic, making the acronym VUCCA.
Ever felt like if one more thing hits you out of nowhere, you will lose it? There are so many things coming at you at once in business, a lot of moving parts you cannot control and complex issues to deal with. The ability to navigate the complexities and interact with chaos might come in handy.
Improvisation by nature invites chaos and begs you to weave a bunch of unrelated pieces together with ease and accept all offers thrown at you and treat them as gifts even if you don’t always understand where they fit. Improv equips you with the ability to take everything thrown at you or offered to you in the moment and not worry about the limitations but instead to think about the possibilities.
Exercise 3-Work It In
Give 2 people a scene suggestion, and once they get going, throw in random objects that they must catch and work into the scene justifying how it fits in.
4-Ambiguity is manifested in a lack of clarity and the difficulty of understanding exactly what the situation is.
Business loves its structure and processes and planning. What happens when plans change? We need to rise to the challenge of ambiguity and learn to respond with resilience and adaptability.
Improvisation teaches people that “they are enough”. They have everything they need to work off-script and create what is needed in the moment. Sometimes you fail, sometimes you knock everyone’s socks off. You are okay though because the risk is worth it and you have two choices. Do something or do nothing. When there is no plan, you can learn to lean in and get out of your own way by improvising.
Exercise 4-I am Tree
The players stand on the stage/around the room. Player A goes to the middle, strikes a pose and says who or what they represent. For example, he lifts his arms over his head and says "I am a tree." A second player arrives, adds to the picture, and also says who or what he is. A third player enters the scene and completes the suggestions from A and B.
Now that the scene is finished, player A leaves the stage taking one of the other players with them. The other player stays on the stage and repeats their sentence (without changing their pose) As a result, he offers a suggestion for a new scene.
This exercise can take place with any number of players.
Example
A: I am a tree.
B: I am the dog who's peeing on the tree
C: I am the man whom the dog belongs to.
A: (leaves the stage) I'm taking the man with me.
B: I am a dog.
The idea here is to portray a story that is connected. Complimenting what is there, supporting and making it easy on your mates. Start to identify places where someone can walk in and make is complete by adding the missing element. Give the story what it needs.
Spontaneous Infomercial
Your team will create an infomercial for a brand new product.
A silly product that has not been invented yet.
Name of your new product?
Tell us what it’s made of?
Tell us how it works?
How will it change the world?
Product slogan?
You have 10 minutes to create your infomercial and every person must play a part in the final piece.
Closer Exercise:
Mind Meld-
In a circle participants try to think of 2 different words in their minds. When a person is ready they raise their hand and when a second person raises a hand-the two with their hands in the air face each other and count to 1-2-3 and on 4-they say the word in their heads. From there-2 more people raise hands when they have a word that spurred from last words spoken.
Additional Resources
https://www.bts.com/blog-article/business-insight/embrace-vuca