Vacations
From OER Commons Wiki
Improv Goals:
- To give participants tools to collaborate during the conference—new ways of being together.
- To help them see that they individually don’t have to have “The Amazing Idea”, that that can be discovered.
- To have them experience “Yes, And…” as a technique to achieve this.
- To build trust within their groups
Tenets of Improv:
- Suspend judgment (Stay present—evaluate later)
- Let go of your agenda/be flexible (Be open, see your partner as brilliant)
- Listen in order to receive (Listen for where you agree or can support)
- Build on what you receive (Connect and move forward WITH your partner)
- Make your partner look brilliant (Focus outward. Build on what they say.)
- Look for connection/what you can accept
- Serve the scene. (Serve the bigger picture)
Improv is NOT about being cleaver, funny, witty or fast. It’s about listening, connecting, and collaborating. It’s a “state of acute cooperation.”
Focus for the facilitator: to have participants experience equality; how a short simple offer engages their partner; suspending judgment to support their partner.
How To:
In pairs, they reminisce about a vacation they took together—Location Assigned by facilitator.
- The facilitator MODEL THIS FOR THEM then ask what they noticed.
“A” gives a simple offer: “Remember the beach?”
“B” “yes, ands…” the offer: “Oh yea! The sand was as fine as talcum powder. It got EVERYWHERE!”
Then “B” gives an offer: “And how about that water???”
“A” “Yes, ands….” the water offer. “Yes, the water was so clear. And so smooth!” Then “A” gives an offer, and so on, and so on.
- Get them in pairs and tell them where their vacation was to.
Let them go for 3 minutes.
Set up points for them: “Nod your head yes while your partner is talking.” Your partner is ALWAYS correct in their memory.
- Debrief: How equal did you feel? Were you able to give your partner small “offers” to build on, or did you take control?
Then: “How did you feel? What did you do? What happened/did you create?
- WRITE UP X/Y “Yes, and…” AXIS CHART. Talk about, and possibly model being a Passenger, Drive, Blocker.
- New Pairs, different vacation destination, do exercise again.
- Debrief: How equal did you feel? How is this exercise relevant to this conference?
Improv Resource: Life Plays
