Image credit: alphaspirit “There’s no failure in sports.”Recently, Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Milwaukee Bucks superstar, was asked whether he viewed his team’s season as a failure after they fell short of their championship goal (they lost in the first round of the NBA playoffs to the #8 seed – only the sixth time in history this

Saying “Yes, And!” to Failing (How Giannis Missed the Mark)

“Nobody likes change.” – Ross Gellar, Friends, Episode 3, Season 16 Ross was right; nobody likes change. As a result, most of us spend a lot of time resisting it. We wish it wasn’t happening, spend time complaining about how things were better before or will be worse after the change, or actively do things to prevent

Change is Inevitable; Resistance is Optional

A simple difference between great improvisers and good, mediocre, or bad improvisers is how they respond to “Happy Accidents.” Here is a short video where I talk more about that (there’s a transcription of the video below): This is very true for improv comedy performance, but it also applies off-stage, when mistakes happen and things

Take Advantage of “Happy Accidents”

One of the most useful skills you can develop, whether it’s as an improv comedian or in your “regular life,” is the ability to be in the moment. Here is an example of the improv game, “Last Letter, First Letter.” In this game I tell a story, but each sentence has to start with a word

Be in the Moment!

One of my favorite improv games is a rather obscure one called “Scenes Without the Letter___.” You can see an example I did for TikTok here (and if you are on TikTok be sure to click here to see my videos and follow me there!): When done right, this game is fun, funny, high-energy, and

Use Change as an Opportunity For Innovation

“How can I do that?” One thing I have found to be true over almost 30 years of doing improv comedy is that audiences will frequently throw out suggestions that are…challenging. Challenging because:They may be inappropriate (like when someone yelled out “strip clubbing” when I asked for a “hobby” at a company event).They may be

How Can I Do That?