Tuesday Oct 31, 2023

Chris Trew: Hell Yes! What I Learned from Improv About Living a Happier Life

Chris Trew is on a mission: to spread the word about the life-changing power of improv comedy. “Why learn improv?” if you’re not a comedian, actor, or have any intention of ever setting foot on stage? As the self-described “comedy person” and founder of Hell Yes Creative explains, “This stuff has real-life implications. No matter what you're doing, if you have a job or a passion that involves communication, you can benefit from an improv class.”

Improv’s guiding “yes, and” principle requires that you enter entirely into another person’s reality – no matter how absurd – and then add to it, thereby co-creating a progressive conversation and forging a connection. This requires active listening, as well as a sense of curiosity and playfulness that many people lose as they get older. These are all skills which make us better friends, employees and partners.

Unfortunately, many people still have outdated misconceptions about improv. Audiences dismiss it after seeing one bad performance, while many comedians would rather keep the focus of a performance solely on themselves.

According to his handwriting, Chris has the honesty, determination and lack of ego to make people change their minds. In today’s episode, Chris and Bart share some strange experiences they’ve had with organized religion. They reveal their thoughts on asexuality, people who call themselves foodies, and the worst thing you can say to a comedian.

Quotes

"Yeah, it's tough making a living with improv, but it's not impossible. But the first thing that has to happen is more people have to respect it as an art form and as a business. Because there is a structure for a stand up comedian to go on the road and host, feature, create your own show, et cetera, et cetera. But that doesn't really exist for improv." (3:35 | Chris Trew)
"So the lesson for people that aren't in comedy: just use your words to keep rapport. You're agreeing with them, even if they're making a crazy statement – ”Donald Trump's the best president!” And here’s what I also think about this thing: So you're not breaking rapport with improv skills, and you're moving the conversation forward. Avoid the awkward silences that stop the energy." (8:38 | Bart Baggett)
"You start trying to solve more problems, that becomes a bigger part of your life than being curious. So that's why you stop being playful. You stop being interesting. A lot of people stop being interesting in their 30s, 40s sometimes even earlier. And because these adults stop investing in their playful side. We get locked into relationships, the family, that job." (10:23 | Chris Trew)
"So what if every adult in the world got into the habit of taking an improv class once a month? If you can get over the fear of public speaking, which I know is a big deal for a lot of people, if you can get over the part that thinks, ‘This is only what comedians do,’ if you can just give it a shot, you will learn pretty quickly that there is so much more to learning improv than just making jokes." (11:33 Chris Trew)
“Isn't that true for everything in life? Again, a first date, a networking event, a job interview, a sales call, if you're trying too hard, that energy is exhausting. And it's unfun. So I don't think you're going to get a second date, get the sale, get the job. Improv teaches you how to detach from outcomes, and how to be more relaxed in any high pressure situation.” (16:56 | Chris Trew)

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Links

Connect with Chris Trew

https://hellyescreative.com

https://www.instagram.com/christrew

https://www.facebook.com/christrew

Connect with Bart Baggett

https://instagram.com/bartbaggett

https://www.instagram.com/bartshowpodcast/

https://www.youtube.com/@bartshowpodcast

https://bartbaggett.com

https://www.tiktok.com/@bartbaggett