I was rebooked to go to the the Viva Event in Spain recently. My sessions were inspired by improvised comedy but have surprisingly deep learning outcomes.
One of the things I facilitated was the ‘gift game’. People stand in a circle. The first one mimes giving a gift to the person on the left. The receiver says “thank you”, names the gift, and then mimes presenting something to the next person, and so on round the circle.
Apart from it being very funny to take part in and watch, there are a number of things you can learn from this simple activity.
For the giver…
How does it feel when you think you were clearly miming the gift of a mouse and the recipient says: “Thank you for the Ferrari”?
Do you think:
- They got it ‘wrong’?
- You got it ‘wrong’?
Do you respond like that in ‘real life’ when somebody misunderstands you?
Or did you think that nobody got it wrong? (It’s all made up anyway.)
In improv, as in life, it’s impossible to do it wrong. We are all creative geniuses. Whatever gift was given or received, you did it right.
For the receiver…
Did you plan what gift you wanted to receive?
Or did you respond to the imagined shape, size and weight off what you were given?
The lesson is that it’s not wise to plan your responses. Life isn’t scripted. So listen (watch, observe) before you respond. And then accept and build on what you’re given. (This is called “Yes and” in the world of improv).
For everyone…
If people laughed, did you think:
- You did something wrong?
- You did something right?
- It’s about them not you?
When people are laughing, they’re not angry, in pain, worried or fearful. It’s a gift to be able to unleash the laughter that’s hanging in the air, waiting to happen. And it’s a joy to ride on the audience laughter once they relax into realising it’s all a game.
How did the group feel afterwards? Lighter. They were (literally) enlightened!
If you’d like me to run a fun but meaningful session for your team, please let me know.
The science bit
The effects of watching comedy videos on anxiety and vital signs in surgical oncology patients https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1550830720300902
Laugh before You Study: Does Watching Funny Videos before Study Facilitate Learning? https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/8/4434
Positive affect facilitates creative problem solving https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1987-27192-001
Gift-giving online
We didn’t record the session at Viva because cameras can inhibit people’s behaviour. Also, improv is ephemeral – it’s in the moment. Done, and then gone.
But to give you an idea, I found this 2020 video of The Improv Project demonstrating the same game online.