{"id":328,"date":"2012-07-24T11:50:33","date_gmt":"2012-07-24T15:50:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/maniactive.com\/blog\/?p=328"},"modified":"2012-07-23T16:20:44","modified_gmt":"2012-07-23T20:20:44","slug":"how-are-you-using-improv-skills-to-build-credibility","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/maniactive.com\/blog\/how-are-you-using-improv-skills-to-build-credibility\/328","title":{"rendered":"How are you using improv skills to build credibility?"},"content":{"rendered":"

True story: I haven\u2019t formally interviewed for a job since 1999.<\/p>\n

So when a local university called to ask if I could conduct a training session about interviewing skills, I politely declined. I haven\u2019t interviewed for a real job since 1999. I don\u2019t feel qualified to speak to a modern audience about interviewing for a job. I can personally claim no first-hand expertise in successfully interviewing in this job market \u2014 in this century!<\/p>\n

For me, it\u2019s all about credibility. If I don\u2019t have experience or knowledge about the topic \u2014 why would I agree to talk about it? I told the event coordinator that I\u2019d be happy to talk about body language or confidence building \u2014 but not interviewing skills.<\/p>\n

\"Interviewing<\/p>\n

Image by\u00a0bpsusf<\/a>, on Flickr<\/p>\n

It was one of those out-of-the-blue phone calls that lasted 5 minutes \u2014 but it stuck in my mind in a glib, offhand way. I often use this anecdote to offer an important lesson on developing credibility: don\u2019t agree to speak on a topic if you don\u2019t have\u00a0knowledge\u00a0or experience in said topic!<\/p>\n

But I thought about it a little more last week. I fell to wondering: who did the university get to speak on the topic?<\/p>\n

It strikes me that job seekers who have interviewed extensively throughout this decade may have experience with interviewing. However, their experience may not necessarily be successful! After all, they haven\u2019t landed a job.<\/p>\n

As it turns out, the university hired an HR person from a large company to speak. And he received rave reviews.<\/p>\n

Apparently, the speaker ran an\u00a0improv\u00a0session. He asked students to come up and fake interview with him. Brilliant approach! The HR person offered critiques, and the audience chimed in with their comments, as well. It was a lively and interactive show, with lots of actual learning taking place.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m a huge fan of using\u00a0improv\u00a0skills in business presentations. Improvisation shows that you know the material well enough to think on your feet. You can adapt your content on the fly. Done well,\u00a0improv\u00a0demonstrates competence and confidence.<\/p>\n

\"Improv<\/p>\n

by\u00a0gaelenh<\/a>, on Flickr<\/p>\n

Often closely associated with raucous comedy shows,\u00a0improv\u00a0is also a critical skill in a business context. After all, listening is at the heart of\u00a0improv. Instead of sticking firmly to a script, you listen and react to the other performers on stage, as well as the audience. You put aside your ego, and engage in public conversations.<\/p>\n

As we enter into the era of greater social media use, business\u00a0improv\u00a0skills are becoming increasingly important. Gone are the days of using a corporate voice and sticking to the company script.<\/p>\n

Boring, pompous, one-way conversations are officially OVER. I\u2019ve been discussing the need for developing more\u00a0improv\u00a0skills in business communications for the past few years. In corporate training sessions, I often lead sessions by inviting the audience to participate and react. As a result \u2014 we all learn.<\/p>\n

I see the need for more improv training in business communication. You?<\/p>\n

And how are you currently using\u00a0improv\u00a0techniques in your business presentations?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

True story: I haven\u2019t formally interviewed for a job since 1999. So when a local university called to ask if I could conduct a training session about interviewing skills, I politely declined. I haven\u2019t interviewed for a real job since 1999. I don\u2019t feel qualified to speak to a modern audience about interviewing for a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-328","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fun","category-social-media"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/maniactive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/328","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/maniactive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/maniactive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maniactive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maniactive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=328"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/maniactive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/328\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":334,"href":"https:\/\/maniactive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/328\/revisions\/334"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/maniactive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=328"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maniactive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=328"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maniactive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=328"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}