Improv techniques have been used for years to help corporate types get over their onstage jitters. As a marketer, I’ve always felt pretty comfortable with public speaking, but I decided to challenge myself anyway–and see what the hype’s all about–and enrolled in some improv classes with Improv Asylum here in Boston. Long story short, I learned way more than I expected to, and wound up completing six levels of classes over 14 months, ultimately performing in a 90-minute comedy show in front of 200 people.
多年来，即兴表演技巧一直用于帮助企业克服他们在舞台上的紧张情绪。作为一名营销人员，我一直都不害怕公开演讲，但我还是决定挑战我自己，看看为什么大家会紧张。我报名参加了波士顿的即兴表演课程。长话短说，我学到的比我预想的要多，并且在14个月的时间里完成了6个级别的课程，最终在200人面前进行了长达90分钟的喜剧表演。

But what’s surprised me most is that the lessons I’ve taken back to the workplace have little to do with public speaking. Having to start from a blank canvas and create something engaging each time I stepped up was a really powerful experience–one that’s changed the way I approach my job well beyond just giving presentations. Here are a few of the more unexpected ways it’s improved my career.
但最让我惊讶的是，我带回职场的经验与公众演讲几乎没有什么关系。我必须从空白的画布开始，并在每一次我的成长过程中创造出一些有趣的东西，这是一种非常有影响力的体验，它不仅仅改变了我的演讲，还改变了我的工作方式。下面是我没有预料到的改善了我的职业生涯的几点：
 
1. MASTERING SMALL TALK MEANS MASTERING LISTENING
1. 善于闲聊意味着善于倾听
As an introvert, I absolutely hate small talk. It feels like an unnecessary waste of energy. But learning improv taught me that being good at small talk actually means being good at listening.
作为一个内向的人，我绝对不喜欢闲聊。这感觉像是在浪费精力。但是，学习即兴表演教会我，善于闲聊实际上意味着善于倾听。
 
How often in ordinary conversations do you catch yourself thinking about what you’re going to say next, instead of really hearing what the other person is saying? In improv, if you’re not actively listening to your scene partner for something odd, unusual, or interesting to build upon, then your scene will go nowhere.
在普通的对话中，你经常会发现自己在思考接下来要说什么，而不是真正在听别人在说什么。在即兴表演中，如果你不积极地听你的场景搭档做了些什么奇怪的、不寻常的或有趣的事情，你的场景将会毫无进展。
 
Improv requires a heightened sense of listening, observing, and empathy–all vital components of small talk. Improv forced me to listen to other people in ways I never had before. By paying attention to details of even the most trivial conversations, I got better at advancing small talks with clients, partners, and colleagues. Because I take the time to respond in a way that’s meaningful (and valuable) to them.
即兴表演需要更多的倾听、观察和共鸣——这些都是闲聊的重要组成部分。即兴表演迫使我以我从未有过的方式去倾听别人。通过关注最琐碎的谈话细节，我更加擅长与客户、合作伙伴和同事进行小型谈话。因为我开始以一种对他们有意义(有价值)的方式做出回应。
 
2. TAKING AN INFORMED POINT OF VIEW DOESN’T NEED TO TAKE FOREVER
2. 接受一个明智的观点并不需要永远
When starting an improv scene, each actor must quickly decide on his or her character’s point of view: What’s their temperament and opinion? Are they going to complement or contrast their scene partner? The stronger the character’s point of view (and their ability to heighten it over the course of the scene), the better the improv performance.
在开始即兴表演的时候，每个演员都必须马上决定他们角色的观点:他们的性格和观点是什么?他们是要配合搭档还是跟搭档唱反调？角色的观点越强(以及他们在场景中加强这个观点能力)，即兴表演效果就越好。
 
Having a strong point of view about a client’s businesses allows me to fight daily battles alongside them. But improv helped me find new ways of actually doing that. My field (like many others) is often unpredictable, and it can be easy to just take a position out of urgency and run with it. Since improv is all about gathering information on the fly and reacting to it in real time, I’m better now at adopting a point of view that’s well-informed.
对客户的业务有明确的了解和观点，让我可以与他们并肩作战。但是即兴发挥帮助我找到了新的方法来真正做到这一点。我的领域(和其他许多领域一样)往往是不可预测的，并且很容易就能以一种紧急的方式去做。因为即兴表演就是到处收集信息并实时对它做出反应，所以我现在的观点所涵盖的内容更加丰富。
 
Any good marketer needs to keep up with what’s changing, and decide how cultural shifts, ad-tech launches, business developments, or media trends affect the brands we work with.
任何优秀的营销人员都需要跟上时代的变化，并考虑文化变迁、广告技术的发布、商业发展或媒体趋势会如何影响我们与之合作的品牌。
 
3. IT’S ALWAYS BETTER TO SHOW THAN TELL (NOT JUST ONSTAGE)
3. 展示总比背诵好(不只是上台表演)
It’s easy to narrate an improv scene, but doing that won’t entertain an audience. In improv, you need to actually perform. Likewise, speakers have long been told not to recite a script or read directly from their slides. But I’ve found the “show, don’t tell” ethos extends to other facets of my work life, too.
讲述一个即兴的场景很容易，但这样做不会取悦观众。在即兴表演中，你需要表演。同样地，演讲者一直也被要求不能背诵一个脚本或直接从他们的幻灯片上读台词。我发现这种“展示而不是讲述”的精神也延伸到了我工作生活的其他方面。
 
Improv artists don’t have props, so they have to make do with creating and manipulating invisible items and spaces. If during a scene you suddenly decide to milk a cow, just saying that you’re milking a cow is not going to be compelling. Instead, you need to figure out how you can show the audience that you’re milking a cow.
即兴表演艺术家没有道具，所以他们必须创造和操纵无形的物品和空间。如果在一个场景中，你突然决定给一头奶牛挤奶，只是讲述说你在挤牛奶是没有好效果的。相反，你需要弄清楚如何向观众展示你正在挤牛奶。
 
This is something I now bear in mind in just about every meeting I participate in. I’ve seen too many client presentations fall flat when presenters do nothing more than describe their ideas. But the same goes for team meetings and even one-on-one chats with coworkers, too.
在我参加的每一次会议上，我都牢记这一点。主持人只是描述他们的想法时，展示就是过于平淡。团队会议，甚至与同事的一对一谈话也是如此。

4. THE UNKNOWN IS AN OPPORTUNITY, NOT SOMETHING TO FEAR
4. 产品未知是机遇，而非恐惧
 
The scariest (and best) part of improv is that anything can happen during a scene. The only thing you can be certain of is uncertainty. Business leaders never tire of reciting that platitude, urging their teams to see this as an opportunity. But my 14 months in improv training has actually helped me get better at that.
即兴表演最可怕的部分(也是最好的)是在一个场景中任何事情都可能发生。你唯一能确定的就是不确定性。商业领袖们从不厌倦背诵那些陈词滥调，并敦促他们的团队把这视为一个机会。14个月的即兴训练实际上帮助我在这方面做得更好。
 
Advancing an improv scene requires thinking bigger than what’s unfolding right in front of you. Yet that’s not quite the same as just planning. Making contingency plans can limit risk, but it’s actually serendipity that opens up possibilities. At work, you’ll be more likely to be remembered for your responses to those moments rather than how rigidly you stuck to your plan.
即兴表演需要你未雨绸缪，然而，这并不完全等同于计划。制定应急计划可以规避风险损失，但实际上是意外发现开启了更多可能性。在工作中，你会更容易被人记住的是你对这些时刻的反应，而不是坚持自己的计划。
 
Through improv, though, I’ve learned to become a lot less uptight. Because I’m less burdened with the stress of uncertainty, I’ve found myself able to get more excited about all the opportunities that come by unexpectedly.
通过即兴表演，我学会了变得不那么紧张。因为我对不确定性的压力减轻了，我发现自己能够对所有意想不到的机会感到更兴奋。