You probably know that improvisation is a form of live theater in which the plot, characters and dialog in a scene are made up in the moment. But were you aware that improv can be useful in life outside the theater?
On today’s episode of the More Beautiful Podcast, I chat with Shannon Hughes, CEO of Enlivened Studios, a consultant/facilitator who uses applied improv not only to help people become more confident, spontaneous, decisive and resilient, but also to strengthen their communication skills and deal with life’s big and small challenges.
All humans are innate improvers, Shannon says. In this episode, she explains how you can be more sensitive to the verbal and nonverbal cues that are all around you, inviting you to participate fully in life; how to “hold your story more lightly” and go with the flow; how to find and embrace your “ensemble” (aka your community); and how to own the stage that we call life.
According to Shannon, sometimes when you want to make a change or move toward a goal, you don’t need a complicated plan. You just need to do the next obvious thing. Right now, that means tuning in to our fun conversation (which includes a little improv practice).
Shannon Hughes is the CEO of Enlivened Studios, a facilitation and consultancy practice that uses improv-inspired techniques to bolster skills like listening, spontaneity and storytelling. Through both group and individual coaching, Shannon specializes in igniting people’s innate genius, guiding them through life and career transitions, and helping them to become better leaders. She may be reached at her website.
In this episode we mentioned:
Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert
This episode was edited by Ryan B. Jo.
