Principles of Improv as Reminders for Modern Life

I’ve been a huge fan of Saturday Night Live since I was a teenager. I also love learning about parts of movies that were improvised, like most with Robin Williams, or the Anchorman comedies, or, as I more recently learned, classics like Casablanca and Jaws in which the actors were encouraged to create dialogue in the moment. 

Improvisation is underappreciated for its value when applied to the modern workplace. During my 30+ years working in community colleges, I’ve interviewed more than 500 job candidates, including a few who were formally trained in the principles and techniques of improvisation. Some candidates were more direct than others in surfacing their improv training to my questions, but I often reflect on the principles I learned through these conversations to remind myself of good habits necessary to thrive in the VUCA environment we experience on a regular basis. A few candidates gave great responses when I asked about their experience on a team and how that made them a good team member. Each described their training in these five principles and perfectly outlined the attributes of a great team member!

If you’re not familiar with improvisation, it revolves around several core principles that guide all who are trained in the field:

1. “Yes, and ... :” Accepting what’s presented and building upon it (Embrace Community)
2. Active Listening: Staying attentive to your scene partner (Model the Way)
3. Commitment: Fully engaging in the moment without hesitation (Model the Way)
4. Embracing Mistakes: Seeing errors as opportunities (Inspire Confidence)
5. Support and Collaboration: Working together to create a cohesive scene or narrative (Encouraging Excellence)

I think about the extent to which these five principles apply to how people show up for work each day. I’d say they describe most of us on our best days — working with what we have and finding a way to “yes,” actively listening to our co-workers, staying fully engaged and committed, seeing mistakes as opportunities, and focusing on support and collaboration with others to find a way forward in any situation. Our challenge is to remember these principles when we’re having an “off” day, when life may temporarily divert us from being our best selves.

As I reflect further on these five principles of improv, I can see MVCC’s Core Values inherently reflected in interesting ways. I see our Core Value of Model the Way in both “Active Listening” and “Commitment.” Embracing mistakes is all about our Core Value and the ability to Inspire Confidence, and being “Supportive and collaborative” is at the heart of our Core Value of Encouraging Excellence.

Finally, I think my favorite improv principle is “Yes, and …” To me, accepting what is presented and building upon it is a wonderful way of capturing our Core Value of Embrace Community, whether it be accepting our students for who they are and where they are in their journey and building upon that, or embracing our colleagues in the same way — finding ways to say “Yes, and …” — what an interesting and useful principle to carry with us each day we show up for the work in front of us in these disruptive and complex times.

If you have any questions or comments, please contact me directly at presblog@mvcc.edu

MVCC Hall of Fame — A celebration of values

MVCC President Randall J. VanWagoner with the 2019 MVCC Hall of Fame inductees (from left): Professor Emeritus Michael Sewall, Professor Emeritus and MVCC alumnus Robert Decker, Vice President Emerita Dr. Maryrose Eannace, and Administrator/Professor Emeritus Frank Przybycien. 

I recently had the privilege of emceeing the MVCC Foundation’s annual Hall of Fame induction ceremony. It is always an inspirational event that recognizes the incredible careers of individuals who have made significant contributions to Mohawk Valley Community College. While this year’s class of inductees mirrored the same caliber of excellence as current members of the Hall, something in the air seemed to wash over many in the audience.

I’ve always felt that our format reflects the distinctively personal nature of this institution. Many other organizations seize the opportunity to make induction ceremonies important fundraisers, which in the non-profit world is a commonly accepted best practice. Rather than selling tickets and tables and securing sponsors for a big dinner, admission to MVCC’s Hall of Fame event is free with a very nice reception of heavy hors d'oeuvres followed by a ceremony that introduces each inductee and allows them a few minutes to share their reflections and insights. It’s an evening where the focus is intentionally focused on the inductees — their lives, their values, their careers, their contributions — nothing more and nothing less.

When the ceremony concluded, I had separate conversations with multiple attendees who all initiated unsolicited comments following the same theme. As inductees made their individual remarks, many in the audience picked up on three common threads in their stories that connected back to induction ceremonies of previous years. Each inductee has a unique story to tell with their distinctive personal career at the College, whether the person is faculty, staff, administrator, alumni, or friend of the College. First, the words they share speak about how much they treasure their personal relationships with people who work at the College. MVCC seems to be the perfect size that fosters meaningful connections among everyone associated with the place. Second, the inspirational vision of the College to transform lives through learning motivates people over many years of putting forth extra effort to helping students succeed and consequently sustain and improve our local community. Finally, a consistent theme among inductees is the enormous pride they feel in being associated with MVCC knowing the important work that occurs here continues a compounding positive impact on this community that cannot be found in many organizations or places of work. 

Meaningful relationships, transforming lives, and uncommonly enduring pride are three themes that these amazing Hall of Fame inductees bring to life through reflections on their outstanding careers here. It reaffirmed for me that our core values of Model the Way, Inspire Confidence, Encourage Excellence, and Embrace Community underscore the essence of what makes this College so special to those of us with the good fortune to work here. As we collectively face increasingly disruptive times full of accelerating and uncomfortable change, it is comforting to know that the core values of this institution endure and will continue to tether us through the future times — good, bad, and everything in between — on cloudless days and others when we simply have to make our sunshine.

If you have any questions, comments, or insights, please contact me directly at presblog@mvcc.edu.

Two Dimensions of Our Core Values

I love MVCC’s Core Values. They represent the essence of who we are and who we strive to be through four actionable phrases that seemingly have countless layers and dimensions worthy of reflection and exploration. While on a recent morning run, I came upon the significance of how important it is to think about our Core Values guiding our behavior not only with our students, but also with each other.