What do startup and stage improvisation have in common?

Every year I have a new hobby. I am starting to do things that I have never done before, about which I have not the slightest idea. In 2011, my choice fell on stage improvisation. At the first lesson I talked with a stranger about hiking for 10 minutes, while other strangers sat and discussed my every gesture, manner of speaking, posture - in general, I criticized and expressed those unpleasant things that friends and friends usually did not say. I participated in improvisational shows for a whole year. Gradually, I came to the conclusion that stage improvisation for entrepreneurs can become something like training for athletes.

For example, after a good workout, the football player will show the best results on the field. Similarly, if a laconic and shy engineer who has spent his whole life at a computer, suddenly creates a startup, then practice in stage improvisation will help him learn to communicate with clients and investors.
In fact, the analogy between the development of a startup and improvisation on the stage is much deeper than it seems at first glance.


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Creating a startup is a leap into the unknown

When you stand on the stage and you do not know what to say next, but 500 people are looking at you and waiting for something, it becomes scary. And no one can tell you what to say and do, because there is neither a director nor a script - there is only uncertainty.
And in the case of a startup there are no clear instructions on what to do in a day, month, year, how to solve these or other problems. You just make a choice, make some decision. If suddenly you make a wrong decision, you will not be able to make a choice again and you will not be able to ask anyone, except from yourself. Improvisation will allow you to learn to keep calm in moments of painful choice, to overcome the fear of the unknown.

Existence in a startup environment requires introspection and sensitivity to criticism.

When people criticize your behavior on stage, you try to correct right away for the better, because you understand that you are performing for them, for viewers who are waiting for good performance and commitment from the actors. Therefore, you constantly learn to change something in yourself for the better, listen to criticism and use it for self-improvement.
Often in companies, employees have no right or are afraid to criticize management, and they themselves perceive any criticism, even constructive, badly. But, as practice shows, the team achieves much greater success if each participant, be it a boss or an ordinary employee, is open to criticism and knows how to give adequate feedback to others. This is especially true for startups that are improving continuously.

All run in the same team

Unlike stand up, where they perform solo, stage improvisation involves interaction with stage partners. The goal of this interaction is to create a story together. Therefore, everyone is trying to act in such a way as to help partners, a common cause.
And you can not stop here. The dialogue must constantly continue in order to find the line of communication that will lead improvisation to success.

For business, this means that the discussion cannot be stopped until an acceptable decision is made. None of the team should stop. Otherwise, it will not be possible to go further. Of course, each participant should appreciate and trust him.

In a startup, the ability to listen is no less important than the ability to create

Improvisation makes a person a great listener. Because on stage you need to be 100% attentive.
How often do we encounter difficulties in communication between the developer and the client? After all, the ability to write cool code is not enough in this case. To solve exactly the problem that the client is talking about, you need to listen and understand it well.
Therefore, after the developers have completed an improvisation course, the need for a large number of support specialists will simply disappear.

A startup may have a major direction, but there are many development options.

The history of a startup unfolds in time and includes the beginning, development, characters, the plot - just like in the play. But the realities of the modern world are so changeable and diverse that the main direction of development is barely visible behind the intricacies of storylines. Improvisation helps to see the whole picture and not get hung up on some particulars and unexpected turns.

Improvisation is a conscious way out of the comfort zone. When we learn to treat this calmly, when we learn to think in difficult situations not only about ourselves, but also about our partners, we simply develop certain skills that are applicable not only on the stage, but also in other areas of life.