the Law of Improv

28 years of experience and training as a Corrections Officer and Deputy Sheriff meets over 11 years of Improvisation training, performing and teaching.

There are simple rules and trainable skills that connect Improv to De-escalation.  A misconception that learning Improv means you are funny or want to learn to be funny. Improv teaches us how to be an active observer to our surroundings.  Before every shift, is your staff taking a moment to mentally prepare for the day.  As officers we prepare for the worst-case scenario to ensure our survival.  Training focuses on that.  Adding Improv concepts will add an extra tool for officers to communicate with better with suspects, supervisors and each other.

While performers are on stage they watch as the first person steps out and creates an environment.  They paint a scene with their imagination that only they see until the responding player and audience see an interaction with it.  The initial performer can react to an emotion, are thought of what is to come. This person starts a conversation long before the arrival performer interacts with them.   The next performer steps towards the first person and then tries to connect and gather information.   Hopefully you see the connection of when your officers are dispatched to a scene.

Improv builds a connection between people by the basic concept of "YES, AND"   

If the first person starts a scene with: "Today was the worst day ever."

The second person would reply "YES, it is the worst day ever and I thought yesterday sucked."

While most of the time when Improvisers use YES AND they are now in totally agreement.   More seasoned performers and skill communicators in law enforcement use the YES to establish that the first person believes that today is the worst day ever. They do not have to agree that it is, the "yes" that it is their worst day, connects them in a way that now the person feels validated.

The purpose of this workshop for your staff is not to make them funny. It is not to divert from the training needed to provide life saving measures. The reason to incorporate Improvisation is to add one more tool to the mental and physical options your staff have.