“The first rule of improv, is that you agree with improv.”

Have you ever been in a situation where you’re trying to make a joke, or poke fun at something but someone takes it literally and states exactly why you cannot do it for scientific or logical reasons?  This is a classic sign of someone who doesn’t get improv.

Now, I’m definitely not an expert, or even a novice, or even qualified to write this blog post but if I know only one thing it’s this basic rule of improv: always accept everything.  It just makes things go smoother.  Someone said a joke?  Don’t refute it, build on it, that’s what makes it funny.  Think about it.  When you think back to really funny moments with your friends, what is a common reason?  A running joke.  Not one that lays still like an obese dog.  One that has legs and knows how to use them.

This makes sense not only from a theoretical point of view but it is also confirmed by the fact that they teach this in improv class (I know this thanks to my brother).  Apparently, a common game they play is “Yes, and…”.  Where you have to keep the story going by always agreeing (“Yes”) and then adding to it (“And”).

So next time you hear a joke and get the urge to use logic and reason, just remember the first rule of improv.