Confidence: How To Teach It

the most valuable skill

Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on Unsplash

There’s lots of skills you need to be good at improv: thinking fast, a sense of irony, a command of your voice, deep listening.

But number one has to be: the belief that you are good at it.

Let’s call it: confidence.

If you want to be an effective improv teacher, you need to keep an eye on whether you are doing what you can to foster confidence in your students.

There’s many times when I have really failed at instilling confidence. But I try to do it. So here are a few thoughts I have on how one can foster confidence in an improv class.

Let Them Know When You Like Stuff

First, the easy one: to whatever degree you are enjoying the class, let them know — in whatever way is natural for you.

Meaning: you don’t need to pretend to be a big laugher if you’re not a laugher. You don’t need to give false compliments about a scene you did not like. Lying doesn’t work — they know when you didn’t like something.

But when you DO like something — let them know. Laugh, if you’re a laugher. If not, you can just say “I liked that.” A little nod from you and saying “just like that” when they’re doing a warm-up the way you like emboldens the class. If you disliked a scene, see if there’s something you did enjoy that you can bring up. Acknowledge if students tried something out of their comfort zone.

Know What You Want

Do you like when the class does lots of tag-outs and walk-ons? Or does that bother you?

Do you prefer a slow grounded scene, or do you want big choices that risk making things crazy?

Either is fine, just be honest with yourself and let the class know.

Pick exercises that give the scenes you like and let the class accumulate wins.

You like slow grounded scenes? Do monoscenes. Or forbid tag-outs.

Do you want them to jump right off the back line when the stage is empty? Have them do a Slacker. Or tell them “I want walk-ons in every scene, early and often.”

Ask for scenes you like and it will be easier for you to say “yes, I liked that.”

This is really the secret to being able to give “hard” notes. If you are clear about what you want, you can note them on it. But if you’re not clear, they’ll be unsure and your hard notes won’t feel fair.

Be Aware Of Trade Offs

Be aware that there are trade-offs. Be patient with weaknesses that are the flip side of a coin that you asked for.

If you want them to jump off the backline early, then the initiations are going to be sloppy. If you like slow grounded scenes, they might cautious to heighten. If you hate interruptions, fine, but know that some folks will become indecisive.

If you’re working game, then they might be forcing ideas and the scenes end up very broad.

If you’re working on good acting, they’ll be slow to heighten or make bold choices.

In each case it’s okay: they’re learning.

Here’s a common trade off: if you talk for a long time, then the very next few scenes will be cautious and hesitant. Their heads will be spinning. Give the bare minimum of notes to the first few scenes after you talked a lot.

Be Honest With Yourself If You Don’t Like A Student

Some students’ styles will rub you the wrong way. They might have a resting judgmental expression that you can’t help but feel is aimed at you.

Of course, that might just be insecurity (yours or theirs), or maybe it’s the way they are with everyone. But still, you’re gonna not like it.

Or an excited student might strike you are a bossy bulldog. They ask a question and you really feel they are trying to teach the class with their question.

You might be right, but that doesn’t mean that you need to shut them down too hard. You’re already in charge. A gentle “I don’t think there’s too much fighting, I’ll let you know if we get there” can suffice. You rarely, if ever, need to go nuclear.

Or, a student may remind you of YOU and you think you can help them with all you have learned.

Adjust for these personal feelings. Know the difference between the note they NEED to hear and the one you just WANT to give.

If a bulldog is endowed as a son but they didn’t hear and assumed they are the father, you can say “they called you son, be the son.” But you don’t need to say “you’re being a bulldog and dominating too much.”

If it’s personal, it might just be that you are not the teacher for this person. Stick to the basics. Run the class they paid to take, and let someone else who jibes better be the one to help them have epiphanies.

If the student is truly a problem — like hurting the quality of the class beyond any personal feelings you have — that’s different! You can of course note a student who needs it. Just check in with yourself — it’s not either of your faults if your personalities bump.

Have Fun Exercises In Your Pocket

If the class is going terrible, be ready to abandon your lesson plan and do exercises that tend to work for you.

For me, it’s some kind of open scene work with a little side quest so they can have a “win” even if the scene itself isn’t great.

• 2 person scenes where each person must make a personal confession

• A montage, where everyone must participate in every scene in some way

• Last line, first line — A montage in which each scene begins with the final line of the previous scene

• “I / you / we” scenes — 2 person scenes where the first 4 lines must start with “i, you or we.”

Your mileage on those exercises may vary. But have a few that are specific and that you enjoy watching.

Get ‘Em Up

If nothing else is working, try this: you shut up and just let them do improv scenes.

When I was a student, there was a beloved teacher at my school. I asked a fellow student what it was we liked so much about his classes, and the response was “You get up like 6 times a class.”

There’s a time for notes. But there’s a lot to be gained from reps.

Give Them Wins

Great for the top of class: have them do a series of two person scenes, and after each one, say something you liked. Simple and fast: “Beth, great saying yes to the initiation. Steve, I love that you brought some object work in there. Next two.”

What Gave YOU Confidence?

Think of the classes / exercises / forms where YOU had breakthroughs. That’s the stuff you connect with. Pass that on.

I benefited from mechanical things like “if you walked on to the first beat, walk on to the next.” “Match energy level with your scene partner.” “React with feeling.” Doing monoscenes opened things up. So did doing a Documentary opening. Classes with lots of two-person scenes. These were not cure-alls for everyone, but they helped me.

But They WANT Notes, Right?

Yes. Students want notes. But not at the expense of confidence. The trick is: do you REALLY know the note they need? Do your notes work? Do you, the teacher, truly understand what a bad scene needed?

You absolutely will know sometimes. But you also will sometimes not know. That’s okay. You’re not the only part of their improv diet. They will need to be watching improv and practicing and taking multiple teachers to truly get better. You do what you’re good at and beyond that, let them do more improv.

I’m sure the teachers/coaches who read this will have thoughts! Let me hear it in the comments.

Plugs, Ongoing

• High Functioning - Ian Roberts and I do an hour of improv EVERY SATURDAY 7pm at the UCB Annex. See this video for Ian and I showing you where the UCB Annex is.

• Clubhouse Fridays - WGIS’ weekly improv show. Fridays 7pm at The Clubhouse. Free!

• The World’s Greatest Improv School: The improv school I run with Jim Woods and Sarah Claspell. We’ve got classes online, in LA and even a few in NYC!

• How to Be The Greatest Improviser On Earth - My improv book, available at Amazon. Kindle or print. It’s a hodge-podge of advice I wrote in 2016 about doing improv. If you’re broke and want a free PDF version just email me and I’ll send it over.

• Screw It, We’re Just Gonna Talk About Comics - Comic book podcast, hosted by my brother Kevin and I. We are about to start coverage of the late 1990s iteration of Human Target by Peter Milligan. Subscribe for bonus episodes!

• Screw It, We’re Just Gonna Talk About The Beatles - monthly deep dive on a little known indie band from Liverpool called The Beatles. We’re doing Mind Games re-release. Subscribe for access to back episodes!