Know Your Audience

I’m told i need to blog more about improv…

There seems to be a little #misconception when it comes to #content within #comedy, and more specifically: #improv.

I had a #conversation with a guy last night (let’s call him Q) after he made a lewd comment on stage during an improv show. Now, this was Q’s first time ever doing improv, and to be honest, he did quite well! So when he asked me afterwards if there was anything he could #improve on, I took that as my opportunity to address his lewd comments.

In the world, there seems to be this idea that you can say anything you want whenever you want to say it (be it lewd, crude, offensive, off-color, or triggering), because in the end it’s “funny”, or “just a joke”.

Now, from an #objective standpoint, what he said was funny because someone, somewhere (Q included) would find those lewd remarks funny. So from that perspective, it can be tough to understand why “some people just can’t take a joke”.

During our conversation together, I told him to take into #consideration his #audience. What will *they* appreciate? What will *they* find funny? Just because *you* find this one thing to be funny, doesn’t mean that *they* will too.

Q’s response to me was: I just feel like we shouldn’t censor ourselves. If you tell me that “you can’t say this, and you can’t say that”, then…you can’t say anything, and you’ve just killed comedy and stifled #creativity.

This was my reply:

Q, there are 2 schools of thought:
1. if you can’t say *this*, then what CAN you say?
2. let’s blaze a trail that has never been explored

This is where I introduced him to the game of #FreshChoice. It went like this: I had Q make an #observation about me. It could be real, it could be true, it could be fake, it could be made up. But it needs to be an observation about me.

He said “you’re good at improv”

I said “make a fresh choice”

He said “what? What does that mean?”

I said “make a completely different observation about me”

He said “ok, ummmm…you’re in a comedy club”

I said “fresh choice”

He said “oh, we’re still doing this? Ok. Ummmmm…you have a creative mind”

I said “Fresh Choice”

He said “you have excellent taste in sunglasses because you have connections to a secret Russian sunglass vendor in Switzerland”

I burst out #laughing!

I asked Q: now what is more #interesting? The lewd comment you made on stage, or your observation about me having good taste in sunglasses?

It was like a lightbulb went off in his brain. Instantaneously he got the point I was making.

•••

Knowing your audience is a massive key to moving forward. Make sure that whatever content you’re delivering will be received in the same way you’re sending it! Having situational awareness will improve your efforts and allow you to connect with others on a much deeper, and more personal level than you ever thought possible!

In short, use #kind words.

Also…here’s a picture of me and my cat: