Posts Tagged ‘Attitude’

One Move That Can Change Bill Gates’ Post-Microsoft Game

Friday, June 27th, 2008

Gates3

Good improvisers always pay attention to their physical appearance and presence.

Improv theater rehearsals sometimes focus almost exclusively on communication through one’s physical movements and attitudes. Players, for instance, will walk randomly back and forth across the stage as their coach calls out directions that alter their walks. The directions do NOT suggest a physical response (”Your left foot hurts.”) but an emotional one (”You just won the lottery!”) to be reflected in the walk. Each player responds in his or her own way. One player who ‘just won the lottery’ might skip; another will add some bounce to the step or glide to the stride; still another may walk around in a happy daze.

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You’ve Got To…

Sunday, February 24th, 2008

When an idea has been ‘over-articulated’, it can take something simple or metaphorical to bring it back to its essence. Libraries have been written about this particular idea, millions of workshops, seminars, groups and rallies have addressed it from every possible angle. Here is the essence of it, written into song in 1941 by Johnny Mercer and Harold Arlen:

You’ve got to accentuate the Positive
Eliminate the Negative
Latch on to the Affirmative
Don’t mess with Mr. In-Between
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Accentuating the Positive is how improvisers keep their scenes productive. (more…)