NATIONAL SMILE DAY is May 31st. WORLD SMILE DAY is October 4th.
From Walt Frasier, artistic director of EIGHT IS NEVER ENOUGH Off Broadway Improv
In every Improv workshop I leave students with two messages
1) You have homework. (groans) Every morning before even getting out of bed, start the day with a smile. You know how you smile when someone else makes you feel good. Turns out it works both ways. Physically forcing a smile can make you feel better. You physically squeeze out the juice in our face that make you feel good. I know, it sounds gross, but it works. AND when you walk into a room with a smile, most people smile back. There will always be that one that say “Why are they smiling? What’s wrong with them.” That person will judge you no matter what you do so let’s just ignore that person. When you wait for the world to make you happy it will disappoint every time. When you set out to make the world smile, simply by leading by example, rewards flood your way.
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QUICK LINKS for upcoming professional shows & classes this weekend in Times Square, NYC.
- Saturday June 1
10am MORNING JAM Improv Comedy 4 Adults (Public version of Walt Frasier’s corporate team building class) $40 to drop in CLICK HERE for $20 registration
12pm Comedy 4 Kids/Teens class $40 to drop in CLICK HERE for $20 registration
3pm EIGHT IS NEVER ENOUGH IMPROV at BROADWAY COMEDY CLUB $25 plus one drink CLICK HERE for $5 tickets
8pm EIGHT IS NEVER ENOUGH IMPROV at LOL TIMES SQUARE $20 plus 2 drink minimum CLICK HERE for $5 tickets - Sunday June 2
3pm EIGHT IS NEVER ENOUGH IMPROV at BROADWAY COMEDY CLUB CLICK HERE for $5 tickets
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2) Every time you get on stage, or read in class, public speaking gets easier. Every time you let your fear win, hiding in the shadows gets easier as well. Push that comfort zone just a little bit every day and see that fear become manageable, eventually maybe even disappear. Having the fear is beyond normal. But letting the fear control you leads to many missed opportunities.
NATIONAL SMILE DAY is EVERY DAY!
YES AND… #1 rule in Improv is to ALWAYS say YES, followed by AND…, a statement that supports everything our teammates offer and builds a scene forward, offering details to which our team can YES AND.. us in return
LISTEN and RESPOND – suspend judgement, don’t plan, rather simply LISTEN deeply to our team, then trust ourselves and our team.
Playing Improv games develops public speaking and self confidence. Fear of public speaking is #1 in the world, more that fear of death itself. THIS alone is the most important way we attack the Bully problem. A confidence person will less likely become a bully OR victim. Bullies seek out easy targets. They rarely take on a confidence individual. However, bullies themselves are most often overcompensating for their own insecurities. So by teaching self confidence we eliminate BOTH trends. By becoming confidence public speakers and over coming social anxieties of one on one interactions we empower individuals to ask when they need help.
PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY – a corporate concept that is a few decades old but very important in the past 5 years since a study performed by GOOGLE. http://www.corporate-