Steamrolling and getting steamrolled: Three exercises for both sides

Steamrolling is one of those improv topics where everyone wants to talk about the people doing it to them, and almost nobody wants to consider whether they might be doing it themselves. This episode covers both sides.

It starts with what steamrolling actually looks like in a scene (and it probably has less to do with how much someone talks than you think), then gets into the reasons it happens, including some ADHD-specific patterns like verbal processing and dopamine-seeking that can lead to steamrolling without even realising it. There's also a nervous system layer here, because steamrolling can function as a fight response to uncertainty, and getting steamrolled can trigger a freeze or shutdown that makes the whole dynamic worse.

The second half of the episode gets practical. If you're being steamrolled, there are in-scene tools you can try, like pointed questions and well-timed interrupts, and there are exercises to practise both of those with a scene partner.

There's also a solo exercise for building the skill of shifting your character mid-scene. And if you're the one steamrolling, there's some homework about building curiosity toward your scene partners and tracking whether the other characters in your scenes are actually getting to be someone.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:Steamrolling is about who controls the scene's content, and it can happen even when both people are talking equally.Anxiety and a desire to save the scene cause steamrolling more often than ego does.ADHD-related verbal processing, impulse control, and/or dopamine-seeking can create steamrolling patterns without the person realising it.Getting steamrolled can involve a freeze or shutdown response, where your nervous system deactivates and you lose access to your ideas.The single most effective focus for someone who tends to steamroll is curiosity about their scene partner's character.

CHAPTERS:00:00 What steamrolling feels like from the inside

01:27 Why steamrolling is about scene content, not volume

03:01 How to tell if a scene was steamrolled

06:10 Patterns vs. one-off big scenes

07:19 Why steamrolling happens

09:22 ADHD and steamrolling

11:43 The nervous system perspective