Improv Freeze Fix! Set Up In Advance as a Default Move

You're in a scene, it's your turn, and your brain goes somewhere else. Going blank on stage, hitting that freeze, is near the top of most improvisers' fear lists, and I want to add something new to the pile of advice about it. I have new things to say about this thing, possibly even something that's a fix. Basically, you need to sort out your default move.

Most advice about the improv freeze(tm) tells you to say or do the next thing, anything at all, and that does work a lot of the time. It can also be the exact thing that froze you in the first place, yuck, especially if you're a neurodivergent improviser with a long history of being told you read the moment wrong or missed the subtext or that unsaid thing that we were supposed to guess or assume. Yuck.

In this episode I offer one more way to think about why the freeze happens, and one specific thing you can sort out ahead of time so you're not making a decision while you're already flooded. I also get into why the pause you're sitting in might be more useful than you think. Ooo foreshadowing and clickbait!

What you'll learn:Why that blank feeling might be the opposite of blankThe link between a fear of being wrong and a full-body shutdown-y stall-out on stageWhy "just say anything" can backfire for some improvisers and isn't useful on its own without some more info, data, or nuanceThe three modes most improvisers default to, and how to find yours! With details!How to practise your emergency move in everyday life so it's ready when you need it! Planning for improv scenes! No, no, it's not like that.

Chapters:0:00 The moment your brain leaves the scene

1:03 The classic advice, and where it can fall apart

2:08 What I'm adding this time

2:27 The reframe to try on

3:57 The fear of being wrong, and my hypothesis about it

6:05 Embracing the pause

6:47 Visual, kinesthetic, and vocal moves

8:00 Why choosing under pressure is its own problem