Pre-Ramble: On the eve of the final session of Level 1 Improv, I thought it would be sporting to share one of the most useful things I’ve learned. “Move the energy forward” is a fundamental and very versatile principle of improvisational theater, and I have found that it has a role to play in pretty much any circumstance. According to John Sweeney, improv extrordinaire and author of Innovation at the Speed of Laughter, ”moving the energy forward” simply means that the improvisational actor accepts whatever is going on in a scene with an unequivocal, “Yes, and” attitude… i.e., “Yes,” I support what my scene partner just said or did, and, “and,” I am adding something to it to keep the storyline moving.

The poster child for this concept, of course, is President-elect Barack Obama whose highly successful campaign included the themes, “The Change We Need” and “Yes We Can!”  The American electorate, and the entire world it would appear, are energized both by the prospect of change and hope for the future, as well as by the strong positive affirmation around our capacity to make change. In moving the energy forward, change is not an interruption of what is reliable and consistent, but an exciting exploration toward what is next.

And, let’s not overlook the value of action in the “move the energy” equation. In the spirit of Nike’s classic game changing slogan, Just Do It, the operative dynamic here is spontaneous, sweeping and bold. Who better than vigorous golf champion, Tiger Woods (shown above) to represent for the “move the energy” concept? Next to Rafael Nadal, Tiger has one of the best reaction shots in the business (and some sweet biceps… but I digress). 

Noteworthy on the far end of the “pace of play” continuum, is Christopher Smith, the world’s fastest speed-golfer. WSJ journalist, John Paul Newport (11/8/08, Golf Journal, p. W4), played a round with Mr. Smith, who, carrying only six clubs and sprinting between shots, recently recorded a six-under-par score of 65 in just over 44 minutes at a tournament in Chicago. (As a point of comparison, your above average country club geezer shoots in the mid-eighties in around four hours.) Talk about moving the energy forward… in speed-golf, you don’t have time to think; you just size up the situation and hit the shot… “grip it, and rip it” (as per rehab powerhouse, John Daly). Here’s the instructive part – since taking up the sport ten years ago, Smith realized that he often scores better in speed-golf than he does playing regular golf. !  Holy smoldering divot! This could totally revolutionize my game! I guess it makes sense, if you stop to think about it…

The Science: When you’re spending 5-10 seconds on each shot, there’s no time to worry about whether your head is down or if your damn belt-buckle is pointing toward the target. Shot after shot, the round begins to “flow,” your attention totally absorbed in the moment. You’re just accepting the conditions of the situation and… moving the energy forward. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, psychologist, author of the bestseller, Flow, (and hereafter refered to as C-Dog), suggests that human brain chemistry responds to the “challenge of discovery” as novel experiences stretch the capacity and involvement of the individual. The “flow” experience, described as an almost automatic, effortless, yet highly focused state of consciousness, happens when “action and awareness are merged.” That rings true for me - my golf game could be characterized as “automatic” and when my “action and awareness merge,” I get an adjusted handicap index of 33… (which for the non-golfers in the crowd, might be considered suboptimally high).

The Take-Away: If there was ever a rule to live by, “move the energy forward” is it! As in life, an improv scene that is not changing is “stagnant, repetitive, and predictable.” From this perspective, change can be seen, not as a necessary evil, but rather as a valuable “vehicle of opportunity” that allows us to discover, heighten, and link to whatever comes next. 

Try it!  The next time you find yourself hanging back in an uninspired cesspool of lethargy, pick yourself up, step forward and ask yourself, “Self…, what would I do next here?“  It can be anything.  It doesn’t have to be perfect; it doesn’t even have to be productive.  Just do it. Take a ride on that vehicle of opportunity – you’ll be astounded by how far a positive attitude and some energy can take you! And if you don’t know what to do next – just improvise!

Trackback URI | Comments RSS