How Improv Can Boost Your Confidence

The recipient of a bachelor's degree in business management from Washington College, Taylor Hallman of Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, is a business continuation associate with Prudential Financial. Outside of his professional pursuits, Franklin Lakes resident Taylor Hallman enjoys performing stand-up comedy and acting in improv groups. 

Improv, short for improvisation, is a form of comedy that involves groups of people creating spontaneous scenes with no script and allowing the natural progression of conversation and movement to dictate where the scene goes. Because it requires the actors to think and respond appropriately to random situations on the fly, it's a great exercise for building confidence. 

It's not uncommon to be unsure of what to say in different situations, but regularly performing improv can help you become more articulate in a variety of settings. It can also help you expand mundane conversation to include other topics by noticing more hooks and associations. 

Another reason improv can bolster your confidence is due to the lack of control you feel when participating. Even if you have an idea about where a scene might be going, another actor can easily step in and completely change the direction. This translates to everyday life by making you better suited to cope with unexpected conversational shifts as well as new life experiences.