Improv Wisdom

Don't Prepare, Just Show Up

By: Patricia Ryan Madson

Narrated by: Patricia Ryan Madson

In an irresistible invitation to lighten up, look around, and live an unscripted life, a Stanford University professor and master of the art of improvisation explains how to adopt the attitudes and techniques used by generations of musicians and actors. These secrets are currently being taught to entrepreneurs, engineers, and first responders in a crisis as well as housewives and Alzheimer caregivers.

Let's face it: Life is something we all make up as we go along. No matter how carefully we formulate a "script", it is bound to change when we interact with people with scripts of their own. Improv Wisdom shows how to apply the maxims of improvisational theater to real-life challenges - whether it's dealing with a demanding boss, a tired child, or one of life's never-ending surprises. Patricia Ryan Madson distills 30 years of experience into thirteen simple strategies, including "Say Yes", "Start Anywhere", "Face the Facts", and "Make Mistakes, Please", helping readers to loosen up, think on their feet, and take on everything life has to offer with skill, chutzpah, and a sense of humor.

©2005 Bell Tower, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House (P)2007 Patricia Ryan Madson

Simple, solid solutions.

This is a simple walk through of various business, social, and creative situations, where we learn to build up our inventory of manageable traits that will then navigate us straight through any storyline that lays ahead.
This will give us a strength and it is entertaining.

This book is for Martha!

This book is ok. I get why it was one of the recommended textbooks in one of our coaching courses. Since I am more of a ‘Mary’ than a ‘Martha’, the suggestions in the books seemed to be natural for me already.

In the language of Strengths Finder, this book is perfect to develop your ‘Adaptability’ talent theme.

Being more of a spontaneous kind of guy, I wished I could’ve gotten just a summary of this in Blinkist or Instaread. Still, I finished the entire book and found a few nuggets of wisdom I can keep and use in the future.

Recommended for listeners who want to inject more ‘Positivity and Adaptability’ in their lives.

not as expected, & great

more about living impromptu, not as much focused on speaking impromptu. AND great read, value adds all through the book

Loved this book!

What a fun read and PACKED with info/valuable exercises. I only wish I'd taken more notes throughout since I'm sure I'll forget a bunch! If you're at all interested, I definitely recommend giving this a listen and being diligent about writing down the tips and exercises you hope to implement after the fact.

Clearly words to live by.

What made the experience of listening to Improv Wisdom the most enjoyable?

Being able to visualize each situation.

What does Patricia Ryan Madson bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Experience

What insight do you think you’ll apply from Improv Wisdom?

That making mistakes is normal.

Any additional comments?

Love the hard copy as well.

I highly recommend this powerful little book

Whether or not you ever plan to step onto the stage, this book of pithy and practical life advice is bound to satisfy. It feels like the distillation of centuries of wisdom. From the outside, improv looks like a magical conjuring of stories out of thin air. Patricia‘s book breaks improvisation down and makes it accessible to everyone seeking to discover everyday spontaneity.

not what I was expecting

was anticipating something completely different but was pleasently surprised with the content. narration wasn't to my taste but the exercises and insights held my attention.

Inspiring and enjoyable

I love so much about this book! The author puts forward several maxims for life gleaned from her improvisation studies and practices. They are a treasure trove of wisdom. I especially love the advice to not prepare, just show up!

the secret code and blueprint for navigating it all

this book is brings wisdom to life in practice-able bites. it made me want to take her class, and invite her to dinner! thank you to the author for making her book binders and files, and letting the ideas become so embodied and accessible to your readers and listeners. i will open this one again and again! thank you!!

Phenomenal book and you can apply it to business

This book was an excellent study for improv and acting. However, it was even better for applying to business. I highly recommend you read it.