4 Improv Habits That Spark Better Ideas at Work

Duke colleagues share how improv acting skills unlock creativity and teamwork

Three images of improv exercises
Clockwise from top left, Nan Mulleneaux, Brandon Holmes and Dan Sipp lead improv exercises for Duke faculty and students. Photos courtesy of Nan Mulleneaux, Brandon Holmes and Dan Sipp.

In the 1980s, Nan Mullenneaux was a young acting student focused on scripted works and unsure about the value of improv, which challenges performers to act out unplanned, often comedic, scenes.

But once she tried it, she loved the fast-paced interplay between performers. She didn’t know it then. But the skills she built in improv, listening, adapting and supporting others would prove essential as her career moved far from the stage.

“Applying improv to different things, like managing people or dealing with sensitive topics in a classroom, never crossed my mind,” said Mullenneaux, a Senior Program Coordinator with the Thompson Writing Program’s Language, Arts and Media Project. “I appreciate it so much more now.”

Mullenneaux used improv techniques while teaching history and writing courses at Duke and now uses improv exercises in the Playful Pedagogy Fellowship that helps Duke faculty explore new teaching approaches.

Here’s how the following habits can help you and your team become more creative and nimble.

Lead with Listening

Duke Alumni & Engagement Senior Program Coordinator Amy Allen

Amy Allen first tried improv classes in 2013 because she loved making people laugh. But it was the collaborative energy that captivated Allen, a Senior Program Coordinator for Duke Alumni Engagement and Development’s Lifelong Learning Team.

“What kept drawing me back was the opportunity to be creative with other people in a way that I think is uncommon,” she said. “You get to make something together that you can’t make alone.”

Allen, who performs with Durham’s Mettlesome improv collective, said focused listening is the skill she relied on most on stage and at work.

When performing, Allen said its crucial to follow what’s being said without preemptively planning your response. Deep listening allows you to contribute in a way that keeps the momentum going, rather than forcing an idea that may not fit the moment.

Allen brings this approach in meetings at work, focusing on the issues at hand rather than trying to add her voice.

“If I can follow what everyone is saying and not be worried about what I want to say, when I do contribute, it’s going to be a lot more relevant,” Allen said.

“Yes, and…”

Duke School of Medicine Standardized Patient Training Coordinator Dan Sipp

For 35 years, Dan Sipp has performed and taught improv with groups in the Triangle area and Chicago. At Duke, he serves as a Standardized Patient Training Coordinator, prepping actors to portray patients in simulated encounters with medical students. He also teaches caregivers and students how improv techniques can help them read contextual cues and respond thoughtfully to evolving situations.

One improv habit Sipp sees as essential for creative teams, on stage or at work, is approaching ideas with a positive, collaborative mindset, often described as “Yes, and...”

At its core. “Yes, and…” means accepting a proposed idea and adding something of your own to move it forward.

“Avoid saying ‘no,’” Sipp said. “If you approach things from a perspective of ‘This will be better if we work together,’ the outcome will be better, you will feel better about it, and it may be easier to do.”

By resisting the urge to look for reasons why something can’t work, and instead exploring ways to help something flourish, Sipp said teams can create something special.

 “What we want to do is play and explore and experiment to find great ideas we would not have come up with otherwise,” he said.

Accept and Move Forward

Duke School of Nursing Director of Admissions Brandon Holmes

When Brandon Holmes got his first taste of improv in college, it reminded him of joking with childhood friends.

Nearly two decades later, he says the skills he built from improv still shape how he approaches his grown-up life, too.

Before becoming Director of Admissions at the Duke University School of Nursing in 2021, Holmes – who performs alongside Amy Allen in the improv group Golden Age –  worked at the Duke Divinity School. There, he helped organize events and navigated unexpected curveballs such as venue changes and scheduling conflicts.

He credits improv with helping him handle surprises by accepting what’s in front of him instead of dwelling on what went wrong.

In improv, performers build on a given premise. They can shape what comes next, but not change what came before, leaving them wired to think about their next step rather than the past.

“If something happens we’re not expecting, people waste a lot of energy trying to change it,” Holmes said. “But being able accept it, internalize it and then say, ‘OK, how do I build off this?’ is an essential philosophy of improv that sinks in before you even realize it.”

Support the Team First

Thompson Writing Program Senior Program Coordinator Nan Mullenneaux

Mullenneaux of the Thompson Writing Program appreciates how improv performers instinctively try to make one another look good.

If someone takes a risk that doesn’t land or steers a scene in an awkward direction, seasoned actors look for ways to make it work.

“So often in office settings, we forget that we are only as strong as the people around us,” Mullenneaux said.

By taking improv’s team-first mindset beyond the stage, Mullenneaux said it can create an atmosphere that encourages creative thinking and moves good ideas forward.

“Once you know that the people you’re working with are going to accept whatever happens and make each other look good,” said Mullenneaux, “then you can dare to be creative or dare to try something new.”

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