Imposter syndrome is so gnarly, isn’t it? But it’s also very common, especially amongst women.
Imposter syndrome gets us thinking like this:
- I’m going to freeze during this presentation – I don’t know what to say.
- If I am not perfect or don’t know the answer to a question I’m going to be found out as the fraud that I am.
- Who am I to lead this team? Drive this project? Talk to this crowd? Speak to this high-value client?
- Imposter syndrome is so tightly wound with perfectionism. But it’s keeping us stuck and playing small.
- It’s making us think that we must prepare and plan every minute detail otherwise we’re going to get caught and kicked out.
The good news is improv workshops can help you banish imposter syndrome. Here’s how.
- Improv helps you overcome that fear of freezing by trusting yourself again.
- Improv reminds you that nothing’s fixed or perfect. You are enough as you are.
- Improv teaches you that you don’t need a script for every moment or eventuality.
- Improv teaches us that we can’t wing everything in life. It’s okay to say: “I don’t know but I can find that out for you.”
Thinking on our feet is not an innate skill that’s only available to a lucky few. It is a taught skill, something we can all learn and practise.
Through different group exercises in improv, you can learn how to think on your feet and trust your instincts.
Our improv workshops are not about getting up on stage or becoming someone you’re not. They’re about having more skills in your toolbelt, so you feel safer to be yourself and think your way out of any given situation.
The goal in improv is never to come up with the most polished scene. Instead in improv you learn that there’s not just one path or one way of being you or your role. Improv gives you a confidence in your own way of expressing yourself and your ideas that’s true to the moment.
You’ll also be reminded that you’re not a one-dimensional, one size fits all person. You have different layers and facets of your personality that you can tap into at different times. And that’s what being a human is all about. Embrace change and your inner chameleon.
During our improv workshops, people surprise themselves all the time. They get up on the floor and come up with some spectacular offers and responses. We can plan to our heart’s content, but we don’t know what life is going to throw at us. Improv teaches us the skills to be fully in the moment and embrace the unknown.
In the four walls of the workshop space, you’ll find freedom to try different things – knowing that there’s no failure or fear of repercussions. Practising these skills in a safe, gentle, and non-judgemental environment gives us the confidence to get back in the arena and be bold again.
You know what, it’s okay to not have the answers to everything. It’s okay if a client asks a question that you’ve not heard before, or if someone in the team has an issue you don’t know how to solve just yet. It doesn’t mean you are incompetent or the wrong person for the job. It means you’re humble, you care about getting it right, and you don’t want to waste other people’s time.
Sure, there are times when it’s safe and right to wing it. But there are times when it’s better to give yourself more space to give an educated, considered response. Improv can help you make that distinction.
In some cases, you need to ask other people or do more research so you can get it right the first time, instead of spending time clearing up the debris from your mistake later.
Improv gives us the confidence to say: “thanks for your question. I don’t have the answer for that right now, but I promise I will do my best to find out for you. Leave it with me.”
Ready to say ‘goodbye’ to your imposter syndrome? Book a FREE Discovery Call with me and let Flaming Mojo reignite your confidence. I promise it’ll be the best thing you do to support yourself today.
