Your Improv Brain

Answer The "More Energy" Improv Note Your OWN Way

You get the "more energy" note in improv and nobody tells you what to actually change. I take that note apart and look at what your teacher was probably reacting to. The

Confidence vs Hesitation in Improv Scenes

WORKSHOPS! Check out what's coming up for the Off Script Workshops. We're working on stuff brought up in this ep. https://yourimprovbrain.com/offscript If you start buil

Improv Freeze Fix! Set Up In Advance as a Default Move

You're in a scene, it's your turn, and your brain goes somewhere else. Going blank on stage, hitting that freeze, is near the top of most improvisers' fear lists, and I w

The Three Best Ways to Learn (or Improve) at Improv

NEW WORKSHOPS! Find all the information on the newly released website at https://YourImprovBrain.com/offscript Someone asked in an improv forum how you should actually l

Steamrolling and getting steamrolled: Three exercises for both sides

Steamrolling is one of those improv topics where everyone wants to talk about the people doing it to them, and almost nobody wants to consider whether they might be doing

Get better at improv by getting better at getting feedback (really! seriously!)

OUT NOW! Get my latest guides, all about getting and giving improv notes! Find them and what's inside the guides at https://improvupdate.com/notes. 50% discount on your s

One skill at a time: a rep-based approach to changing improv habits

You know that thing where you learn a skill in class, you can explain it to someone else, and then you get into a scene and your brain does the old thing anyway? This epi

Build an evidence archive for more confidence on stage

"Just be confident." "Trust yourself." "Ya got this." You've heard these things, and you might have even said them. And for a lot of brains, especially analytical or patt

Special: How well do you actually know your improv teammates (offstage skill building)

This is a special extended (podcast-only) episode of Your Improv Brain on neurodivergent inclusion in the improv community. These episodes will focus on inclusion, nervou

Metacognition and improv: how to use your monitoring brain in a scene

"Get out of your head" is advice that sounds reasonable until you try to follow it. When you do, you end up monitoring whether you're monitoring the scene. That's just an

Trailer for Your Improv Brain (2026)

Your brain goes blank in the middle of a scene. Or the opposite happens: twelve ideas at once and you can't pick one, so you stand there smiling while your scene partner

Improv initiations: when to start big and when to stay grounded

Emotion connects you to your scene partner, your character, and the audience. It gives a scene depth and grabs attention fast. And if you use it at the top of a scene, it

Your brain went blank? Try this scene start instead

Initiating a scene can be stressful at any level, and when your brain goes blank up there, it's easy to panic. In this episode I talk about a simple approach to scene ini

Assume, don't ask: how to start better improv scenes

Questions at the top of a scene are an advanced move, and if you're still building your skills, they can stall your scene before it gets going. In this episode I break do

You don't need backstory: starting scenes in the middle

SURPRISE! I'm back. Hi! :) Starting a scene with two people standing there asking "who are you?" or explaining a bunch of backstory is one of the quickest ways to lose

Five Vocal Exercises for Better Improv Characters

Get the PDF "Vocal Basics for Improv" with all the exercises and concepts from this episode at https://improvupdate.com/downloads. This episode is all about using your

Own Your Weirdness: A Guide to Really Good Improv (Performances)

In this episode, I explain how to commit to your authentic self in your improv practice. You will learn to reframe perceived weaknesses into compelling strengths on stage

Four Ways to Give your Characters a Clear Point of View

In this episode, I'm really getting into what I believe is the most important element for creating a compelling character: their point of view. I’ve found that the most i

The Power of Silence: 3 Exercises to Improve Your Acting

Alt title: Get to Skin Suit Town: 3 Exercises to Improve Your Acting In this episode, I'm diving into one of the best acting exercises you can give yourself: practicing

3-Step System & Exercise to Manage Self-Criticism in Improv

Your inner critic might be a key reason you feel stuck, anxious, or in your head during an improv scene. But trying to fight it or ignore it doesn't work. This episode re