{"id":1121,"date":"2012-09-28T16:38:26","date_gmt":"2012-09-28T16:38:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.spolin.us\/?p=1121"},"modified":"2012-09-28T19:08:09","modified_gmt":"2012-09-28T19:08:09","slug":"no-fail-no-fear","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spolin.com\/?p=1121","title":{"rendered":"No Fail No Fear"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

This post was published to Improv Odyssey at 9:22:00 PM 7\/25\/2012<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

NO FAIL NO FEAR<\/h2>\n
\n

\u00a0 I don\u2019t believe in success and failure.<\/span><\/em>\u00a0\u2013 Viola Spolin.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

We all approach new things with some trepidation. I\u2019ve been told by new students that they are there in the workshop because Improv terrifies them and they want to face that fear. Bravo to them for their courage, but \u2018sheesh!\u201d I tell them that they need not worry. My workshop is not terrifying. In fact it is the opposite. It\u2019s fun.<\/p>\n

Fun is the antidote to fear. My goal is to get their mind completely off their fear by making the workshop more fun than fearful. Rather than talking about the value of the work or reassuring them that it\u2019s not all that scary, I start by playing a game right away. Playing reveals that better than any lecture.<\/p>\n

Dependency on authority obstructs players from directly experiencing self and the world<\/em> \u2013 Viola Spolin<\/strong><\/span>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

One of my pet peeves is when I hear people talk about the principles of Improvisation is \u201cGet used to failure\u201d or \u201cCelebrate failure\u201d or \u201cExpect to fail quite a lot\u201d. \u00a0We all fear failing because we are conditioned in our culture to respond to what Viola called the Approval\/Disapproval Syndrome. To some degree we all seek the praise and approval of others and wish to be seen as \u2018good\u2019. That means on some level we all fear the disapproval of others and want to avoid being bad.<\/p>\n

When you lay in fear, you cripple people<\/em>. \u2013 Viola Spolin.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

This \u2018Get used to failure\u2019 principle is meant to allay people\u2019s fear of failure.\u00a0 You say \u201cDon\u2019t worry about it. Feel that fear and do it anyway.\u201d\u00a0 By mentioning failure you make it part of the premise of improv training. In a way, you make fear an important prerequisite. Tony Robbins refers to this idea of misplaced attention in one of his talks. He says \u201cAsk a race car driver to drive as fast as he can and keep his eyes on the track, but tell him also to watch out for that wall at the quarter mile turn. What does he look at?\u00a0 – The wall!\u201d\u00a0 Bringing up the notion of failure is like mentioning the wall.\u00a0 It keeps students focused on it and makes it an unnecessary hurdle.<\/p>\n

Success\/Failure is a paradigm that Spolin avoids. This one idea distracts us from joy of the process, and lays in fear. It also sets us up for becoming competitive and seeking a successful result. This can affect the teacher\/director who, with the best of intentions, will try to steer students towards their idea of success, praising students for successful scenes and criticizing (or critiquing) the failures. In doing so the teacher unwittingly sets up the students to be mindful of success and failure.<\/p>\n

Spolin Games is not about Success or Failure. It\u2019s about fun. Playing creates shared energy and a psychological and social condition that activate our intuition, and makes us part of the whole in a dynamic way that needs no explanation other than the rules.<\/p>\n

When you play the game of Tag, you try not to be it, but if you are tagged, you become \u2018It\u2019 – you respond happily to being tagged by quickly tagging someone else and making them\u00a0 \u2018it\u2019. Everyone enjoys the game in this way. In presenting the game of Tag you simply start out by saying \u201cNot it!\u201d and the last person to say \u201cnot it\u201d is \u201cit\u201d and bam! \u2013 the game starts.\u00a0 Everyone runs around and enjoys the chase and the challenge. We don\u2019t judge it: \u201cIt\u201d or \u201cNot it\u201d – it\u2019s all part of the game. Someone has to be \u201cit\u201d and is happy to be \u201cit\u201d and equally happy to make someone else \u201cit\u201d. \u00a0The whole game is fun and we play until we tire of it. Not when there\u2019s a looser and a winner. We play Tag for the fun of it.<\/p>\n

But if you introduce the game by saying, \u201cNow we are going to play Tag. Some of you will be caught and have to be \u201cit\u201d. Don\u2019t be so concerned with your failure at remaining free, but seek to make someone else \u2018it\u2019. You were not good enough to avoid it. Go with it. Accept it. Try hard to tag someone else.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now when you are tagged, you think \u201cOh, shit! I\u2019m it! Dammit! I don\u2019t want to be it! How stupid of me to be caught. I\u2019m not very good at this am I? I failed. Oh, well, I should get used to it. It\u2019s all part of the game.\u201d<\/p>\n

The physical action is the same in both cases, but the focus is different. Somehow it\u2019s not as much fun.\u00a0 Of course Tag is fun. It\u2019s just fun – Period.\u00a0 You cannot succeed or fail at Tag unless you don\u2019t play.\u00a0 It sounds silly, but it is an important point.<\/p>\n

Can you imagine a workshop where you have Tag \u2013 level 1, Intermediate Tag and Advanced Tagging? Play is democratic.\u00a0 This is one reason why Viola allowed players with varying levels of skill in her workshops. Evaluating someone on their merits as \u2018talented\u2019 was not her aim. Her goal was to get everybody playing to the fullest. In that state, everyone has what it takes.<\/p>\n

Fun is the key<\/h3>\n

A fundamental premise in workshop is to have as much fun as possible. It is essential for optimal learning.\u00a0 Viola knew that games are intrinsically fun and therefore the perfect form to address the problems of working on stage.<\/p>\n

When she talks in her books about creating a good workshop atmosphere, she refers to creating the conditions all games require.<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Freedom to play with enthusiasm and joy<\/li>\n
  • A willingness to play by the rules<\/li>\n
  • An eagerness to accept the challenge<\/li>\n
  • To enjoy playing for the sheer fun of it<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    The goal is having fun! \u00a0She never dealt in terms of success and failure \u2013 only with questions of focus. Were you able to play or were you in your head?\u00a0 If you were in your head, alright, so be it.<\/p>\n

    \u201cI don\u2019t want to know why you were in your head!\u201d she\u2019d often say. \u201cThere\u2019s always a reason. I\u2019m sure you\u2019ve got very good reasons. I\u2019m not interested in them.\u201d Her focus was to get you out of your head.<\/p>\n

    When you were in the space, the zone, and really playing, there was no need to do anything but celebrate it and shout hooray!\u00a0 Nothing more is needed. No analysis or deconstructing or debriefing. On to the next game!<\/p>\n

    When you don\u2019t have time to consider the risks or introspect on the value of the activity, you\u2019ll have more fun. The stakes are what they are (very low) but because the nature of game playing is such that everyone takes them seriously in order for the game to work. The act of playing shuts off the valuing aspect in our head. There simply is no time for it as our entire being is caught up in the organic response to the playing and the enjoyment of the activity.<\/p>\n

    My two cents\u2026<\/h2>\n

    As a teacher, strive to make every game presented and played in this way.\u00a0 Coach accordingly. Avoid telling your students they\u2019ve done well and don\u2019t tell them why you think they\u2019ve done poorly. You are reinforcing Approval\/Disapproval in yourself and in them. Some students will literally beg you for it. They want that \u2018pat on the head\u2019. They are conditioned to work for it and value it more than the fun they\u2019ve had. Don\u2019t be tempted. It can make you feel important to hold their worth in your hands and you will even feel good about your dispensing your praise and critique, but you are trapped in the same syndrome.\u00a0 Beware of it. \u201cDon\u2019t do anything about it, but don\u2019t not<\/span><\/em> do anything about it.\u201d as Viola would say.<\/p>\n

    Begin every workshop with a warm-up game like Tag or Kitty wants a Corner or Red Light-Green Light – any game that is completely fun for its own sake.
    \nWhen introducing any subsequent game or exercise, do so with the same goal. Present it as another fun experience, regardless.\u00a0 Your players will all enjoy solving the problem if it is presented to them as another opportunity to have fun.\u00a0 They won\u2019t feel the pressure of facing their fear.\u00a0 Or if they do, that\u2019s between them and them. At least you didn\u2019t address it and add to the pressure.\u00a0 Eventually, having enough fun will dissipate the fear. Also, there\u2019s no need to deconstruct or debrief the game if it works. That is just gilding the lily. Let the game teach. You stay out of it.<\/p>\n

    A penny lecture comforts the teacher more than the student. \u2013 Viola Spolin<\/p>\n

    If a game doesn\u2019t work, don\u2019t belabor the point. You may have overestimated their readiness for a particular game, or maybe the game was not so much fun for reasons you should be aware of. I.e., presentation, poor coaching, you chose a game that is not appropriate for the workshop.\u00a0 That\u2019s your job as a teacher.\u00a0 Are your students working for the fun of the game or for your approval?\u00a0 I know for me, I want every student to \u2018get it\u2019 so much, I sometimes over coach. It is my desire for a successful outcome that gets in the way.\u00a0 It spoils the fun.\u00a0 Avoid using the word \u201crisk\u201d for the same reason. Risk implies sacrificing something and thus engenders a level of fear.<\/p>\n

    Omit the words \u2018failure\u2019 and \u2018risk\u2019 from your workshops and you increase the likelihood of creative growth for both you and your students.<\/p>\n

    Have fun.<\/p>\n

    That\u2019s my advice for what it\u2019s worth.<\/p>\n

    Gary Schwartz<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    This post was published to Improv Odyssey at 9:22:00 PM 7\/25\/2012 NO FAIL NO FEAR \u00a0 I don\u2019t believe in success and failure.\u00a0\u2013 Viola Spolin. We all approach new things with some trepidation. I\u2019ve been told by new students that they are there in the workshop because Improv terrifies them and they want to face […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,9,6,10,8,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1121","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-gary-schwartz","category-improvisation","category-spolin-games","category-team-building","category-theater-games","category-viola-spolin"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/spolin.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1121","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/spolin.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/spolin.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spolin.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spolin.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1121"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/spolin.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1121\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1123,"href":"https:\/\/spolin.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1121\/revisions\/1123"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/spolin.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1121"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spolin.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1121"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spolin.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1121"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}