tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32906040.post4769604329722378159..comments2023-10-09T03:06:43.785-07:00Comments on Voice--A Storyteller's Lifestyle: Storytelling Games: Never too old to PlayProfessional Storyteller Rachel Hedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13550520795951768254noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32906040.post-30132847973167868762007-10-04T13:54:00.000-07:002007-10-04T13:54:00.000-07:00Adults do need to give themselves more permission ...Adults do need to give themselves more permission to release the fun and crazy energy they have inside of them.<BR/><BR/>Tim, I agree with the three reasons you stated as to why adults are reluctance to play games. I appreciate you listing them.<BR/><BR/>From your first comment, Ed Stivender is doing a live game of "Mad Libs" though I still saw that as a form of improv. Of course, as you pointed out, it is not as intense as to the spin that Olga Loya puts to it.<BR/><BR/>When is improv truly improv? Our minds are always creating images and thoughts so in some ways, we participate in improv all the time. Perhaps it is when we give voice to our creations when improv comes alive.<BR/><BR/>This could lead to another question--when is storytelling truly storytelling?<BR/><BR/>Until we tell again,<BR/><BR/>Rachel HedmanProfessional Storyteller Rachel Hedmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13550520795951768254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32906040.post-67923306635169481462007-10-03T14:23:00.000-07:002007-10-03T14:23:00.000-07:00In my experience leading these kind of games with ...In my experience leading these kind of games with adults, I find there are at least three reasons adults have a reluctance to try these games (more reluctance than children):<BR/><BR/>1. Their fear of being wrong. (Since our educational system has reinforced a belief in "the right answer" for their entire academic careers, being wrong = failure. (BTW, have you seen <A HREF="www.ted.com/talks/redirect?key=ken_robinson" REL="nofollow">Sir Ken Robinson's talk on Creativity in Education</A>? Fantastic!). The notion that an exercise can have a limitless amount of answers is difficult to grasp for some learners and scary to others.<BR/><BR/>2. Their fear of being exposed. Asking a person to come up with an idea on the spot is terrifying. Even if you coach the participants to use the first thing that comes to mind, often their inner editor is pre-judging the ideas. "Don't say that, people will think you are... " (And finishing the sentence could be: weird, immoral, insane, emotional, dangerous, or even dull)<BR/><BR/>3. Their deeply held notion that a game, especially a fun game, or one that makes you laugh, can't teach you anything.<BR/><BR/> When I teach games that involve imagination and improvisation, often I need to first give them permission to look silly, to make mistakes, to have fun, and to let go of attachment to any content (ideas are like tissues in a dispenser/box: they're disposable, and there's another one standing). Also, it is surprisingly helpful to give participants permission to be deadly boring. Sometimes, with very fearful participants, I have to first share the expected outcomes of each exercise... in effect, telling them the answer instead of letting them discover it themselves.Timhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15432302620700328040noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32906040.post-60021459816070827852007-10-03T13:23:00.000-07:002007-10-03T13:23:00.000-07:00After studying and performing improv for more than...After studying and performing improv for more than twenty years, I'm of the opinion that Stivender, entertaining though he is, isn't creating a story on the spot with this game so much as he is playing a live version of "Mad Libs." It sounds like what Olga is doing is truly improvising. Hmm. I'm going to ask Olga to do that game next week when I see her.Timhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15432302620700328040noreply@blogger.com