At this point, I saw two options<\/a>: Toastmasters<\/a>, or Improv. Toastmasters sounds dire<\/a>. I added \u201cTake an Improv class\u201d to my to-do list. Last summer, one sleepless night in the wake<\/a> of my marriage, several crises, and a house move, I thought \u201cfuck this\u201d and signed up for Level 1: Beginners Improv Course<\/a>.<\/p>\n Gregarious friends commented on my courage when they heard what I had signed up for; a colleague remarked, when I confessed, several weeks in, \u201cthat\u2019s going to make you a nightmare!\u201d The thing is, I am alright with small groups – I like leading those<\/a>. Hundred-person auditoria, though, with my work and hence me under scrutiny, make me panic. Improv was hard. Really, really hard. Statistics benefits from a thoughtful approach, one of the reasons I like it; some of my favourite blog posts are the most considered ones. Kudos, then, to Steve<\/a>, who put a lot of work into making the studio a safe space for all of his students. I can forgive him for that one time he made me Improv statistical consulting.<\/p>\n Every Wednesday night after work, for eight weeks, getting to class meant some sort of mad scramble: a bus, two trains, a Diet Coke and a takeaway dinner<\/a>. I would screech to a momentary halt in a\u00a0theatre space above a bar in Moorgate.<\/a>\u00a0The door would shut on our Studio, and something<\/em> would shift. Adulthood, and the news, and the turmoil I am fighting to heal from, would, somehow, be suspended. There is a distracting effortlessness about Improv which consumed all of my concentration. Within moments I would be crying with laughter over bizarre drama games. My dozen course mates and I stretched, swung our arms and swung each other around, sang, danced, crawled, and improvised our way through couples\u2019 counselling, a cocktail party, a film set, and a flight to the moon. All in one evening, some weeks. Outside of class, we formed a WhatsApp group, a pub night, each others\u2019 party guests; the following term, some of us were the loyal audience whilst others went on to perform<\/a>. Improv was exhilarating, enriching, exhausting. I used to come home buzzing and unable to sleep until midnight.\u00a0<\/p>\n And, did it work?\u00a0<\/p>\n Improv classmates with our tutor, Steve. And some Oreos<\/a>.<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n Halfway through, I got offered a no-notice trip to Paris – a colleague pulled out of a conference at the last minute. I do not like travelling – it always feels taboo to admit that – and short-notice travel causes me particular problems. There I was, then, blinking at my boss’ suggestion. I\u2019d just come back from a weekend away, as it happened, and here I was facing going abroad a day and a half later. I froze, processing how fast I would be able to turnaround my laundry from the weekend, and which meetings I could miss and which I would reschedule, and where was my passport, was there any chance it had gotten lost in the house move? I tried, and I tried, to find a reason why I should not take this opportunity. Then, I remembered the first rule of Improv<\/a>. 36 hours later, I was being woken up at Gare du Nord by the security guard sweeping the Eurostar. Unsurprisingly, given the weekly mad scramble, the laundry that I had done through the night whilst I searched for my passport, then the day at the office, back to back, of course, with rescheduled meetings, I had fallen asleep on the train.\u00a0<\/p>\n Paris is not presenting, but when travelling, as when talking in public, you can plan all you like, and still know that you will be thrown a few curveballs. I’ll tell you about Paris, one day, if you ask me. I have presented since (in fact twice in one afternoon, once). So, I would say: Yes. It worked.<\/p>\n I took Level 1: Beginners Improv Course<\/a> with Hoopla<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Until recently, I dreaded public speaking. Hated it, even. No-one told me, when I set out to become a scientist, that presenting my work in front of an audience would be expected. Being scheduled to give a talk, to immediate … Continue reading ![\"Erika](\"https:\/\/i.pinimg.com\/originals\/e6\/7c\/25\/e67c258ab2bfb79b5f6c380bf67e5120.jpg\")