[MUSIC]
And that's why my Milan impression software is going to be the absolute
best way that we can revolutionized loseless audio impression.
And really like remake this industry.
So are you willing to invest in my company?
>> Look, thanks Reed, I think your technology's really interesting and
all that.
But we've seen a thousand compression plays and
none of them have been all that successful.
So, why do you think you'll succeed and whether or not just have it?
>> I have the best tech, our algorithms are better than anyone else out there.
I don't know how you can't see it and I follow the path to success and-
>> [LAUGH]
>> I don't know, what's the problem?
Is it because I'm wearing a suit?
>> [LAUGH] >> If I brought a hoodie,
would you invest then?
>> [LAUGH] >> Pause.
So this for me is one of the most important moments of my career.
I'm grinding away at a zombie job at Hooley and I'm unhappy with my life.
>> [LAUGH] >> And I have this amazing algorithm
that's going to help me just realize my full potential.
And I'm going to be the happiest person if I can make this new product that really
changes the world.
That's what I came to Stanford for originally anyways, right?
But I was so fraught with anxiety, my palms are sweaty, I'm nervous,
I'm pitting out below this jacket.
>> [LAUGH] >> And I blew it.
But what if there was a different approach I could take?
Today, Robert, Leslie.
Who's Leslie?
Robert.
>> [LAUGH] >> Victoria, and Irene,
and I are going to show you the tools of improvisation.
>> [LAUGH] >> That will allow you.
Well, one to celebrate failure.
>> [LAUGH] >> To allow you to really change
the outcome of these kinds of situations.
So that instead of freaking out,
you really can take the opportunity to embrace and
just become the person you want to be.
We're going to walk through a couple of specific scenarios where you're going to
learn anxiety management.
We're going to learn a little bit of how we can brainstorm in an effective way.
And then we're going to learn lastly,
how does be a better teammate and coworker for your friends.
So with that, let's hear from Robert.
>> Thank you.
So you guys all just saw Reed sweat bullets in front of a board of VC
investors, and quite frankly, in front of all of you guys.
>> [LAUGH] >> So
an important lesson to improve is to celebrate failure.
When an actor makes a mistake, he misses a cue, or she messes up a line,
they're taught to smile, take a bow, and say, ta-da I messed up.
Now this is really important because it transforms that negative energy you have
around making a mistake into a celebration of boldness.
It's a way of owning your mistakes and saying, the show goes on.
You're basically saying, I took a risk I failed, I'm still here,
I learned something, ta da.
Now of course, it'd pretty awkward to take a bow in the middle of a board room.
But how do we transfer the lessons,
the mentality, of the failure bow into the business world?
I have three tips for you today.
First, greet that anxiety, accept it, let it become part of you.
Now, I personally get very anxious before presentations,
sometimes get a little sweaty.
It's not good, and I try to fight it, but I've learned that the more I try to untie
the knot in my stomach, the tighter it gets, the more nervous I become.
I've since then learned to just let it be, recognize that it's part of the process.
Say hm, there's that sinking feeling in my stomach again.
That's good, that's normal.
I should expect this.
It's part of the process because, I'm about to do something great.
Now the nervousness doesn't go away, but my naming it, and
by calling it out, have taken away some of the power it has over me.
Next thing that you can do, is be average.
Be okay with the ordinary.
Now a lot of the stress that we're placing ourselves come from our own expectations
to do great things, to really excel to be stellar.
To knock that ball out of the park.
But let's just be honest for a minute here.
Those are our expectations of ourselves, that's not what the audience expects.
The audience expects the business to go on,
the show to go on, they expect nothing more than out of the ordinary.
Now, I'm not saying don't be stellar.
I'm not saying don't excel, you should absolutely do that, but at the same time,
be kind to yourselves.
If the outcome is just okay, if the outcome is just average,
that's perfectly acceptable, as a matter of fact, that's expected.
Lastly, embrace the unknown.
See it as an opportunity to learn.
Oftentimes, we get into a situation about me versus the world
situation where you throw a question at me, I don't know how to answer it,
I feel like it's an attack and I get anxious because I'm defenseless.
Let's see if we can reframe that.
Rather than say, this is an attack on on me,
say this question that I don't how to answer is an invitation.
It's an invitation to say, that's really a good question and I don't know the answer.
Can you help me with it or can we work on it together?
By that reframing, you've turned to this question that's put you
on the spot into a path to a conversation.
So the next time you're in that board room, the next time that you mess up,
the next time you feel that anxiousness, take a mental bow,
recognize your mistake and move on.
Speaking of move on, lets move on to our next scene with Audrey.
>> Alright guys, its brainstorming time.
[SOUND] We need to come up with a way to increase our sales on our product.
What do you think?
>> What if we offer to pay off all their student loans if they did a free trial?
>> My God, that's going to be so expensive.
>> How about we meet them person to person [INAUDIBLE]?
>> That's going to take forever, it's not going to work.
>> Pause.
What we just witnessed was a very ineffective brainstorming session
where every idea thrown out, Victoria just said no and shut it down.
>> [LAUGH] >> In improv,
the number one rule is say yes to everything.
It's the first thing that you learn as an improviser.
So supposed we're doing an improv scene but
I'm in with another actor in the wilderness, for example.
And I say, let's climb this mountain if the other actor says, no,
I don't really want to, it kind of kills the whole scene, right?
>> [LAUGH] >> Instead, we're taught to say yes.
So, if the other actor says yes, let's go climb that mountain,
it helps the scene move forward.
We can use this same principle of saying yes, and
apply it back to this business brainstorming session.
So, if Reed had suggested, what if we send emails out?
If Victoria just says, no, that kind of kills the whole vibe.
So instead, apply the principle of saying yes and if she said yes, Reed,
great idea, that creates a much more positive brainstorming environment.
And obviously in brainstorming,
you're not going to end up actually taking every idea proposed.
But simply by saying yes, it creates a lot more creativity, and
a much more effective session.
Sometimes a no can be disguised as a yes but so back to our improv example,
if I say "Let's climb this mountain" and the other actor says "Yes, but
actually I'm afraid of heights." They've said yes but effectively that's a no.
So in improv, instead of just saying yes, what we want to say is "yes and".
So, yes, let's climb this mountain and
let's try to do it as fast as we possibly can.
So adding something, contributing more to move the scene forward.
And now taking this back once again to our brainstorming session,
an even more effective response.
And if Victoria just said yes, let's send emails would be to add to it,
to say yes, and we can have a promo code in that email so
that people are even more likely to click to buy our product.
Saying yes, and,
one of the most effective tools from improv that we can apply to brainstorming.
And now let's take it back to another scene for a final scene.
>> Hey, so Victoria, we've got this final project coming up in this class.
[CROSSTALK] Ideas.
What do you think we should do?
>> What about something about improv.
People like right.
>> Man, yeah, that's a great idea.
I live down the floor.
We should fully suggest that.
>> Yeah. Totally.
>> Hey, guys.
So, we need to decide on our final topic.
What do you think?
Any ideas?
>> Yeah.
>> I think we should do improv.
I mean I don't think it has been done before and.
>> I love that.
>> Yeah.
>> [LAUGH] >> That's really my idea.
>> Please Rhea.
I'd literally just said it.
You just came up with that.
>> Okay.
Pause.
>> [LAUGH] >> What we just saw
here was called stealing the show.
And that violates a top rule in improv, that is making your partner look great.
In improv, there's a saying that goes,
every actor is supposed to be a supporting actor.
But how do you exactly do that?
Top one rule, golden rule, just listen.
What exactly do I mean by that?
Let me show you a story.
In a Tibetan temple,
an old master was trying to show a young monk the truth to life.
He held up a teapot and started pouring tea into the cup.
And as the tea was overflowing, the young monk was getting very anxious and
the old master was like well you are like this tea cup.
You're already filled with ideas and thoughts
you need to empty yourself in order to take in anything that I say.
So just listen.
In modern society, it is way too easy to listen just enough,
to respond instead of listening to understand, the whole thing.
And that is why either be in improv or any business scene we
should listen to understand the whole scene instead of listen just enough
to respond to what is being said.
Now, you're thinking.
Okay I'm going to listen, I'm going to sit back and
enjoy the show put on by my partners but guess what you're still part of the show.
So when your partner is stuck on a scene, instead of just gloating in that
awkward silence and just listening to that awkward silence throw out an idea,
like, hey, it's bright and sunny outside.
To allow your partner to say, okay, let's go to a picnic at the oval and that
would be the same case in business scenes in a conference room initiate an idea.
Even if it's not the best idea ever,
it will allow your team mates to come up with maybe better ideas.
And last, but not least, add, not replace.
This is another version of the yes, and
attitude that Audrey just mentioned before.
Because you want to make your teammates feel like
the end product is their proud baby.
It's their idea so
that they can putting the maximum effort into the entire project.
Because by making your teammates and making your partners
the hero's of the show, your actually becoming the hero of the team.
And now let's take it back to Reed.
>> We've all been in these really awful situations where we've just felt
down in the dumps after we blew a big meeting because we were too nervous,
we couldn't get that VC pitch made right.
Or even worse, we were working with a co-worker who stabbed us in
the back on their path to power.
>> [LAUGH] >> And
we're going to face those situations again.
That's going to happen to you, to me, to all of us.
But now we're armed with a new set of tools that allows us to choose
how we deal with those problems.
And making that choice to change your attitude can revolutionize the outcome.
Robert, Taught us to celebrate the failure.
>> [LAUGH] >> Audrey, to say yes, and.
>> [LAUGH] >> And Victoria, to be a better teammate.
>> [LAUGH] >> And
whether you're trying to pitch a VC, or you're working on issue with your spouse,
or just trying to be playful again.
Just remember to make work like play and think like an improviser.
You may just surprise yourself with the kind of creativity you come up with,
the kind of solutions you work out to problems that seemed at once difficult.
Thank you.
>> [APPLAUSE]
[MUSIC]