The Second City Performers Teach You Improv Skills, Exercises & More | B-Well Together | Salesforce

Foreign.

Welcome, welcome, welcome.

To Be well Together. All right, we have, we have quite the things set up for you today. With so many challenges going on in the world right now, it is serious, easy to get stuck in the negative. And I don't know about you, but I find that to be a little bit exhausting. So today we are going to give you this Be well Together. This opportunity to just sit back, chill out a little bit and enjoy some really healthy belly laughs. I think it is an amazing way to be able to start a week together. So I am excited to welcome back for an encore performance to the Be well Together stage, the Second City Improv Group.

Woo hoo. Yes. Look at that.

Yes.

Dialing it in. In case you've never been to one of their shows, you know what a gut busting good time we are all about to have. They're known as the premier improvisational comedy enterprise and they've been making people laugh for over 60 years. And so today there will be a little bit of audience input. So you can, if you're an employee, you can check out our can't be well chatter group. And also helping us moderate today is Jeffrey Wang. So Jeffrey, welcome back to the show. And now, most importantly, coming to you live from their stages that are in all of their own homes, we have the very talented and witty Liz Joint, Sandberg Rashawn Scott, Sharjil Rasool and Piero Procaccini. Welcome, guys.

Hi everybody. Thanks so much.

Jody, thank you so much. I'm Liz. I want to welcome you to this laugh and learn event with the Second City. I'm one of your facilitators today as well as the designer for the second. And we're going to be spending the next 30 minutes together sharing some of the ways that an improvisational mindset can help foster more effective communication for all of us as we navigate this new terrain. And as Jodi already mentioned, I'm joined by my dear friend Piero. Piero, how are you?

I'm great. Thank you so much for asking. In just a moment, we're going to introduce you to the rest of the cast. Some of the other names that Jodi mentioned. Before we get started, we did want to just establish a little bit of background and some ground rules. Liz.

Yeah. So the Second City is improv comedy theater. We've been around for over 60 years. We've got theaters and training centers in Chicago, Toronto and a training center in LA as well. And we're famous for two things. We're famous for improvisation. Just making it up as you go. Like you might see on Whose Line Is It Anyway? And sketch comedy, which is scripted comedy based on that improvisation, like you might see on Saturday Night Live. You may not be aware of this, but you improvise every day. So many of the skills and mindsets that you use in your day to day are the same ones that we use on stage. So you can apply the wisdom that we use offstage as well. And we're here to share a little bit of those skills with you today.

So let's set the table with just three key improv principles that are really important to what we do. The first is trusting ourselves to make choices. That self trust is really important. We have to trust that what we are doing makes sense and is in the moment. Even if we're not entirely sure of the outcome, we have to be willing to take that risk of making that choice.

Yeah. And it's also really important that as we're making those choices, that we reserve judgment of ourselves, that we reserve judgment of each other, and that we even reserve judgment of the experience that we're having together. Now, this can be particularly challenging, especially in an environment like this one. This virtual zoom room that we are constantly navigating is new for many of us. It's easy to want to judge something that's unfamiliar, but we find that even if we tap into our curiosity instead of that judgment, we learn much more, we enjoy our experience more, and it also helps strengthen our ability to adapt.

Yeah. And this ties so closely to the third idea, which is this idea of creating an environment of support. In order to do those first two things, we have to start from a place of support where we really can have the freedom and the liberty to take some of those risks and to make some of those choices and reserve that judgment. So keep those three things in mind as we move forward. One of the great ways that we demonstrate that support is through uproarious applause. So even though we can't see or hear you at home, the more that you send that energy our way, the better. That's right. We'll rely on Jeffrey and Jodi for a little bit of that on screen as well.

Yeah, they'll be capturing it and sending it to us.

That's right. Exactly.

But I think we're ready to dig in. So before we do that, I want to welcome our cast. Please send that applause now as we welcome Rashawn and Sharjil.

Hi, all.

Hey, everybody.

Yeah, good. That's awesome. So we are going to be improvising for You. And we are going to be aided by two other members of our team here that we want to introduce you to very quickly. Jesse Case, who will be on the keys accompanying us all session long. Hi, Jesse. And also Nick Salidio, who will be dealing with all of our background tech. Hi, Bo. They'll be hiding in the digital bushes, but they will be there in support. And as we take suggestions from you, we're going to be feeding those suggestions through Jeffrey. So as you input those suggestions, Jeffrey will read them and then send them our way. Let's take it away, Liz.

Yeah, we're going to jump right in. So to get us started, we'd love for you to give us the suggestion of an object. So again, for any salesforce folks with us, go ahead and enter those into the camp be well chatter right now. And as you're doing that, I'm going to share a little bit about what we're about to do. So we know that quarantine is affecting us all in different ways. Now some of us are beginning to go a little stir crazy. Right? Okay. So we want to start off with a game that we call quarantine with me. I'm going to select an object from the chatter that we get, and then the cast is going to tell us why quarantining with them is like that object. So, Jeffrey, have we hit. Have we got anything from the chatter yet that we could maybe use as a suggestion to get us started?

Nothing yet. I don't see anything coming through. But, you know, I'm just gonna throw some things out there that are helpful.

Send those in the checkout.

Let's see.

Masks.

Quarantining with me is like masks. Okay, fantastic. Quarantining with me is like masks up here.

Quarantining with me is like a mask. You never know who's behind it.

Sharjah.

Quarantining with me is like a mask. You don't want to see my entire face. I'm letting myself go.

All right, Rashad.

Quarantining with me is like a mask because I'm Jim Carrey and I deserve an Oscar for my performance.

Somebody stop her.

Hurry. Everyone else. What else do we. What else could quarantining with us be like? Let's see.

Beach ball, can opener.

Oh, I'm gonna take beach ball. Quarantining with me is like a beach ball. Which one?

Quarantining with me is like a beach ball because I inflate about 2 to 3 inches every couple of weeks.

Quarantining with me is Like a beach ball. Even though it belongs on the beach, it mostly stays home.

Quarantining with me is like an old beach ball. I'm feeling deflated these days.

So there.

There's a shot.

Quarantining with me is like a beach ball. Give me a little pat on the bottom, and I'll go to the ceiling. That.

I think that's pretty great. Let's get one more, Jeffrey. What else?

Let's see.

How about phone charger? Oh, yes. Quarantine with me is like a phone charger.

Phone charger.

Oh.

Quarantine with me is like a phone charger. Cause my wires are frayed, y'.

All.

Pierre.

Quarantining with me is like a phone charger. I'm always lost.

I felt a little bit spiritual. Charge it.

Quarantining with me is like a phone charger. I'm just gonna be staying indoors.

Quarantining with me is like a phone charger. I left it at my mom's house, and I'm never getting that back.

Everybody.

Yes, yes, yes. Let's do a big round of applause for our cast and the fact that you have to quarantine with us. Just go ahead and take a second and celebrate that. Let's talk about that just a little bit, because we just kind of demonstrated. Well, I did, and. But Rashawn and Charge of Pierrot demonstrated those three key sort of competencies that we dig into in order to be able to improvise well together. So we were really, like, watching these folks take turns taking risks. When everybody's got each other's backs and we're existing in that culture of support, it's not quite as scary as it would be to just kind of, like, go out with what you've got. Right. I mean, that was all comedy gold. But in case it wasn't, they knew that they had each other's backs and they were going to take turns taking those risks. Not one person has to do all of the risk taking or all of the heavy lifting. And the other thing that we saw these folks doing was being really playful and embracing a sense of play. Right? Nobody looks stupid when they're having fun. Amy Poehler says that, and that's absolutely true in this instance, everybody. If we're committed to having a great time and to leveraging some play and some joy in the work that we're doing, it makes it a lot easier to take turns taking risks and to show up for one another and even to show up for ourselves and, like, explore some stuff that, you know we may not have ever discovered before. So give it up for them one more time. Great job, everybody.

Thank you so much.

Thank you. Thank you, Liz.

So supportive.

Thank you.

So for this next improvisation, we need an audience volunteer, and Jody has been gracious enough to be willing to join us for this.

So, Jodi, can't wait.

This is your moment to shine.

Big moment.

Okay, here we go.

So here's what's going about to happen, Jody. We are about to have what we are calling a subjective scavenger hunt, which means that the cast is going to scour their homes for objects in the categories that I give, and then they will bring those objects back. They will explain why they are a perfect fit for that category, and then you, Jody, get to decide who wins each round.

Oh, I do love being judgmental.

The good news is it's totally subjective, so whatever you say is right. Your word is absolutely the end word on it. So we are going to have this scavenger hunt. The cast is ready to go. Liz, Rashawn, and Sharjah, you all set?

Always.

Okay, I'm going to give you your first category that you are going to scour your homes for, and your first category is Something green.

Something green.

I'm kind of in their homes right now. Right, Piero?

Yes, that's right. Totally right.

This is great.

We're getting, like, house underwear.

That's exactly right. Oh, Liz, we got.

Yeah, Liz has got a serious freeze there.

Liz froze. That's okay. All right, we're coming back. We're gonna give. We're gonna give Liz a chance to come back. I think she may have frozen on us, but as we're doing. She's back. She's back. All right, great. All right, so obviously, Jodi has already come to the table wearing something green. Let's go to the cast and find out what green items you all brought. Let me start with Sharjah.

Okay, great. So I was just scouring this room, and I did find something green, but as soon as I came back to the desk, I think I found something much, much better. So initially, it was this green hulk.

Oh, okay.

But I might be able to tie this in. But just a little insight into my life. Guess before this show, I was looking up Dev Patel. Dev Patel. You know, he said he's South Asian actor. You know, he's been a slub dog millionaire. I was just looking him up, and I'm just like, I'm never gonna be, like, a beautiful South Asian actor like Dev Patel.

Right.

So I'm kind of so to tie this in with something green, Just looking him up. I am green with envy of his talent and skill and given, like, how many credits he has to his name. I am very, very green.

Oh, wow. Okay, that's a double. That's a double right there.

So it makes me angry like the Hulk.

Okay. Wow. Triple play from Jar Del Rashad. Let's see what you got.

Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow. Now, around my home, there's a lot of green things. Obviously, I've got a lot of planty situations, but I thought, Jodi, you would connect with this so deeply. You seem to be a lady, we say, of the same mindset. We love a deal. This is a bulk container of olive oil.

Yes.

At Costco, I had two of these. 13.99. That's a good deal.

Very, very nice.

And it's economical because I'll just refill.

And it's healthy.

I like it. So it is green. And you're saving green, Rashawn, if I'm hearing you right. Okay, great. Great, great, great. And it's healthy. That's awesome. Liz, what do you got?

Yeah. So here at beautiful Rogers Park, Chicago, this is my patio. I think you can kind of, like, see I got a lot of brown plants, though, and the floor is concrete. And it's also kind of a rat sanctuary. But I want to draw your attention to the wealthy neighbors situation. Wow. We've got a pergola. We've got, like, all kinds of, like, kind of ornamental trees. There is, like, specific flooring that was put in. So, yeah, I mean, I'm just. I hate to say I'm green with envy. Like, that patio is lit.

Okay. All right. So Liz and Chargal. That's awesome. And it's got some green, too. That's great.

I mean.

Yeah.

And some plants that I'm doing my best.

Okay.

But I'm busy. All right.

So that is awesome. All right, Jody, the time has come.

Okay, well, I'm not gonna lie. This was a. This was a difficult decision, and I really did appreciate Sharjahel's triple threat. But I feel like Liz needs some sort of a bone here for having to stare outside at, like, all of the flower and flora next door to her, like, desert, dying garden.

We gave Liz. It goes to Liz for the win. That is awesome. All right, we're going to do one more round here before we close out. And in the spirit of the sentiment of be well, we want you to find the category for this round is something in your home that makes you happy, something in your home that makes you happy?

Go. Can I come in? Can I be with you for a sec?

All right, we are back. We're back. So let's go. Liz, you won that last round. Although you are frozen, maybe. Let me give you a chance to come back in.

Okay.

There you are. Oh, hi. Okay, great. Liz, we're gonna start with you since you won the last round. Hi.

So this is my daughter, Merce. She's not a thing. How dare you? She makes me very happy. Merce, do you want to support a lot of people on the Internet?

Hi.

Hi. Hi. Hi. Hi.

Hi.

Hi. Hi. Hi. Hi. Hi.

Hi, back at you. Internet says hi.

Oh, my gosh. Hi, Merce. Oh, my gosh. That's awesome. Thank you, Liz. Hi, Merce. Thank you so much for joining us. Rashawn, what do you got?

Well.

I don't know why I'm taking such a weird way to intro this, but what I decided to get was something that really makes me happy is games. And I have this great board game called Dragoon, where you are a dragon and you fight other dragons to get gold. And it makes me really happy. It would make me happier if I lived with someone so I could play it.

But it's still fun. I love it. Thanks, Rashad. Sharjah, how about you?

All right, so what I have right now is my girlfriend's old ticket, and this was a Knicks versus Bobcats game. And why I guess this makes me happy is because it just reminds me of, like, you know, the Knicks, you know, really, really bad. You know, it's all these bad basketball teams makes me. It just. It reminds me of the number one team right now, which is the Toronto Raptors.

Okay.

All right.

My hometown, Toronto. All right. I'm repping Toronto. Go, Raps, go. That's what makes me happy.

I love it. That's an aggressive happy. Thanks, Charge. All right, Jodi, the time has come.

Who wins this round? I have to take a second. I have to take a second because I'm gonna prove to you why I have an authentic, heartfelt match with somebody on.

Oh, my gosh. Let's see it. Let's see it, Jody.

You'll get it. I love it.

She's going for it.

She's a child.

Okay, are you ready for this?

Yes.

I have a daughter, but my daughter is a dragon lover. Wait, it works for all of us.

This is.

Yes.

Look at this.

Oh, my God. This is the remainder of a balloon from her birthday party.

Oh, my gosh.

And so I am all over Dragoon. I mean, is this, like, safe for kids?

Yes, Rashad, good question. I don't know, Rashad. Is a game okay for kids? Is Dragoon safe for kids?

This is ages 13 and up, but.

I mean, she's mature.

I'm rolling with it.

Tell her to come.

Oh, my gosh. Rashawn's right. I can't believe Jodi. That connected to all three. Your dog Rashawn's Dragoon. And technically, dragons are aggressive.

Yes.

Awesome. Thank you so much, Jodi. That was super fun. And thank you to the cast. The quick point we want to make that ties into, obviously, improv, and also what we feel is a really important aspect is really work to make your stories personal. Notice that part of the fun in that was how we learned so much about the cast. That idea of making stories personal, being willing to bring yourself to a story and bring yourself to a conversation, can really make the difference, especially when we're working virtually. We have to be even more mindful of that so that we're making those connections virtually. That is all the time we have right now. So we do want to wrap up with reminding of these three points. So, Nick, if you want to put up that slide for us, we'll just review those three important things. This idea of embracing play, taking turns, taking risks, and making your stories personal. And now, Jodi, let me throw it back to you because we do have a couple minutes for any questions or thoughts.

Well, I guess I'm just curious to hear a little bit from you about how you have kind of dug into these natural skills and these skills that you've been honing over the years to just maybe find peace with this, all of the uncertainty in the world today. And do you find yourself just in your personal life thinking about these three rules and thinking about how you show up amongst your friends and your family?

Yeah, I have some thoughts on that. Anyone else want to jump in before I do? Because, you know, my friend can talk. Rashawn.

I mean, absolutely, because we are of improv minded, we are trying to come up with solutions to literally everything that's happening, even though we're just playing pretend. But in a world where everyone's been going about something, their regular routine, it's interrupted, and they're not sure how to adapt. These skills allowed me to change my home into a space that has to be a workspace now, and it has to also be a comforting space. It also has to be a place of restoration. So it allows you to look outside of yourself and see a different perspective. Not everyone's going to experience the world the same way you do. And you may not even be able to experience the world the way you have done previously. So we're. Like we said earlier, you're improvising. Literally, as I'm speaking. Every single day is a new scene, a new story. So you just have to adapt.

And do you find that people in your personal network are kind of trying to draw upon some of those skills? I mean, do you see that as kind of like a. Maybe a new leadership role that you're taking just in your personal life?

Oh, yeah. Even doing things digitally feels almost more impactful than when we did it in person, because people need it. They need to see that people are still living their lives and finding humanity in the humor at the same time.

Great. Yeah, I totally agree. Other thoughts?

Yeah, I mean, like, it's just great, like, adapting to, like, performing online, even. Like, I'm just embracing that. It's a totally new, weird medium, but it's. It's a lot of fun. And in some ways it's similar to performing life, because in both, I never hear the laughs anyways.

But it's literally the statement proves. It proves itself wrong.

This is recorded.

Right.

But it's great because, I mean, even though I can't hear the audience, I mean, I still feel connected with the people that I'm performing with and the people that I am sharing the screen with. So it's a different way of connecting. It's just something that I didn't really appreciate or even understand prior to everything that's happening now. So it's just I'm learning new things every single day, which is pretty neat.

Yeah. I think the one thing I'll add to piggyback on both of these points is that where we may have a bit of an advantage is that we really treat all of these as muscles. So we have a lot of practice in them. We have a lot of practice facing the unknown, suddenly navigating circumstances that we're unused to, suddenly looking for that human connection. These are all things that we practice when we're doing, when we are practicing improv. And that's really what we encourage other people to do, too. That idea that you're not going to suddenly be amazing at these skills, but just knowing about them, you really have to commit to the process of practice.

Right. And what a great time. Right? We're all learning. We're all, like, in this together. And it's a really great time to be able to. To flex a new muscle, build a new skill. Walk out on the other side of this with a newfound hobby. Impromptu.

Absolutely. Everyone learned how to make sourdough bread very easily. It only took a month. We can all learn to adjust.

We all have a new skill now. All right, well, listen, I.

Our refrigerators needing to be cleaned because. And exploded everywhere. But, you know, we're all learning.

Hey, Liz. I mean, maybe gardening.

Oh, Jody. Burn too soon?

No, no. Maybe. Maybe. But listen, thank you so much for joining us today. It's always a pleasure when you come on. We really, really appreciate your time, your laughs, and your amazing skills. Be happy, be well, and we will see you back here again soon.