Spontaneity and Improvisation

Viv McWaters viv at theReef.com.au
Thu Apr 23 19:30:51 PDT 1998


Hello everyone

I've been thinking about spontaneity and improvisation - two aspects of my
life I'm keen on developing (in myself and with others). We practice
spontaneity and improvisation every day - even though we may not recognise
it. We have no idea when we wake up each morning what the day holds or what
conversations we may have. Yet many people are wary and declare they are
not interested in improvisation in particular.

(This interest has been reignited by forming an 'instant' playback theatre
troup at a professional development workshop last weekend. Only two of us
had any experience of playback previously - yet the others learnt the
techniques and willingly did a 'public' performance to close the workshop.
We had great fun, and learnt a lot about ourselves, especially about
stretching those self-imposed boundaries we build for ourselves.)

I've been aware that writing to a list like this one requires a far more
measured and considered approach. Once something is committed to an e-mail
it's done, and there is a significant time lag if someone misinterprets
what I say. It's a dialogue in slow motion I suppose, without the
advantages of seeing someone's body language.

I participate in three on-line discussion groups: Action Learning, Open
Space and Hawkesbury Agriculture and Rural Development Post-Graduates. I'm
sending this same e-mail to each one and will be very interested in your
thoughts.

Maybe we can learn how to encourage spontaneity and improvisation in the
virtual world - and maybe something about ourselves as well.

Cheers

Viv



Viv McWaters
Integra Pty Ltd
45 Valentine Street, Ivanhoe 3079
Victoria Australia
Ph/Fax: 61 3 9499 9300

"Thus the task is not so much to see what no-one yet has seen, but to think
what nobody yet has thought about that which everyone sees." Schopenhauer



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