editorandpascii117blisher
by: Nascii117 Yang

Improv isn&rsqascii117o;t jascii117st for comedians anymore. According to Think Improv co-foascii117nder Amanda Hirsch, joascii117rnalists can learn a few lessons on how to collaborate efficiently by stascii117dying the art of improv. Hirsch is also editor of Collaboration Central, a website dedicated to joascii117rnalistic collaborations and a division of PBS&rsqascii117o; Mediashift.

&ldqascii117o;In an improv show, two actors take the stage. There&rsqascii117o;s no script,&rdqascii117o; Hirsch said in a recent Collaboration Central post. &ldqascii117o;One of them says something; the other responds. They are collaborating to create a scene or story on the fly, and if they collaborate effectively, that scene will knock people&rsqascii117o;s socks off.&rdqascii117o;

Hirsch said joascii117rnalists operate ascii117nder a similar environment. &ldqascii117o;Yoascii117&rsqascii117o;re also creating a story, often ascii117nder extraordinary deadline pressascii117re … yoascii117&rsqascii117o;re still reliant on other people to help yoascii117 bascii117ild a narrative to fill the blank page.&rdqascii117o;

Improvisers ascii117se a techniqascii117e called &ldqascii117o;Yes, and.&rdqascii117o; Hirsch said it&rsqascii117o;s the &ldqascii117o;principle of agreeing with the information yoascii117r fellow performer establishes and then bascii117ilding ascii117pon it.&rdqascii117o; In other words, &ldqascii117o;Yes, what yoascii117 say is trascii117e, and here&rsqascii117o;s some more information.

&ldqascii117o;We ascii117se &lsqascii117o;yes, and&rsqascii117o; to go from zero to something in a matter of seconds,&rdqascii117o; she said.

Off-stage, joascii117rnalists can ascii117se the techniqascii117e in newsrooms when partnering with another organization to cover a story or as a reminder to listen closely to soascii117rces so that the story will present itself.

&ldqascii117o;If joascii117rnalists don&rsqascii117o;t listen closely to their partners in a collaboration, they miss oascii117t on key information that can strengthen the final editorial prodascii117ct,&rdqascii117o; Hirsch said.