A Horse in a Hospital!

I’m grateful to my friend Steven Bingler and my new friend Sharon Joy Kleitsch of The Connection Partners for the opportunity last week to talk to with their Florida Network group via Zoom about something I’ve been studying for 50 years: improvisation.

“I've been asked to explain improvisation’s value in helping The Florida Network address climate change. I find that daunting. I don't know yet what approaches you’ve considered to overcome climate deniers. How can I begin to speak to that?

When the legendary baseball hitter Wee Willie Keeler was asked how he managed to hit in 44 straight games, he answered, the secret is to hit them where they ain’t.

I find the key to persuading anyone or moving anyone off their dime is just the opposite: to hit them where they are. You've got to know where your audience is to take them by the hand and move them where you want them to go.

So, in my role as lead-off hitter today, let me begin my making clear where I am. One fresh idea I bring to the table is the view that improv is not only powerful but perilous, and all the more perilous because of its power. Improv has a dark side. And the dark side is the exact flip side of the improv that we know and love. All the characteristics of improv, point by point, are also true of Trump’s malignant improvisations.

Read the rest of Randy’s piece over on Substack, by following the link: https://randyfertel.substack.com/p/a-horse-in-a-hospital