Yes … and? Can Improv Comedy Teach Us About Negotiation?
When negotiation works, it’s because it invents agreement using the ingredients of the conflict. It’s spontaneous. Most often it’s improvisational. It’s uniquely human. Negotiation comes from the frontal lobe part of our brain.
For seventy-five years, millions of people from six continents have traveled every August to Edinburgh, Scotland, to watch the mediation part of our brain in action; but not from front row seats at a mediation. That would be silly.
Some say the Edinburgh Fringe Festival is the World Series of Improv Comedy:
“For three weeks in August, the city of Edinburgh welcomes an explosion of creative energy from around the globe. Artists and performers take to hundreds of stages all over the city to present shows for every taste. From big names in the world of entertainment to unknown artists looking to build their careers, the festival caters for everyone and includes theatre, comedy, dance, physical theatre, circus, cabaret, children's shows, musicals, opera, music, spoken word, exhibitions and events”. Fringe Society, The Edinburgh Festival Fringe, www.edfringe.com
Improv comedy is perilous. That’s it’s charm. It’s invention, from a premise, against the clock. At its best, it’s the spontaneous generation of an, “in the nick of time” solution to a concocted, fantastical premise. A solution so sublime, it releases soaring tension and makes us double-over in laughter.
Negotiation comes from the same address in our brain. It’s innate. It feels right. We prefer it to conflict.
Mediation too, is invention, from a premise, against the clock. When we’re mediating, we’re all negotiation MacGyvers. Fortunately, we have brains hard wired for it.
Our conflict is our toolbox. Using the ingredients in it, we already have what we need to escape catastrophe. We negotiate best when we believe it. If we persevere, and we’re improvisational about it, we always invent the plausible solution that unties our knot.
3Chairs CAN HELP YOU
We look forward to answering your questions and helping you with your full or half-day mediation. Contact us:
3Chairs Mediation Group, Inc.
(855) 3Chairs | (855) 324-2477