I am taking a One Night Stand Up comedy workshop tonight and I am psyched. Yes, that is really its name and one of the same reasons I wanted to participate. It was also fate. I had been searching for a stand up class in Austin, but my options were austere. what I found instead, was a lot of improv. Improving my delivery and honing humor writing is a skill best learned lonely on-stage with mic and a sense of the audience. But like the curious polyama I am, I wanted to know both. After a brief Quora scan, I can say that both improv and stand up can teach life-skills that traditional academia just can't. Here is a few situations to see which school of funny would serve you for each.
When Everything Goes to Hell
Improv will be your life-vest. It is the best for going-with-the-flow as it is by nature, unscripted.
When You're Selling Shit on Craig's List
Use your stand up chops to write a compelling ad to empathize with your future toaster owner--win them over with a good one-line headline and you'll get their bread.
When You Forgot a Key Ingredient for the Dinner Party Recipe
Improvise with style by swapping in a new flavor profile and while your dinner guests chew trying to decipher what you subbed for basil, dazzle and distract them with a story about that time you fell publicly on the beaches of Brazil.
When You're Pulled Into the Sales Call
Stand up wins here. You got brought in for a reason, because you know your stuff. Here's a stage to deliver the goods by an audience of your professional peers. Get the deal, and you'll get free beers. Cheers!