I mean, I wasn't afraid of stuff, per se. I was just shy and uncomfortable with people, and that's a kind of fear - just not as obvious a fear as being afraid of bunnies, for example. Now I'm not so shy and I'm only uncomfortable around people who are creepy. And that's not so much about fear as it is about having good judgment. Duh.
See, in Held2gether improv classes you learn to deal, period. You go up on stage and have no idea what's going to happen. You don't know what the other person is going to say, or what kind of labels they'll be giving themselves (or you). And you learn that the best thing to do is listen, and then respond to the last thing the person said.
Turns out, that's pretty much what you need to do when you meet someone for the first time, too. It doesn't mean you don't get a little nervous in those situations - you might, you might not. But you have tools at your disposal to make those conversations less awkward and more easygoing for you and the other person, without relying on, "Wow, some weather we've been having, eh?" or "Gee, have your teeth always been that color?"
If you want to be less shy, less fearful, more outgoing, a better conversationalist or just want to do improv cuz you saw Whose Line and thought it looked like fun, sign up for a H2G Intro to Improv class. I promise, there are no bunnies.
By Sonnjea Blackwell
