When I first started consulting, I would prepare for client meetings almost to the level of memorizing a script. I knew exactly what I wanted to say, and I intended to say it all. It didn’t take long to discover this was a trap. As soon as my clients asked questions outside of the script, I got flustered. After some time, I realized that it wasn’t about being over-prepared or being able to say smart things. It was about being in the present, being a great listener, and being able to respond instantaneously to your client’s pains and needs. 

 

Cut to one year later, in improv class, we are doing an exercise called “conducted story.” I am in line waiting for the teacher to point at me, and when he does, I must continue telling a fully improvised story, exactly where my team members left off. I can’t prepare at all. The course of the story is completely out of my control. I have to let go of all preconceived notions, listen, and surrender to whatever my pure presence cooks up. 

 

At work, like in improv, you must learn to listen actively and respond in the moment. You can prepare for meetings, but if you don’t listen to your partner’s cues, you will miss important things: possible gold for your story and potential solutions for your client. An experienced consultant knows exactly which details are relevant, the exact key words and ideas to speak to, and how to frame things by what’s most important for their audience. They know how to be concise for a C-level, and super technical for an administrator. They can flex their story as needed. For example, if a CIO asks, “How’s the data migration going?” Someone with less experience might start a detailed monologue, while a seasoned professional would reply with the critical roadblocks and the overall project status: “We are on track, pending the VPN access resolution.” Both are versions of the same story, but the second response is more on-point when considering the audience.

 

Take a discovery session, or a requirements gathering meeting: your job is to get to the heart of the client’s pain, to uncover their desired outcome. If you don’t listen to your fullest to unearth potential risks and address those risks, you are setting your team up for failure. Improv teaches you to speak freely and openly. It cuts away at your inner critic and your ego filters. It makes you fearless to speak up the moment you have an idea.

 

The truth is, everyone is a story builder. On the stage, on the street, in the office, we are all engaged in conversations, piecing ideas together, and creating narratives with others. Listening and responding is critical to dialog, no matter the context. Whether in improv class playing “conducted story,” or in a meeting room solidifying requirements, we must all challenge ourselves to connect collaboratively. From this comes a completed story and a solution. The end to a client’s tale of need.

 

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