One Word Suggestion: Insults

This week’s word, “insults” was suggested by Roberto and you know what? Insults is a stupid word and Roberto must be a total moron!

I’m kidding, (Sorry Roberto, you’re not a moron) but I am surprised by this suggestion because as far as I’m concerned, with the exception of comedy roasts, which are done from a place of love and respect, there’s no need for insults in improv, or anywhere else.

The truth is, putting other people down will not make you look better. In fact, putting other people down only makes you look worse.

Now I might be super biased because when I was a kid I received more than my fair share of insults. This was because I had what some considered to be a girl’s name, and because my parents moved around a lot and I was always the new kid at school.

Two things helped me get through it. One – the girls liked me. And, two – humour

These days I love a good burn as much as the next guy – especially when I’m at the pub with my mates. But there’s no place for insults in business, or on stage. Or in the audience, I’m talking to you hecklers!

So if you find yourself being insulted by someone, my advice is to cut that person out of your life (or edit the scene) and move on.

Some improv teachers I’ve interviewed say insults are OK on stage, as long as they’re part of a character’s world view. And I do appreciate where they’re coming from.

However, at LMA we teach our students to always strive to make their teammates look good – on stage and at work – because when they make their teammates look good, they look good. And we’ve found insults don’t typically play a role in that.

One thing I will say is that improv teaches you how to think fast on your feet, so with training, you’ll always be quick with a comeback. And you’ll be less likely to walk away thinking about what you should have said. You’ll have said it! But usually, that’s a lose/lose situation no matter how good a retort you come up with.

The real secret is to never accept an insult in the first place.

There’s a story about Buddha, who is well known for his ability to respond to evil with good, and in the story he is being repeatedly insulted by some guy, and finally Buddha turns around and says, “If someone gives you a gift and you don’t accept it, who has the gift?”

Or as I put it, “I’m rubber, you’re glue. Whatever you say bounces off me, and sticks to you.”