Improv is the style of theatre that is completely unplanned, instead being created spontaneously by the actors as they respond to each other. It’s commonly used in comedy—just think of the TV show Who’s Line is it Anyway—as the comedian has to tailor their set depending on the audience’s reaction, as well as dealing with any hecklers. Improv is one of the core techniques of acting, stretching the imagination and sparking creativity in a performance, but did you know that you can also bring improv techniques into your day to day life to enhance your social skills and strengthen your connection with people? Here are four situations in which improv can be used to benefit your everyday life:

1. Improve your social skills

Improv is not just for actors and comedians. Whilst you might not think of yourself as a natural performer, acting does make up a large part of your everyday interactions with people, especially in social situations. You might be mingling with new people at a party, telling a funny story at a bar with friends, or out on a first date in which you really want to make an impression. Regardless of the situation, every social interaction that takes place is based on your spontaneous response to the other person’s reaction to you. The core of improv is being fully present, thinking on your feet, and connecting with people—all essential skills for successful social interaction. There are places for you to learn improv skills for use in your everyday life; Vegas Improv Power, for instance, offers classes in Functional Improv both online and at their Las Vegas workshop. By learning improv, you will learn the skills needed to confidently respond to social cues, helping to reduce social anxiety and allowing you to look forward to, rather than fear, parties and meeting new people.

2. Public speaking and presentations

Most people will face the challenge of public speaking on at least one occasion in their life. You might be asked to speak at a wedding—or a funeral. Or you might have to give a presentation at work. Either way, it’s probably a situation in which you’re worried about making the right impression on the audience: being funny but not inappropriate to appeal to the variety of generations at a wedding; providing a fitting tribute to the deceased when you might be finding it hard to control your emotions; disseminating information in an engaging way and responding to any questions or queries from your colleagues. Learning improv will give you the skills to seamlessly adjust your presentation to your audience’s response, whether that is a speech appropriate to the situation and audience, or a work presentation tailored exactly to your colleagues’ needs and current knowledge. You will go into public speaking with the confidence that you can deliver an impactful presentation, perhaps with a little bit of humor.

3. Team building

An improv session is a great team building event for your workplace. You might have recently restructured and taken on new members, or your team might be spread across the country in different cities or even states, not meeting regularly in person. Either way, learning improv is a great way to build connections between colleagues and strengthen your team as a whole, all in a fun, relaxed atmosphere. Your team will probably consist of several different personality types who all contribute something important to the team—for instance, a loud extrovert who can talk to clients and bring the sales in; or someone who is more reserved who does the detail work. Improv is a great way of bringing different people together who wouldn’t normally work together, teaching them to respond to their colleague’s social cues and improving group harmony and understanding, and therefore boosting the productivity of your team. As well as being a bonding exercise, your team can learn skills that are transferable to the workplace, such as active listening and adapting to change.

4. Management training

Improv can benefit managers as well as their team. As the team leader, you will probably be expected to give presentations to a variety of audiences, from leading weekly catch up meetings with the rest of your team, to presenting sales presentations and progress reports to clients. You will also have to pick up on different social cues presented by your team and respond to them to ensure the group harmony and efficient running of your team. Improv will provide you with the adaptability and people reading skills necessary to boost your managerial skill set.