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Marketing class learns through laughter

On Thursday in Rhett Epler’s Professional Selling class at ODU’s Strome College of Business, students learned two words that can help them close deals, win negotiations and make money.

No, those two words aren’t “How much?” or “bottom line.”

Those two words are, “yes, and.”

The “yes, and,” response, a foundational concept in improv comedy, is designed to extend conversations, find common ground among participants and reduce conflict. Epler’s students applied this concept in real time during a recent improv training with Norfolk’s Push Comedy Theater.

Ultimately, the skills and strategies learned in improv help communication and can translate to the business world and beyond, said Brad McMurran, co-creator of the Push Comedy Theater. He facilitated Thursday’s training with Epler’s students.

“It’s about listening like thieves and responding in the moment,” he said. “This is all about communications and establishing rapport.”

McMurran, an ODU alumnus, trained in improv at the Upright Citizen’s Brigade Theater in New York City. He has also trained with members of the Second City, Improv Olympic and Annoyance Theaters. Now, in addition to work as a film producer and writer, McMurran leads the Push Comedy Theater’s Corporate Improv Training Program.

McMurran organized Epler’s students into pairs and encouraged participants to establish imagined backstories for their characters. The task? Start each of your responses with “Yes, and.”

Yes. And it’s a lot harder than you may think.

Some students tended toward the negative, shutting down their partner’s response with a “No.” Others asked questions instead of saying yes. Some were stumped completely on how to respond. McMurran quickly redirected these common missteps with reminders about how the strategy can be applied to business.

“Training the brain in, ‘yes, and,’ helps the conversation tend toward the positive,” McMurran said. “If you don’t know what to say, throw a ‘yes, and,’ in there. This is going to keep you in the moment and increase the chances of developing a relationship.”

The same strategy can be applied to sales pitches or intense negotiations, for example.

McMurran told students that shutting down a potential client with a quick, “No,” ends the conversation immediately. But extending the dialogue can help to prolong the conversation and ultimately result in a more favorable outcome for everyone.

Improv training is certainly a departure from a traditional lecture, but a departure that Epler, an assistant professor in the Marketing Department, saw as applicable to his class and his students’ sales skills.

Epler attended a conference where others spoke about the benefits of improv training in corporate and classroom settings. This sparked the idea to bring improv training back to his students, and Epler contacted McMurran to make it happen.

“The students can take this with them after they leave class,” Epler said. “They’re hungry to learn, and this is a fun way to do it. We’re getting them in the mindset of trying new things.”

By the end of class, students had adopted numerous personas, from birds flying south for the winter to a couple on a ferry for their first date. And while many appeared uncertain at first, they finished the training laughing.

“This training showed how you can continue a conversation,” said senior Amiri Sanders, a Maritime and Supply Chain Management major. “(McMurran) made it comfortable for everyone.”

This training was supported by the Thurmond School of Professional Sales and Negotiations at ODU’s Strome College of Business.