This weekend I met the worst driver. I suffered behind this red Toyota Highlander. Sometimes they would go 40mph and sometimes dip under 25. I tried to pass them, but they'd suddenly have this desire to switch lanes too. Would they signal? Halfway through the lane switch, they would. This happened multiple times. It was a world of jarring speed and lane shifts. A man can’t live like this!
After 1/2 mile I started creating theories. Are they drunk? Maybe. Am I being pranked? couldn't see the driver, but maybe it's someone on TikTok with a million subscribers, and their channel is called RageBoys. They’re hoping I'd lose it on them and the video would go viral? I didn't know WHAT was happening, but I knew this wasn't normal. It was all too confusing.
And, then, it happened! A little black Honda Accord behind me floored it, rocketed past me, and swerved in front of the Highlander. We all broke at a red light and the gestures began. Very confusing gestures from the Accord driver. Accord was waving their hands. Up and down, and then side to side. The gesturing was furious. Accord was mad. That’s the ONLY thing I could understand. The pointing wasn't consistent. I like to think I speak Hand Gesture, but I was baffled. The gestures were as erratic as the driver of the Highlander
Of the Highlander….
Of….the….highlander….
[lightbulb sound effect]
I had a breakthrough! Highlander was confused too! That explained the speed changes, and the "maybe left lane, and maybe right lane driving." Accord was trying to communicate, and confusing Highlander. They were likely trying to do what was requested, but Accord wasn’t getting the message across in a way Highlander could understand. And, even worse, it didn’t seem like Accord was going to change.
While I patted myself on the back and muttered, “Good job ol’ boy! You cracked the case!” I realized we face this moment in improv every time we step onstage. It’s one thing to share your thoughts, but it’s another to be understood. It’s Communication 101, baby! You haven’t communicated until your partner understands what you’re saying.
I love an improv guessing game. Dating Games, Press Conference, Interrogation, Late for School, Chain Murder….I’ll play those every day! It’s a mix of physical clues, verbal hints, and guessing. It’s a chance to hear someone’s interpretations. It doesn’t matter if I think I’m successfully showing “wash a dog,” it only matters if I’m helping my teammate guess, “wash a dog,” and right now they think I’m “watering the lawn.” The audience laughs with the “watering the lawn” guess because yeah, that makes sense. They can see that reality too considering all the motions and words. It’s important to be empathetic for our partner, they’re trying. Guessing games help us move slower through communication, and realize all those spaces someone can get confused interpret. I won’t say, “confused,” because your teammate believes they understand the information presented. In their mind, they’re not confused, but it’s our job to help guide them. They want to understand, we just have to slow down the actions and words. We’ll get there. We just have to put ourselves in the shoes of our partners. How are they seeing us, our movements and how can we better help.
I’d like to say the two drivers eventually understood eachother. But, not while I was around. The baffling gestures and driving continued until I turned left. Highlander and Accord are probably still out there struggling to understand each other.