📍Epic Engagement Adventure: Chris Trew Shows How To Engage With Improv

Interview with Chris Trew

RJ Redden: Hold on to your goggles. It's time for the Epic engagement adventure.

Greetings, grasshoppers. You know what time it is, but I don't think you are ready for this. Today's guest is a master of improv. He is. I, I saw him at an event coming into, uh, to, you know, do a little improv to kind of get the conversation going at this virtual event. And I was like, I have to talk to this man immediately.

One, the beard alone. You've gotta talk about the beard. Two, he is so fun, loving and gentle with people from the stage. He is unbelievable. Get ready people for Chris Trew. Chris, how are you doing?

Chris Trew: I was doing pretty good now I'm doing really great. What a lovely intro. I'm so happy to be here. I feel like this was a long time coming, and here we are.

I'm stoked. I'm thrilled. I'm pumped.

RJ Redden: Beautiful. Well, will you tell the people who you are, what you do, where you're from, all the nitty gritty? Just start from the beginning.

Chris Trew: Yeah, so my name is Chris Trew. I am a New Orleans boy, born and raised. I love being in New Orleans, and, uh, it's just my, it's my place. I use improv comedy techniques to help people become more charismatic and confident communicators.

And I myself am also a comedian, so if I'm not traveling, doing a show somewhere or performing at someone's festival, then I'm either coaching someone one on one using comedy to help them speak better. Or maybe I'm going into a business and doing some improv team building things. Maybe I'm coaching someone who is training to be a comedian.

So it all funnels down into the comedy language and uh, that's what I do and I love doing it, and I feel so grateful to be able to talk about it.

RJ Redden: Oh yeah. Uh, well, and what, what got you into this? What made you as, uh, a small child or maybe a larger one? Decide comedy, baby improv. That's where I'm going.

Chris Trew: Okay, so this actually I think is a little bit more of a compelling story than, than, well, I usually think it wasn't compelling, and then someone was like, this actually is a decent story, so I'm going, I shouldn't have qualified it. But here I am. I'm going, I'm in this moment with you right now. Look, my dream, when I was younger, I wanted to be, uh, an actor on a hidden camera show.

You know, like those like hidden camera shows, like, like a punk or a candid camera or faking the video, stuff like that. I really wanted to do that. And I started doing production work here in New Orleans in the early two thousands. You know, I was a production assistant, I was an art department assistant, whatever, and I was sharing this dream with whoever would listen, and the thing I kept hearing was, oh, you have to move to LA or Chicago and take improv classes. Those are all improv comedians. So that was like, okay, well step one: move and then take an improv class. But the problem was I didn't wanna move, like I wanted to live in New Orleans forever because this place that speaks to me on so many levels. So what I ended up doing was I, I sold my car, quit my job, and took, uh, improv intensive in Chicago where the whole experience was like, come here for six weeks, learn all of it, and then go back to wherever you live.

So that's what I did. And then that's when the storm happened in 2005. Hurricane Katrina down here in New Orleans. So everything was like starting all over. So it was a very sad, weird time, but it was a very, um, it was a very organic opportunity to, to start something brand new here in New Orleans. And, you know, I'm, of course there's details I'm leaving out, but that, that, that's what drew me into it.

My desire to be on a hidden camera acting show.

RJ Redden: Wow. Uh, that is, uh, that is amazing. I, I didn't know that about you, Chris. Uh, that that was the, you know, the desire. Gosh. Holy moly. Well, so when you got back and you're starting this brand new thing, you know, tell me, I mean, what did you, what did you call it? Who did you go to, to start?

What, uh, you know, what drove you during that period?

Chris Trew: Yeah, so, you know, I was really inspired by the idea of, uh, setting something up to where people didn't have to do what I did, which is like I had to leave to go and learn improv because everyone will tell you now. I think they, you know, people will say, find an improv theater in your area of the country, but that then it was like, you have to go to La, New York or Chicago. It's the reason why those scenes kept getting bigger because everyone was going there. Right, right. And I was like, I, I wanna do it where everyone wanted to live. So, so that, that. Passion combined with how much I fell in love with the art form.

It started to, those things started to merge with my, you know, I didn't go to business school, but I was always interested in business and just, you know, doing it, you know, diy and I was always interested in those kinds of things and all those things combined together with like, wait, what if I just started doing improv where I live so that other people don't have to leave?

And then it just kept growing and growing and growing. It evolved, of course over time. It changed names, location. I mean, of course life things happened, but the thing that never stopped though, RJ, was how much I. Loved being it to people and how hard I was willing to work to, to do it in a, in a town that is not a comedy town, in a town that people typically, you know, come and use up and then leave.

I was like, no, we're staying here. We're gonna keep it here and let's roll the dice on this, see what happens.

RJ Redden: Wow. Um, well, and what, uh, what a time to do it in too. I mean, and. And just thinking about, you know, kind of how life was in, in 2005, in another part of the country, of course, but like, uh, you know, Zoom didn't even exist until like 2012 or something like that.

You know what I mean? Like that was really, we were so much more kind of entrenched in the places that we lived. Um, and now of course everybody zooms all over the place. But, uh, so interesting to me, uh, that the timing of that, I'm so glad that you did that. I'm so glad that you said, listen, uh, this is my home I'm not leaving. Uh, let's bring the improv to me. That's awesome.

Chris Trew: Yeah. And also going back to the time RJ like that was also around the time where, where YouTube was becoming really prevalent in, in, in the world. And so comedy specifically was becoming very accessible for a lot of people like now, which is funny because it was like I was right.

Like you shouldn't have to go live somewhere else and do what you want to do. And very quickly it all started coming together where it was like, yeah, you can have a huge Twitter following and live in Jacksonville. You could have a big YouTube channel and you live in Madison or whatever. Those are also two big cities, but.

Smaller city, you know, and it was a very exciting time to be in my mid twenties, early twenties and starting to really, really just commit to a creative lifestyle.

RJ Redden: Well, creative lifestyle, not easy, uh, not easy to do. And, and you know, I mean, I don't, I don't know if you ever suffered through this, but certainly I think that others, others do, is that you.

Your parents don't think you really have a job. You know what I mean? Uh, that kind of, uh, that kind of blow back as well. It's like, you know, but what you're doing is so worthy. It's so worthy of your time. Improv helps people in so many ways.

Chris Trew: Yeah, and by the way, I wanna give a shout out to Christie and Mike Trew, my parents, who did, who did support me in a very interesting way, because in college, when they started to see that I, I was, I was starting comedy websites in college.

I put together these, like film, these independent films and stuff, and, and my parents eventually were like, look, dude, if you're gonna do this, why don't you, why don't you just stop picking classes that you don't go to anyway. Why don't you just like, see what, see what it's like to go full in on this. And then I did.

So shout out Chrisy and Mike for that. Shout out. I was very lucky. Very lucky.

RJ Redden: Yes, very much so. Um, let's talk about, let's talk about the different ways that you've used improv to help people because, uh, I know you helped a, you helped people on the networking gathering. I was at the first day that I met you.

How have you used your incredible talents, uh, to help people?

Chris Trew: Well, thank you for the sweet, sweet words. I, uh, I'm tickled by it. Thank you. I, yeah, it's, you know, something I'm very, Very into, I'm very into this peculiar, bizarre, curious art form that is, that is so, is way more accessible than people think. I mean, it's hard because, you know, there's no game plan, there's no script, you know, et cetera, et cetera.

But when you really zoom in on it, it's like, it's really about the human experience and it's like, it's about being a good human. So it's about being present in this moment. Listen, And then building off what the last person said and not building into business for yourself, you know, not like saying like, no, I got this.

So it's about collaboration and these are all things that make business better, that make networking better, that make relationships better, like self-love better. I mean, you name it. Like it really affects all these things. So I just realized pretty early on that after a couple of improv classes, but I was just very, you know, wide eye taking it all in.

I noticed that there was less conflict in my, in my real life. Like the people in my life that I was typically butting heads with, it was happening less cuz I was using improv skills. So it was just like, wait a minute. This, like there's more to this. There. There, there's more to this. So like how do we combine, how do we combine all these things into one improv workshop?

And does it have to be separate? Does it have to be like, oh, an improv for empathy class and then an improv for comedy and an improv for acting. Part of my thing was can't this all be the same thing. Like, can't you learn all these things together at the same time, and I don't have to segment it all out. Now, of course, you can segment it out and specialize and zoom in deeper. I get it. But when I was having people come to my comedy theater to learn improv because it was for their comedy career, I did not shy away from, from how this will make them more empathetic, how this will make them a better listener. I wasn't like, no, no, no. That's up for us right now because we're here for the jokes.

I was like, no, let's do all these things together. I really believed that was possible.

RJ Redden: Of course it is. And it does make you so much better because you're so much more in the moment and less, you know, rehearsed. I, you know, uh, and not the rehearsal is bad. No, we love rehearsal. It's okay. Uh, but. When you, when you are right there in the moment with somebody else, co-creating an experience that is something that cannot be duplicated in another way.

Like it is so profound, uh, those moments. And I, I experienced that in, uh, in theater way back when. Uh, and, and certainly in my work, sometimes I think. That co, that act of co-creation with your audience, whether you got an audience of one or 10 or 10,000, that act of co-creation is so powerful. Have you run into that as well?

Chris Trew: Oh, I, I love everything about the concept of co-creation. I love, I love opening yourself up to, to being, to having other people be a part of the process, whether it's, you know, Whether it's you're telling a story at the party and it's like, well, no, let's, let's all interact with each other. Or if it's like making a presentation at work or brainstorming at work, like the idea that we both own this thing, you know, is, is, you know, own is a weird word, but like, but we'll use it.

The idea that we both own this moment together, I think puts us both in a position to care for it in a more meaningful way. So it's like, I'm not just waiting for you to stop talking so I can talk. I'm, I'm in it, I'm in it with you. I'm in it like word for word with you. And, and of course that's hard for a lot of people.

I'm not acting like you take one improv class and then boom, you're there. I'm also not acting like it's an easy problem for a lot of people to fix, but improv is like a tremendous tool to help you work on these things or that speaks to you in some way. You should be taking an improv class, but even if it doesn't, you know, even if you think you're good at it, improv will shine a, a light on it in a new way because it teaches you how to go into everything with someone else or you know, just being a good listener, being open about collaboration. And it's a big reason RJ, why a lot of companies will bring me in because they'll be like, my team doesn't communicate with each other or we, but heads in, you know, in brainstorming meetings and we're not having any fun.

And I think, I think an improv session can really untangle a lot of that for people, especially in the corporate.

RJ Redden: It's amazing. Well, and you know, uh, I think I told you this, but uh, Freddie Mercury is my hero. The man, uh, like 20 years after he passed away, let us sing along at the London Olympics. Do you know what I mean?

The desire in him to co-create a moment with his audience that would never come again. Uh, that's what, that's what drives me in, in a lot of my work. And so how do you. Uh, how do you invite the audience to co-create? How do you engage with your audience?

Did you hear all of that my friend? You froze.

Chris Trew: Yeah, you froze too. I heard everything to the very end. How do I co-create?

RJ Redden: How do you engage with your audience? How do you invite them to co-create, invite them to be part of the conversation? What are some things that you do?

Chris Trew: Yeah, so I like to. What do you mean In terms of like creating content or like running my business or do you mean like literally during a comedy show or do you mean everything?

RJ Redden: I mean everything, but I'm most interested in hearing about how do you do it during a comedy show, because some of my folks out there who are listening to this are coaches, and you know, if you've got, if you've got a coaching career, you probably should be speaking. And so I do have plenty of people who that are on stage, uh, on the regular.

So how do you invite people in and, and get them to engage with you, uh, during a show, let's say?

Uh, It seems as if we are suffering from a bad connection, my friend. Are you still there? Chris?

Chris Trew: Okay, so you were breaking up a lot just there. I'm, I'm so sorry. Um, it's okay. Um, uh, well, okay. I'm gonna answer the question that I think you asked just now. Um, . Um, so. The,way to engage a crowd or audience member in terms of doing a live show is, um, you know, like traditionally with improv, the easiest thing to do is you get a suggestion from the crowd you incorporate that word into what it is. But to me that's, that's too easy. That's too simple. I like to, I like to be a little bit more complex a little bit. Um, I like to, you know, take a bigger risk cuz I think the payoff is oftentimes bigger. So I'll get someone from the audience to tell me a true story, like an actual story with no obligation for it to be, uh, for it to be interesting or like hilarious.

In fact, I want it to be kind of normal, just like run of the mill. Just like, here's my day to day and then I will use that to, I will use that as fodder for an improv show where it's like. You know, we, you know, using comedy, uh, techniques like heightening, and if this is true, then what else is true to find that, to find more comedic content and to really show off truly being in the moment.

Cause I can't do that without listening to the audience member fully. I can't do that without trusting myself fully into people I'm on stage with. So, yeah, I lean on the audience a lot for stuff like that. And I've also, RJ done shows, I did this show actually in Omaha. Uh, I, I did a, I do all shows where I incorporate, uh, people who have actually never done improv before, that I've never met.

I will get them on stage and teach them how to do improv. I give like three simple rules and then I'll do an hour long show with them. So it's almost like a magic show where it's like this person, I do it with two people. These people are, are in the show, and I'm just bouncing off of their everyday normal experiences while also guiding them along and providing a safe space for them to explore their creativity.

It all, it all comes back to: listening, being present and being playful as if you're, if you can pull out the, uh, doing those three things, I think you're gonna, you're going to succeed in most situations. Social or professional.

RJ Redden: Well, let's, let's talk about that too. Um, you know, creating a, creating that safe space, uh, and then that third one, especially being playful and listening, like, those are the three ingredients.

Um, Holy moly. But those three ingredients go so much to add to your outreach and the, the journey that you're giving your clients. You know, no matter how they're coming to you, no matter what you do for a living, if you can keep those three rules in place, you can create magic with somebody,

Wh ich, which you do a lot. I. Uh, creating that magic. I love that being playful part. I, I just love it because people do not think about that in their outreach. Really? They don't think about it. They say, need to it, and they're kind of like, yeah, but that's her. She can get away with it. I can get away with it cuz I decided I could.

You know what I mean? Uh, yeah. You know what I mean, Chris? Uh, so, um, so yeah. Um, that's, that's absolutely fascinating. Uh, those, those three rules, listening, creating a safe space and, and, you know, permission to be playful. Um, oh, go ahead.

Chris Trew: Yeah. Yeah. I was gonna say too, a lot of people when they first come to me, they think that... you know, their hesitation is that they don't find themselves to be a funny person, or they were never told that they were funny, and so they're like, well, why would I take this improv class. Ooh, I like this one out. We're going, they're like, why would I take this improv comedy class? Because I had never thought of myself as being a playful person.

Um, but the truth is that we all have some amount of playfulness in us there just for some of us. There's just a lot of things covering it, whether it was something you were told when you were a kid, or if it's your own experiences that, that are making you, uh, believe this false narrative that you are not a funny, interesting person.

And I love improv because it really helps uncover that for a lot of people it's, it's like the secret sauce a lot of people, cuz improv is not about, dreaming up of the, the craziest, silliest scenarios I'm making in the other person, do it. That's not improv. Uh, when people do that, I have to coach that out of them.

Improv is not about show up and be the funniest person in the room every time. You will exhaust yourself and everyone around you if that's what your game plan is. So improv really is this, it's this tool that levels a playing field for a lot of people. So, I mean, it's crazy that a lot of my students don't, did not come to me and think that and, and think that they were the funny one in their group of friends. But they are the funny one now because they learn how to use, they learn how to use it for the, you know, they learn how to use a technique for them. They learn how to make it work for them. And also quick, tiny, little extra bullet point here.

Oftentimes the people who have the hardest time in my classes are the ones who think are already like really funny. They're like, yeah, I got this. Like I've been told I was funny my whole life. It's not impossible, but those people often struggle the most because they are not as open minded. They go into situations holding their ideas like this and not like this.

You know, if you hold your idea like this, you're flexible, you're open mind, you're organic, you go in like this, you're judgmental, you're not listening, and you're stuck in your ways.

RJ Redden: Yeah. Oh, ain't that the truth? I've maybe, I've maybe run into that in a couple times. Oh, oh my God. The light is now shining

Beautiful. Very good. I, uh, I do, by the way, I do still want you to, uh, have a, have a podcast and call it, uh, truth. T r e w t h. Maybe you could do the truth about improv. Uh, you know, that would be, uh, that would be fantastic. I just, I could go all day, you know, talking about this because, uh, as I said, a lot of coaches, uh, listen to, listen to, you know, this podcast.

And what I wanna say is these, exact skills that Chris is talking about is they're so transportable to conversations, helping people feel comfortable giving them that safe space. I was on a, I was on a PI or a a i, it was a broadcast of some kind today, and, uh, one of the speakers did that. She's just like, We're gonna create a safe space right now.

Here's what we're gonna do. Uh, it was a lot of fun, you know, and, uh, and especially when you create a space where people can be playful. What is the role, do you think, Chris? What is the role of laughter in getting people to take down their shields a little bit?

Chris Trew: Yeah. So, okay. So I wanna say, I wanna point out right now that what is so beautiful about improv is that we haven't even really touched on the actual comedic aspect of it in a meaningful way yet. And we're saying all of these things that are, that are so beneficial to it, right? So I wanna put that out. I think that's, that's an important thing here. However, how lucky am I that, that, like all these things also produce like comedy and people love laughing.

People loosen up when they're laughing. People are easy, are easier to talk to once you've got them laughing. Why not learn some comedic techniques while you're also learning how to be a, uh, a better speaker, a more charismatic communicator, all the above. Right? So, yeah. What is laughter's role in all this?

I mean, it's, it's, it's like, it's like the common, it's like, it's like the common denominator, right? It's like, uh, you put a hundred people in a room. It's like, I don't think a single one of them will tell you they don't, that they dislike laughing. You know? Right. It's like, you know, they might say, oh, I don't watch standup comedy, or I don't go to comedy shows, and that's fine, but I don't believe that they actively avoid laughing. Whether they dislike the feel, that doesn't make any sense, right? So it's like this universal language that is, and it's such a gift when you learn how to, when you learn how to use it. And so from a business standpoint, yeah, it will help. Help you reach customers in a more effective way from a networking standpoint.

You will connect with people faster from a, you know, from a social standpoint. You know, you, you'll, you know, you'll be the, um, you know, you'll be invited to more things. Cuz it's like, that's the funny person, you know, like, there's so, there's so joyful. Right. And it's not about, like, it's not about. That I'm not, I'm not hating on like movie quotes and funny shirts and knock not jokes.

I'm not hating on that at all. But like, it, it goes deeper. We could all go a little bit deeper than that. It's like, it's like, it's like I actually think, like I let, I let to help coach people out of like, don't be funny because you can quote a movie. Be funny because you actually have a unique perspective about whatever just happened, and you're able to facilitate that right here in this moment and make other people feel included.

Like, it was just like very organic, you know? And so when you combine all these things, I think you become a really unstoppable entrepreneur, an unstoppable speaker, like a really bulletproof business person in a lot ways.

RJ Redden: I know that when I'm having sales conversations with folks, um, and I, I like to call 'em, I like to call 'em invitation conversations cause I'm inviting you to something, you know?

Um, when I'm having those types of conversations about, you know, uh, services and pricing and all of that kind of stuff, I know that I am so much better when I'm not. Uh, you know, when I'm not like doing this, like you said, and thinking, okay, I have to say this, and then I have to say this and that. If I can let go.

And be a little bit playful. If I can let go create a safe space to talk about pricing and finances and things like that, which people don't always like to talk about. If I can listen and, you know, repeat where they are so that this is a, this is truly a co-creation. Then I'm a lot more likely to invite somebody successfully to partake in my services.

It's just the way it is because it's a moment we had together. It wasn't something I rehearsed, brought to the table, pitched to you, and then you either said yes or no, and probably you said no.

Chris Trew: Yeah, I mean, I, I am so grateful for, for what improv has taught me in terms of sales and communication because it really has helped me get better at being like unattached to any specific outcome.

You know, it's like, it's like I'm not a sales wizard, by the way. I wanna be clear to your audience like it's a work in progress for me. But like I will say that it is really helped me to not go to go into a sales call and be like,and just be open-minded about it, like an improv scene. Like I can't go into an improv scene and be like, and be hell bent on doing a scene in a doctor's office where I'm giving bad news.

It's like, well, what if I give you the bad news and you think it's good news? Like, it's like, okay, well now I'm doing that scene. Like I have to, you have to be open to the moment. And, and I know that that is really. That really translates into in sales, as opposed to being like, well, I have to go down my bullet, my bullet point list here.

Like I said this, now I have to say this. Well, what if they said something that's not that ? You know? And so this is a very specific sales conversation we're having, but imagine applying this to other things in life, whether it's like. A first date, a brainstorming session, reconnecting with someone from your past or whatever it is, like imagine just being unattached to any outcome and just actually being there in that moment.

Imagine what would be, what would change for you.

RJ Redden: And using the techniques that you've just talked about so much can change for people, uh, so much about engagement. So much about, you know, giving them a wonderful client journey. So much about, you know, sales, potentially. There's so much when we apply ourselves just in those, that, those three little rules you were talking about, uh, you know, listening well of creating a safe space and, and the permission to be playful.

That is just, those are the three rule three of the rules in the book of engagement. I have just decided this, I have not written this book yet, but Chris , uh, and I will quote you, uh, that that was just amazing to me. Uh, where can people get ahold of some Chris, tell me this.

Chris Trew: Yeah, so I would love for people, the easiest way to track me down is on LinkedIn or Instagram.

Just my real name, Chris, Trew. T r e w. Uh, you could also go to hellyescreative.com to see the little bit of what I'm up to. Um, of course, you know, websites are forever, uh, in, you know, like, like. There's, in a way, cuz it's like creating people like us can just, like, we want things to always be improving, always be better.

So the website, you know, is, um, it's, it serves its purpose, you know, but if you wanna find me, if you wanna find me, just reach out to me on Instagram or LinkedIn and, um, yeah. And if you're curious about how improv can help you at all. Um, you know, I, I'm happy to, to help, to help you out, even if it's just a quick question or, or if it's more in depth like getting, getting improv into your business or you getting into like a really thorough coaching program, whatever.

I don't care how small you think the question is. I would love to answer it because I just think the world would be a better place if more people learned a little bit of improv.

RJ Redden: You're absolutely right. Uh, you're absolutely right. And no matter where we're at, we can improve. Uh, that's, you know, another powerful message you gave us today.

Uh, I can't thank you enough for coming in and talking to my audience about, about improv and how much laughter and playfulness and listening can improve everything. Uh, I can't thank you enough, Chris, for coming.

Chris Trew: Oh, likewise. I I think you're great. I, I had a very similar experience with you when I first met you.

I was like, oh, something's gotta happen here. Like, you know, we were just like to collaborate in some kind of way and I hope we continue opening ourselves up to that in the future. And I really, I really appreciate you inviting me to be on your show. It really, really means a lot. Thank you. Cause you get it.

You totally get it.

RJ Redden: You get. I, I, I get it. I get it. And I want, I mean, I want us to collaborate on a thing because how amazing would that be? Uh, so, so y'all, uh, grasshoppers, you'll hear it when we do it, uh, because I'll be shouting it from the rooftops. Uh, and, uh, beautiful. Well, that, that about wraps it up for today.

Uh, you know it. Same bot time, same bot channel. Next week, you know it, we'll be talking about engagement with another amazing human being. Not sure we can top this week, but we will be doing it. Uh, and uh, that's, uh, that's it for now. Take care of each other out there. Be careful, uh, and uh, I will see you in a bot.