Why Improv Is the Secret Weapon for Future-Proofing Your Career
Hint: It has nothing to do with your Bill Murray impression. Sorry.
In the age of automation, you’d think the most valuable marketing skills would be AI, data analytics, and automation.
Nope.
According to the American Marketing Association’s 2025 report, "Marketing in the Age of Disruption: The Skills Marketers Need in 2025 and Beyond,” it’s actually human skills that matter most (you may recognize these as what have traditionally been referred to as "soft skills" cue eye roll 🙄).
Top 5 Skills for Marketers Today, according to the AMA's research:
Communication, critical thinking, adaptability, collaboration, and creativity.
And the fastest-growing skill? Adaptability: up 10% since 2021 as AI disrupts workflows faster than ever.
Guess where I learned how to be adaptable? In improv class! (it's also where I met my husband and closest friends, so improv ftw).
In improv, there is one Golden Principle: No matter what happens, say “Yes, and.”
“Just say yes and you’ll figure it out afterwards.” — Tina Fey
What Improv Teaches Us About Adaptability
Most people think improv is a $5 basement comedy show where guys in flannel interrupt each other.
But the best improvisers aren’t the loudest: they’re the most in sync, collaborative, and fearless.
Much like life, in improv, you don’t control what happens next.
You think you’re holding a cell phone, but your scene partner just called it a magic wand.
Now what?
You could fight reality: “What do you mean? This is a phone!” (Big improv no-no.)
Or you roll with it:
“With this instrument, I am all-powerful. You need pizza? No problem. An Uber? Done.” 🪄
Boom. Now you have a game. You’ve mapped magic onto technology. And you didn’t panic.
“Those who have learned to collaborate and improvise have prevailed.” - Charles Darwin
(YA, FOR REAL)
Marketers, Take Notes.
The best improvisers don’t resist change, they lean into it.
That’s also what trailblazers and thought leaders do.
And it’s not just me or the AMA saying this: In 2024, LinkedIn named adaptability the “Top Skill of the Moment.”
So, I hate to break it to you, but change is coming to the party, whether you invite her or not.
Marketers (and, let’s be real, all professionals) who can think fast, embrace the unexpected, and create value in real time will always have an edge.
That’s improv.
And in a world moving faster than ever, “Yes, and” isn’t just a comedy rule. It’s a survival skill.
So what are you waiting for? Get thee to an improv class, tout de suite!
And let me know how it goes.
P.S. — My Substack is free. No shade — but I was traumatized by the advent of the paywall and am pretty sure it contributed to the downfall of our society, so at this point in time, I am not charging for my writing.
However, if you would like to show your support, you can treat me to a coffee (I’ll never say no to coffee).
I appreciate you!
P.P.S. — I’m a communications strategist. I help business owners articulate who they are, what they do, and why, in an intentional way that helps them accomplish their big-picture goals. For more info or to work with me, head on over to my site, MessageandMuse.com.