Take a Bow for Failure
If you are a reader of our newsletter, you may recall my adventure trying improvisational theater. Despite how terrible I was, I grew a lot from the experience. I signed up again and after two classes I am still terrible.
I learned about a wonderful improv tradition that radio and podcast hosts might benefit from. The failure bow.
Improvisation does not come with a script (much like your show, or life…) so you react in the best way that you can. Sometimes you react well, sometimes not so well and sometimes it is a catastrophe.
When disaster strikes, you do a failure bow:
- Extend your arms to the sky.
- Bow completely forward, like a circus performer after a somersault.
- Rise and grin like you won an Oscar.
- Say “thank you, thank you very much!”
- Audience applauds.
I take so many failure bows that my back aches, but here is what I appreciate about the idea:
- Takes credit. You are brave to have tried. Be proud!
- Vulnerability. You are not flawless. Own it.
- Learning. Celebrate that real growth only comes from foul-ups.
- Mindset. Shifts you from thinking “failure” to “just part of the show.”
- Gratitude. Expresses thanks to the audience for sticking with you.
- Support. The applause expresses that experimenting and failing are ok.
All great broadcasters eventually do something worthy of a failure bow. Early in their morning show run, the Kevin and Bean Show KROQ Los Angeles was caught faking an on-air murder confession. They paid several thousand dollars in fines out of their own pockets and performed 149 hours of community service.
I don’t know if anyone will actually do it, but I love the idea of on-air presenters taking a huge failure bow to in-studio applause after finishing a shitshow segment.
“Thank you, thank you very much!”
Photo by Rob Laughter on Unsplash
