Noting your Team Mates Is Bad. Here's Why.
We’ve all been there—someone in the team is doing something infuriating. Maybe they keep tagging into scenes before they’ve even started. Maybe they block your offers and bulldoze ahead with their own ideas. It’s tempting to pull them aside and say, “Hey, stop doing that thing we all learned is bad.”
But we’ve also been told: don’t note your teammates. Why? Can it really be that bad to give a gentle nudge?
Actually, yes. And here’s why.
You Might Be Wrong
Early in my improv journey, I got frustrated by moves that I now know are actually great. If you’re still learning (which, let’s be honest, we all are), there’s a chance your note isn’t as helpful as you think.
But let’s assume you are right.
Notes Weaken the Fabric of Trust
Improv teams are fragile things. We throw ourselves onstage in front of strangers and peers with little more than a suggestion, and only our team mates as a safety net. It’s vulnerable. When a show goes badly, it hurts. I’ve lost sleep at 4 AM replaying choices I could have made instead of the ones I did.
That’s why the single most important thing in an improv team is trust. We need to believe our teammates have our backs—even when we mess up. That trust is a delicate fabric, and every note from a peer weakens it.
Now, I know what you’re thinking: “It’s not about a bad show! It’s about bad habits! I just want to fix the guy who keeps ruining it for the rest of us.”
I hear you. But here’s what happens when you give that note.
Notes Put People in Their Heads
Let’s say you tell your team mate Sam, “Hey, stop tagging into scenes so early.”
It’s a fair note. But now, Sam starts second-guessing every tag-in. He hesitates, worried he’ll annoy you again. He wonders if his other moves are annoying you too. He starts imagining that the whole team is silently judging him.
His confidence takes a hit. He’s less present, more self-conscious. And guess what? That hesitation is now hurting the show even more than his early tag-ins ever did.
Then Sam starts noticing bad moves you make. So he notes you back. Now, everyone’s side-eyeing each other, wondering who’s judging whom.
Congratulations—you’ve just turned a supportive team into a group of improvisers playing not to mess up. The fabric of trust that held the team together has now been torn apart (see what I did there?) and it’s going to be really hard to repair.
Get a Coach
A coach can do what teammates can’t: give objective feedback without damaging team trust.
A coach’s notes aren’t personal—they’re part of the job. When they note Sam, he won’t spiral into paranoia; he’ll (hopefully) just take it as a tool for improvement.
But They Only do it in Shows?
Sometimes, bad habits only show up under performance pressure. If Sam behaves differently in a show than in practice, record your performances and ask your coach to review them. This not only helps Sam, but benefits the whole team.
But What If the Coach Doesn’t Note It?
If your coach isn’t addressing an issue you think is important, bring it up privately. They might not see it as a problem, or they may have a different strategy for helping Sam improve.
And if the team feels the coach isn’t the right fit? Find a new one. Not every coach works for every team—sometimes it’s just about finding the right match.
Improv is hard enough without the added stress of policing each other. Trust builds great teams, not nitpicking. If you want to improve your team, don’t hand out notes—hand over the responsibility to a coach. Protect the fabric of trust, and your team will thrive.
