Finding the unusual thing (and communicating better in scenes)

It's hard to notice the unusual at the top of an improv scene. Learn when and how to do it! Even if you're unusual too, like me! For EVERYONE: how to communicate better with your scene partners.

Finding the unusual thing can be a bit more challenging if there are a variety of neurotypes on a team (and there probably is, statistically speaking). Just as communication can be challenging if you have humans with different backgrounds, cultures, spoken language, and more on a team or in a class. But there are different tools and techniques you can use to help make this a bit easier. Let’s talk about them!

This article will discuss what "unusual" can be, and how to notice that unusual thing in a scene. This tool is part of the game of the scene style of improv, a big part of it.

In a nutshell: You find an unusual thing, make a game out of it, and go from there. Heighten it, blow it out, whatever.

Success. Profit. Win.

This article was originally a podcast episode. You can find it here:

This article is a bit different than the podcast, so maybe both will be useful? We’ll see! Let me know!

The unusual for unusuals

Noticing or framing what is "the unusual" is something that took me a bit of extra time to figure out, just like with voice of reason. Starting out, teachers would call out what was unusual in the scene (or what variety of unusual things came up early in the scene), and sometimes they mentioned things that seemed quite normal.

Now you often want to start with something that's "just off" and heighten from there. Make it bigger. Because it’s a minor difference, there's some learning around noticing things that are off - for everyone. It is challenging regardless of neurotype. But sometimes reading what was unusual seemed to go beyond that.

For example, I recently watched a video made by another autistic person about communication differences between him and his neurotypical wife that somewhat relates to this idea. The autistic husband would respond with a very honest response to a question that was absolutely NOT what his wife was after. As it was coming out of his mouth, he'd realize what she probably wanted to hear (something different).

So that response is the first, natural response to the person saying it, but unexpected (or unusual, or maybe even funny) to a neurotypical person.

But: we need to pick up on that being unusual. That’s the key.

This is sometimes how I am with “the unusual thing”. I might not see it instantly, but a second later it'll click in. AH. Unusual to other people. They wanted THIS. They expected THIS. I guess I “made it weird” with that thing.

It's like an internal translation process.

Now I bet, neurodivergent or not, you will quite possibly relate general difficulty in spotting the unusual - HEARING IT. Having enough processing power to think about all the improv stuff AND this on top of it all.

Exhausting! But it can get easier with time.

Sometimes things are hard...

It is hard for all of us, no matter what our neuro-wiring is. I do think, though, it is potentially a bit harder… or takes INCREASED EFFORT… for some. And many of those people, like me, are the divergent type.

We think differently, we have an atypical perspective by definition, or by statistic. So whether or not SOME THINGS are unusual will be affected by that unique perspective we have.

Like the above scenario with the husband and wife, we're doing some extra translation in some cases to compensate for communication differences.

Neurotypical and neurodivergent neurotypes often speak a different language as it is due to the wiring differences. We have an extra layer on top of all the other communication challenges humans in general have. We are all unique human beings! Things get lost in translation even when speaking the same language or being the same neurotype. This can happen between regions and cultures and backgrounds too.

And because we think "weird" things are normal all the time, and vice versa for our neurotypical friends, this is like... key communication difficulty territory between scene partners. Especially when you’re new to doing improv.

Many things we will pick up on as unusual quite easily, even if it’s subtle (not all that “heightened” or “weird”). Some things we'll have to take a beat to realize "ah, that's what neurotypical people find weird". Some things will probably mystify us.

This podcast I'm going to explain more on the improv side of things too, in addition to the neurodivergent stuff. What a deal.

Again, this is just my experience with unusual things in improv scenes, and I don't think it's necessarily right or wrong -- just how I go about doing a thing. Currently. As we know, this stuff can change and maybe even back and forth depending on who you are doing scenes with or what style of improv you’re performing.

What is The Unusual

The unusual thing is often described as being that things that makes you interested, curious, wanting to know more. It is something that would make you turn your head and go "huh? say what now?"

It doesn't have to be big or significant. It's actually considered to be better, I think at least, if the unusual thing is not all that weird at first. It's just "off."

Examples: "Hey, that's a lot of crayons Cheryl!" or.. "I still love my mini disc player in 2024, it's the best because of REASONS." Whatever. Oh yeah you might give those reasons and I want to hear them because I have one sitting on my desk from 2001 or something, which is why I typed/said that.

Then, because these things might be fairly subtle, you might want to frame to your scene partner that it's unusual. Especially if it's subtle.

"Yes, I spent my whole paycheck on this big bag of periwinkles - they're not only the best color but they’re super rare and I have PLANS, Rick. PLANS." Or something, whatever. You're both on the same page now that something is up with the periwinkle crayons, and the backline and audience knows too.

You do it, or listen for it. What you all do to find and frame the unusual might depend on who you're with, your team, or maybe the style of the theater or community.

You might even have personal preferences. I like starting with pretty mundane things, just something a little off, that you can make weird and heighten down the road. Like, I personally don't want to do things like "I have pickles for toes, Stan." Instead I might be a pickle purveyor really into rosemary scented dills, or some new kind of wavy bread and butter pickle cut. But you might do the toe thing because you and your team like that kinda unusual, and that’s cool too.

Why? Justify this for me please!

We find an unusual thing because it's often the source of the funny, the core nucleus of a game (did you just picture that in your head? Hi!). Because weird is funny, and funny is game. So you take that nugget and then it forms the game, and that forms the scene.

So making sure you and your scene partner AGREE on what is weird or unusual, you will have an easier time then agreeing on what the game is and how you'll play that thing.

Finding the unusual thing

Regardless of neurotype, we find a weird unusual thing WITH our scene partners. And we gotta agree on it.

Something unusual could be happening, or it could be an item or a character’s behavior. The unusual thing can come from anywhere. But it needs to be pointed out to our scene partners, and the audience. So the foundation is: clear communication.

That's when and why we frame the weird thing. We are communicating with everyone "hey... this thing is weird." You might say why that thing or behavior is unusual so everyone is on the same page.

I said "simply" but it's not exactly simple at first. This can be done in SO many ways, and it's not always as heavy handed as "hey.... that's weird!" If you know who you're playing with pretty well, both of you might not notice the first part has even happened and suddenly everyone is aware of the unusual thing.

And when you're learning and practicing, and also just when it feels right at any level of experience, it CAN be heavy handed! Sometimes "hey, that's unusual" is perfect in the scene. Do what feels right!

But at the core: You react to that unusual thing, you care about all of it, and then you go from there and make it a scene. That's... a very simplified version of something not that simple and we all take a long time to get better at.

Getting good

You need to practice, as with most (all?) things. You'll get the feeling, get the gist, and it will probably get easier with some practice. We might need more practice, or we might figure out how to use our innate, unique, neurodivergent skills to get a better read.

It’s very neurodivergent to be excellent at picking up the gist. Sometimes we KNOW but we just haven’t figured out all the data points yet. I think the first part is enough to go off of, usually.

Some might focus on the verbal cues, others visual/physical, and so on. You use what you already use in real life.

It's less rules and structure, and more something else (the nebulous!)… and THAT lack of a clear rule or procedure is sometimes hard for us neurodivergents.

Many of us like a rule book and while this technique can seem like a big rule but there's enough grey area it can be a challenge. Ugh, that “get reps” thing again. Yep.

Why is it harder for neurodivergent

Things that are normal for neurodivergent are sometimes weird for neurotypicals. Things that are weird for neurodivergent are sometimes normal for neurotypicals. Our communication is different. Our realities, backgrounds, knowledge, and abilities are different.

Some things get lost in translation. And how neurodivergent humans translate can vary greatly. How I personally do it, how fast it is, when it applies is going to be different than what you do.

So this is the part where you need to think about your own improv practice. Notice how reading your scene partner best works for you, or what might not be in place yet, and find your own pattern or best practice.

What is easier for you to notice? What's easier for you to communicate? What forms of communication are more comfortable? These are things to consider in your practice.

For example, some might say “have eye contact” but obviously that’s not accessible for some. You might instead read body positioning well, so you use that. Or you are excellent at noticing changes in tone of voice. Or you notice that it takes you a beat to translate meaning, and you get it from the verbal data. There are many ways people read others, and this is what we want to focus on for learning to spot or frame unusual things.

I have more tips near the end! And I encourage you to add your tips or observations or corrections in the comments.

Communication differences

There have been studies that have considered communication differences between autistic and non-autistic humans as one example of this. Yeah, this is science, not just me making a wild guess.

Perhaps the most commonly cited one is the "telephone study." This study grouped individuals who were all autistic, all allistic (non-autistic), and a mix of both neurotypes. The "telephone game" sends a message from one human to the next and compares the message at the beginning and end of the chain.

The group with mixed neurotypes performed the worst.

Here is the study, and here is a TedX talk on the subject (you might need to go to YouTube for the transcript):

The first unusual thing is the only right one?

Some philosophies teach that the unusual thing should be the very (and I mean VERY) first weird thing in a scene. Teaching indicates this very first unusual is the only correct unusual thing, and if you pick a different unusual thing, that thing is incorrect.

This is not a universal rule by any means (I’ve experienced it taught different ways in beginner classes), but you MIGHT come across this philosophy.

My opinion is it's a valid philosophy, like any other! Or most others. This one just doesn't work for me, exactly, as a neurodivergent improviser. I don't think my philosophy is any less good/valid/etc. It's just... different.

And every philosophy will have pros and cons - for me, on this one (very, very first thing), the con to my improv practice is too big.

If you are a rule follower like me

Neurodivergents can sometimes be rule followers. If the "must be first thing no matter what" is the direction, if it's the rule, if the teacher wants it - I want to do that thing perfectly. So I want to get that very first weird thing. I must get it. If I don't I'm a failure and need to cancel all of my future improv engagements, leave the community, and go back to farming and never show my face around these parts ever again.

You're like "this is a bit" and I'll say "yeah." But also "it didn't use to be. I am pretty sure I actually felt that way for awhile and only didn't because farming is hard, I'm bad at it, and it's not as fun as improv." So here I still am doing improv things. Yay.

So if I must notice and frame whatever unusual thing the teacher wants specifically immediately puts me in my head scanning for "is this weird? to who? Is a neurotypical person finding this weird? Will I catch it..." and on and on and on.

I'm not enjoying the scene, I'm not flowing, I'm definitely not being a good improviser this way. I'm way too in my head. I'm TOO focused? Or something like that.

Find the best "early" unusual

The alternative here, in my opinion, is to find the BEST unusual thing that's there early on. Loosen up and see what you notice. Maybe it's the first unusual thing, or maybe it's the second or third if the first and second are kinda subtle or not clear.

Even if you’re new and still learning.

It's still super early in a scene but it might not be the very first thing you and your scene partner missed. I know this is probably making some of you angry if you are used to the "first" unusual philosophy. I AM SAYING TO BREAK A RULE! WHAT?

My mindset works way better for me not worrying about it being the very first unusual item. But I KNOW it goes against some of what I've been taught: you missed that thing, you should have went with that instead of this other thing that came right after it that was BETTER (to me, maybe.)

Rejecting an offer? Uh oh. But no.

This might come off as rejecting an offer. Was it an offer? Is it rejecting one? Not really, I don't think, if you didn't notice it was unusual and it wasn't clearly framed as such.

The idea is to not take too long to find an unusual thing and frame it. Maybe a couple things are up for grabs. Grab the BEST ONE. The one you are both interested in. The thing that works best with the improviser you are with, and you.

This doesn’t mean load a bunch of stuff in and pick one, just give yourself a big of grace. If it’s really subtle and you missed it, it’s probably not that big of a deal to the scene.

It takes so much stress off that I think it helped me be a bit better as a result. If you see something, frame it, and go.

You might "Listen better"

I listen better without that pressure of finding that very, very, very first thing. So if my scene partner sees and frames something, I hopefully just get it immediately. Efficient.

I'll focus more on my SCENE PARTNER (good!), being the character (also good!), and not doing that scanning and neurotypical translation process that just takes too many cycles for improv.

That's a lot of surplus bandwidth gone and I can just “be”. I listen way better, I’m just being my character or self, and I think that's a fair trade. So now I barely notice any of it, I guess, and improv happens more efficiently.

In theory, you end up using the BEST thing at the top of the scene. So it might be a wee bit slower, maybe you dropped something a little bit weird, and as such some improvisers will say that's worse. It's not fast enough. You denied or dropped an offer. But if it was THAT subtle, then “whatever.”

And of course… if it ends up being the first thing? GREAT. GOOD ON YOU. But if it's the second thing - maybe it's better?

But don't force it!

Don't force something weird into the scene.

We are “good at being weird” perhaps - but we don't want to force something in there. This is not good, and won't be funny. I'm using very definitive language and if that's controversial, so be it, I will stand behind this thing.

Don't force it.

Be yourself. If that happens to be weird THAT is fine (because it's not forced! It’s YOU!)

You will sometimes be noted as forcing the weird, because sometimes this hits our difference in communication. Just make sure you aren't actually forcing (truly ask yourself and don't lie to yourself). Or make a mental note and see what you might want to adjust.

Be YOUR WEIRD SELF and you will often be framed as weird and that's fine because it's not forced!

But sometimes you might want to make adjustments. An example: I got a note when I got distracted by my hyperphantasia as “writing” the scene. So I made a mental note not to try not to get distracted by that (it did look that way for sure). When possible. When I can catch it. That's all. No big deal!

If we are being open, honest, vulnerable and truthful -- WHICH WE WANT TO BE -- this will happen from time to time. Don't let it get in your head.

If you can adjust, great, but focus on being YOU.

Advice if you want it

Know this will be so different to all of us, so take all advice - as usual - on an as-needed basis. I’m a very high masking audhd so my experience is different in what I can read as weird, what I naturally do as weird, how I communicate, and all of that. Standard disclaimer, podcast-wide, all content.

1. Watch a bunch of experienced top improvisers doing your style of improv. This is the best advice I can give for most improv things. Just as important as classes and reps and will explain this better than I can in article or episode. It's just time consuming and kinda expensive for a bunch of livestreams or shows so... there's that. But regardless, if you can access it, it's helpful!

2. Focus on finding a clear unusual thing together with your scene partner. You want to focus on listening hard, and connecting with them the best you can using whatever modes you do to connect and read other people best.

3. Set your base reality up early and be clear, then explore it. Someone will frame the unusual: maybe you? Listen hard and scan for the unusual thing.

4. If you frame it and your scene partner doesn't seem to get the frame (maybe it's not weird to them but it is to you), frame a bit harder. You can use the "that's weird!" -- whatever you need to do. You might need to use that hard hand if you're playing with people you don't know well. Or you or them need a harder hand. That's ok! Sometimes it’s the best for the scene regardless. Direct, obvious framing can help with the translation if there’s a communication problem.

With time and reps, you might end up getting this all done faster, better, efficiently, funnier, go YOU. Great! But exploration is valid and I think, still, that especially early in a set having that solid foundation is not a bad thing.

That solid foundation will help with other things, like setting up stronger characters and/or giving you better foundation to rest or find secondary games.

Unusual Troubleshooting

More numbered lists.

1. You could ask for a set way to point the unusual out and frame it. This might be done by your scene partner. This could be any kind of reaction - physical or verbal like "wow, that's weird". It doesn't matter. This is just to learn how you read others in a scene.

2. If it doesn't make sense why it's weird, discuss afterwards. Ask your teacher or coach.

3. Try to notice other patterns around the set phrase in the moment. What patterns do you tend to gravitate to? What cues? This will help you in other scenes.

4. If you truly truly don't understand what's unusual, ever, focus on the framing part first. Watching for that, because it's easier to do so (especially if you can get some help with consistent framing for awhile.) Get good at that first.

5. You can frame something as weird, even things that aren’t, then work with your scene partner to heighten to make it weird.

Summary

A lot can get lost in translation between improvisers, especially with different neurotypes, and sorting out what's unusual in a scene can be a source of difficulty for all of us. But especially when we have different cognitive wiring.

But we can use our inherent built up skills to make this easier.

Work with trusted regulars in a practice group and try some exercises to get used to recognizing patterns with your coach or teacher. Watch good improv to see how it's done, too. See if you can pick out those unusual things before they're heightened.

See if you can notice those subtle reactions. See what they look like. Get good at predicting moves. Watching good improv is like a class!

Don't force weird into your scene, and just don't worry about finding the very first unusual thing. You want to find that thing early and fairly quick, but if you don't sync up on the very very first one don't stress.

What you find might be the better one anyway.

The right unusual thing is listening hard, syncing up, and being on the same page with your scene partner. Success! Profit! Win!

Thanks for stopping by, improv friend!

Thanks for reading! This article and the podcast episode it was based on was written/hosted/produced/whatever by me, Jen deHaan. You can blame me for the whole thing, it’s my fault. Find the contact form for this podcast at FlatImprov.com/substack. See the FlatImprov site for other shows and podcasts and stuff.

I have another character class on April 13th at WGIS. Come do this class! It’s on being YOU and heightening it. YOU. As you ARE. However YOU are. You are good! It’s a one day workshop and it will be fun and you will learn new things about YOU. And improv.

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