Is it possible with someone to be socially awkward and have excellent social skills?
Sure! Social skills are situational, and different situations call for different skills. Somebody who is great at working the crowd in a bar at karaeoke night might not be so good at dealing with people in an office environment.However, while there are many different social settings, each particular social skill applies to a cluster of different social settings, some more so than others; and there are some settings a skill will not apply to at all. Take the skill of “short term persuasion,” or being able to persuade people to do something “in the moment.” This can apply to different situations: it might be good for talking someone into taking a stupid dare, and for getting someone to impulse-buy. Thus, the skill of persuading someone to do something very quickly may be applicable to door-to-door sales and to loud parties. But if you’re in real-estate and trying to convince someone to buy a house, this skill will not apply so much, because people don’t typically buy houses on impulse. This also applies to other heavy decisions, such as marriage proposals. :-)Another complicating factor is that people who socialize a lot tend to improve a lot of their skills at once by the sheer fact of being around other people all the time, and each skill can apply to a myriad of different areas, so some people tend toward “overall socially adept” and others tend toward “overall socially awkward.”However, like I said, it’s complicated. I, for example, am socially awkward in most situations. But if you put me in front of a group of people who are interested in a topic that I know a lot about, I’m not so tongue-tied. If I know that I have an audience with interests similar to mine, I can be a very effective speaker. Another example is debate; I am normally socially awkward and very reserved, but if I am debating a topic I know well, I can become very outspoken, assertive, and aggressive - to the point where people become uncomfortable and even a little panicked, as they feel that I am being rude or cruel by attacking their world view. One friend of mine commented, upon hearing such a debate, “Ah, I see the claws are out.” And yet, in other situations, I am docile and even timid.Summary: while social skills cluster together in complex ways that give the impression of overall awkwardness and smoothness, they are also highly situational in surprising ways.
Can doing improvisational theater or comedy bolster one's social skills?
Yes. I've seen it happen. And, we actually have a drama therapist at our theater who uses improv to help improve socialization with people on the Autism Spectrum as well as Traumatic Brain Injury survivors. We've also had students in our training center who have been referred to us by their teachers or psychologists. It doesn't happen a lot, because I don't know of any study on it, but it is a use of our beginners' level classes.I've seen a lot I agree with in the other answers as to why it works. Here are some of my impressions as a teacher of improv for about 10 years:In the absence of a script, the performers in an improvisational scene are making up their own content and reacting in real time to the contributions of other players. So, a scene about a cocktail party brings with it most of the social intelligence demands of a real cocktail party.Most improv classroom environments provide a safe and welcoming opportunity for participants to risk. So, even when a participant commits a faux pas off stage, the other participants usually forgive easily and rally around the person.The improv classes I would consider "well run" put a premium on stage time -- especially at the lower levels. This means that participants who have a hard time adapting are getting in lots of reps of social interaction.The values and mores of improv are closely aligned with "clicking" with someone. When a group of people are having a really good conversation there is usually good give-and-take, a free-wheeling course to the conversation that no one person is controlling, and a general respect and support for each others ideas. So, someone learning to improvise well is basically learning how to be the type of person more people would want to have a beer with. And that's what I think most people are really looking for when they hear the words "social skills."Anyone who is interested in using improv to achieve off-stage aims like increased mental health or improved group dynamics should check out appliedimprov.com or http://appliedimprov.ning.com/. These are resources for people who both are practitioners in these areas or who want to hire such people.
Improv or acting to improve shyness??
I can definitely attest to your experience. I have always been shy and when I started college I "self-medicated" by taking acting classes. It works great if you can't afford therapy. I am currently working on my masters in psychology and I can see how acting or improvisation classes work to desensitize the shyness or introversion or even social anxiety disorder. In cognitive-behavioral therapy you would most likely practice scenarios and take a role very much like you would in an class. You would also learn coping skills and relaxation techniques to reduce the anxiety. In acting classes, you will practice and practice and practice which is also good. I did the acting thing and it worked for me. I am still my shy self, but now I know how to prepare for certain social situations to where people know I am quiet, but not shy. In terms of someone famous who is an introvert. Steven Spielberg ( the movie director) is a great example of someone who was shy and introverted and has succeeded in the realm of film.
What is the fear of public humiliation called?
Universal --I swear to you that every person fears public humiliation. The fear of public speaking is number one and bypasses the fear of death and spiders. The reason forthe fear of public speaking is actually the public humiliation that is involved in public speaking of one messes up her or his speech.
Have you seen shy or awkward people or people with bad communication or social skills do improv? How did they do? Did it help them?
Yes, Absolutely! Without exaggeration, over the last 23 years I have seen hundreds of shy or otherwise awkward people and people with bad communication and social skills thrive in improv. There are a number of reasons for this.Improvisation is a communication-based art form that relies on heavily on teams and teamwork. The law of the land in most improv teams (and classrooms) is unconditional support and trust, and this helps facilitate connection and shed inhibitions in improvisers and improv students. Further, there is a wonderful, positive peer pressure that takes place in the classroom and on stage - we want each other to relax and simply join in & be a part of the fun, and this encourages people to jump in and actually have fun! This is where some of the true genius lies. To nutshell this thing I’ll go to old rules that were ingrained in all Chicago-trained improvisers in the mid 1990s: “Don’t be funny. Don’t be clever. Don’t be creative. Be present. Be in the moment. Make your partners look like rockstars.” When everyone is focused making each other look good failure becomes irrelevant, because “success” is in us all simply trying together. (And the extreme majority of people are intrinsically motivated to participate when an entire group of people is having a blast and encouraging you to jump in and “play” with them.)Moreover, in improv there is a call to action to Suspend Judgment (of yourself, of others, of disbelief, etc), which means that you are driven to be fully committed to the moment, in the moment. Consequently, your individual attention is not focused inward, on yourself in any way whatsoever (fears, anxiety, inhibitions, judgment, etc…) . Instead, your individual attention is focused outward (on other individuals, the group, the activities, the class, the process, etc.. ).Lastly, there is a very caring nature to great improv which I will do my best to encapsulate with two quotes from my mentor - the person credited for creating The Second City Training Center - Martin de Maat. Martin regularly told his improv students, “I give you permission to fail” and “You are pure potential”. These are powerful phrases to those who might otherwise focus on things less positive.The net result of this is that the folks studying improv come out of their shells, become are open and better at communicating, let their personalities surface, increase their ability to play / relax / have fun, and laugh much more!I hope this helps!