Robot, Ninja, or Pirate? What improv personality are you?
In Improv there is a model that classifies people on the spectrum of Pirates, Ninjas, and Robots.
Pirates
A pirate is happiest when he swings on board a boat ready to attack and has no idea what will happen next. — Billy Merritt
Pirates jump into scenes with bold ideas and high energy, are playful and their credo is Just do it!.
Robots
A robot player is always analyzing, running the program of the scene, S/he is constantly bringing the audience back to reality and asking, ‘what is my character and how would they react truthfully to this?’ — Billy Merritt
Robots try to understand a scene and their character deeply, they add necessary details, and are good at connecting strings.
Ninjas
The ninja is the one who steers the scene here or there, the great justifier, the one with no ego. A ninja-like player edits and you never see them edit. The ninja is the one who connects all the scenes together. — Billy Merritt
Ninjas can do both, they make bold choices to connect strings and go in and out of scenes stealthily.
Conclusio
The idea is: attack a scene like a pirate, analyze a scene like a robot, edit a scene like a ninja. — Jimmy Carrane
Good Improv needs all three types of personalities. Think about what personality type you are and if this model influences your behavior.
Further Reading
Interview with Billy Merrit
Find out what type of improviser you are!