Improv

I am highly impressed with anyone who can improv, whether it's in terms of acting or music.  Okay, so in a sense, everyday life is improv because our daily interactions are unscripted and unpredictable no matter how much planning and scheduling may be involved.  But improv really is something else, in being able to come up with something entertaining and pleasing right on the spot, in front of other people. 

Whenever I've had to give a presentation in class I tend to just wing it.  I don't like working with note cards, I usually writes some notes on a sheet of paper and refer to it from time to time.  I usually have a good sense of what I want to talk about and the order in which I want to give my points.  I'm not much of a talker in real life, but somehow I feel pretty good about giving presentations and speaking about my topic for the required amount of time.  I don't really count this as improvisation though, because in this scenario I'm 'performing' by myself and know in advance the topic on which I'll perform.

Jazz improv particularly impresses me.  I've played a musical instrument for most of my life but I've had no training in improv and don't feel like I have the fascility with my instrument to the point of being able to come up with pleasant melodies off the top of my head or just go with the flow.  I wish I had that kind of ability to just close my eyes and feel the music in my fingertips.