A simple and short circle game that can quickly focus your company.
The Basics
The ensemble forms a circle by holding hands and closing their eyes. One player begins by sending a gentle pulse around – a gentle squeeze of the hand of the improviser to their right. This pair, in turn, continues the process. Once one pulse is successfully moving, others may be added in the same or opposite direction.
Example
Player A sends a single pulse to their right, and after a successful circuit is complete (and continues), they begin another single pulse to their left. Soon, multiple pulses are flowing around the circle.
The Focus
Breathe, connect, focus, react.
Traps and Tips
1.) Breathe. Due to the simplicity of the exercise, it doesn’t take much to undermine the serene flow, so make sure you’re entering the circle with a helpful and sincere focus. A cloud of freneticism, idle chatter, or distracting side games will challenge the very energy the game seeks to foster.
2.) Connect. There’s a quiet vulnerability in standing silently while holding (possibly strangers’) hands. Don’t let a desire to “succeed” eclipse the potential to connect. Squeezes should be kind and pleasant in spirit and not brash or needlessly harsh. It’s good practice to model consent even in such a seemingly straightforward dynamic.
3.) Focus. If you’re so inclined, you can add more involved pulses to the chain, especially if you’re working in a larger group. Double or triple taps are easy next steps, or perhaps rhythmic variations if you’re working on musical skills. That being suggested, don’t overwhelm the elegant premise of just calmly echoing the stimuli moving through the ensemble. Too many (different) pulses will tend to strain rather than bolster focus.
4.) React. Lastly, strive to keep the flow moving just by accepting each gift as it arrives. There can be an initial tendency to impulsively “squeeze back” the hand sending you the signal, so avoid this whenever possible. Having different kinds of pulses moving in each direction can reduce this issue if it becomes systemic. In a very “Improv grand metaphor” kind of way, the game asks us to merely become a transitory vessel for the energy and to keep it moving forward.
In performance
If your cast is feeling a little scattered, Pulse can joyfully bring you back together.
Cheers, David Charles.
www.improvdr.com
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Photo Credit: Olivia Skvarenina
© 2025 David Charles/ImprovDr
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