When I'm working with a new player or DM, and I see they have a passion for the RPG hobby, I'll ask them something like "Have you ever taken an improv class before? No? well, you should..."
Inevitably, instead of just taking me at my word and doing what I say without question, they will ask their obvious question "Why?".
Since "Because I said so" typically doesn't work, I've decided to list my top 5 reasons you "why" improv will help you become a better RPG player or DM/GM.
1) No, you didn't "do badly"
Making this suggestion doesn't mean I don't like you. Or I don't like what you did. Or how you acted. Far from it.
Most of the time, when people start to play RPGs, they think in "adult terms" - "Should I do what I'm thinking about doing?", "What if that's the wrong thing to do", and (the worst) "What if I look stupid doing it?"
More often than not, they have forgotten the "basics for play" - mainly learning the act of "taking a chance".
NEWSFLASH - Everyone is scared (at first) of screwing up and looking for a fool. But let me let you in on a little secret from around the table - it's the people who take a chance that typically has the most fun...
And improv is all about taking chances. One of my improv teachers would always see the wheels turning in my eyes and would tell me, "Even if you don't have a plan, step in and see what happens".
So what if you look stupid. So what if you do the wrong thing. So what if you "look stupid". The RPG table is a safe space to do all of those things... and more.
2) Having "rules" to follow literally makes everything better
Many times, people new to RPGs are just scared because they aren't used to it. It's something new that they haven't had hours of practice with or understanding about. After all, learning a new skill can sometimes be uncomfortable.
Sitting down at a table to play a new game, generally, you go over the "rules of the game". But that's the trouble with RPGs. There are almost quite literally NO RULES.
In the game, you can do literally whatever you want. If someone wronged you, you could find their house and take a dump on their pillow. I've seen it done (in-game, of course).
So, having some basic "rules" in place, like the ones that improv provides, helps new (and existing) players feel more at ease. They have something to fall back on when they're not sure of what to do.
3) Having "rules" to break literally makes everything better
Plus, you learn that you can literally do anything. If someone wronged you, you could find their house and take a dump on their pillow. I've seen it done (in-game, of course).
4) You'll learn how to make "more interesting decisions"
You may laugh at this, but it's true.
The most likely choice to make isn't always the most interesting choice to make. A slave girl who is "freed" logically should choose to leave. But what if she chose to stay and lead the other freed slaves. See, that's an interesting decision. It opens the door for more conversation (maybe convincing her to leave), more conflict (between the former slave owners and the former slaves), and more options for a DM to build a deeper storyline (assuming you're playing for storyline and not just murder hobos)
5) Practicing skills like improv at the table just makes you a better person
Taking an improv class showed me just how "bad" at improv I was. And don't get me wrong, I'm not a world-class improviser by any means. But it did show me where I lacked some key skills?
What skills do you ask? Well, mine was connecting my mouth to my body was a big one for me. You see, I was a college mascot back in the day and I was great at improvising using my body. I would see the situation and communicate through my body actions (pantomime is what we called it). And I was great at it.
But in improv class, connecting that to my mouth was really hard. I was used to thinking on my feet to do something, but when adding the simplest details (names, locations, actions) my mind simply vanished.
But that was ok because I was learning the tools to fall back on, such as "Yes, and..." or "Raising the Stakes". Learning these tools made me a better improviser, a better DM, and also a better communicator.
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And that's the beauty of D&D, it's amazing practice for improv - you're constantly having to adjust to situations and flex the skills you learn. These are great skills for literally any workplace, home life, volunteer situation, or (insert your topic of choice here).
I'll never forget my first improv class. I was just as nervous as the first day of school in 5th grade. And then the instructor got us up to do "warmups".
As we all stood up and moved to the front of the room, we introduced ourselves, then looked at them with wide eyes and bated breath. That's when they announced we would be playing a game called "Big Booty".
Over the course of the next few minutes, we learned the simple rules and started playing. We played, laughed, and enjoyed the game, together.
10 strangers, who hadn't met before that night, were all indoctrinated into the same "culture" of silliness within minutes.
It was in those few minutes we all learned that we were in it together. It didn't matter how ridiculous we sounded or looked. We were all there for each other, success or fail (and there were some FAILS, but I digress).
And that's what it's like to sit down at an RPG table for the first time. It's scary. But after that first session, you know it's going to be ok. And having the tools that improv provides just makes the experience even better because you'll know how to succeed. And you'll know how to fail, in the best ways possible.