You're the Expert pt.2

When people are in an improv scene, I expect them to be experts at what they do. That does not mean they are always correct, but it does mean that whatever they do or say is done with confidence, ...as only an expert would. Experts more often than not, in my opinion, are wrong--but they are bold at how wrong they are!

An Expert Opinion
It is often said that you should not ask questions in a scene, because you are making the other person work in the scene and not really adding anything yourself. While I agree with the reasoning, I don't believe that it should be a "rule." For example, when an expert asks an opinion, you can bet that they are asking rhetorically, and already know the answer.

First Day vs. Last Day
If there is a scene in a work situation, a person who is there for the first day on the job is guaranteed to screw it up. Saying, "this is my first day" is signaling to the audience that there will be a failure. If that same scene were done with an expert who is a day away from retirement, then the audience presupposes that this individual has "seen it all." If there is a problem that even baffles the expert, then it must be a truly epic problem. This situation therefore is dramatic and interesting.