We help healthcare professionals become better communicators through improv.

Healthcare Improv seeks to improve the communication skills of healthcare professionals. By practicing high-stakes skills in a fun, low-stakes environment, healthcare professionals are better able to enhance the experience of patients in their daily practice.

Your Personal Narrative

Vulnerability: Navigating an Unclear World  

Get into the learning zone. In order to improve on past performance, you must be willing to acknowledge you can do things better. This requires setting aside the status quo, shining a light on your blind spots, and developing muscles of vulnerability, empathy, and adaptability to turn mistakes into opportunities for growth. After this session, you’ll see to it that each suboptimal experience is not wasted, but can be used to optimize future situations.  

Authenticity: The Hidden Message 

Once we are out of our work demands, who are we? What is most important to us? Your authentic self is always present but often not deliberately considered. In this session, we’ll use pretend scenarios to reveal reality. We’ll bring down the restrictions imposed by work and life, find fun with each other, and listen for laughter as a cue to illuminate our unspoken preferences. After this workshop, we will better be able to connect our authentic selves to the people and world around us.

Engagement: Living a Better Life  

We have become stagnant in our routines and the way things are in our life. We have worked hard to build our lives, but know there could be more for us. With limited time, how can we engage with the world to create more meaningful experiences? How can we begin to see, feel, and experience the unfamiliar to help us connect with the world? After this workshop, you will be re-wired to pursue growth and a better life by seeking opportunities to engage with the world and to become comfortable in the discomfort of new situations. 

Stories: Learning What Can’t Be Taught 

Computers understand data. Humans understand stories. Humans are story telling beings and naturally use stories to communicate large and complex ideas. Yet, most of us leave the stories we tell ourselves to chance. This workshop will help you understand how we connect to the stories we tell ourselves, and the process by which we can start down the path of authoring our own story.    

Areas of Training

Interpersonal Communication Skills

Empathy

It’s impossible to show empathy for patients and coworkers without living in the moment. Through improv, we learn to let go of distractions and focus on the people in front of us to truly immerse ourselves in their perspectives and experiences.

Listening

Even the most self-proclaimed “good” listeners are likely to benefit from the practice of active listening. Only by letting go of the urgency to share our own opinions, advice, and experiences can we truly retain what a patient or colleague has to say. Improv provides a platform to practice active listening in a safe, low-stakes environment.

Wellness

The constant drive for perfection at our jobs can unfortunately mean we struggle when things don’t go exactly as planned. Through improv, we learn how to connect with others and prepare for life’s curve balls, finding enjoyment in our daily lives even amidst the flames of burnout.

Emotion

Emotions are elevated in high-stakes situations, so a communications skill set must be in place to navigate difficult times. Improv provides a low-stakes environment to practice these skills and build a framework for implementing them in real life.

Courage

Being the agent for positive change takes Courage. That courage doesn’t just show up in those big moments when its required. It takes recognizing the opportunities in our everyday life and practicing different ways to improve the complex situations found in healthcare. The very act of starting your improv journey is courageous. Continuing improv can help develop and nurture the courage necessary to be an agent of positive change.

Your Very Own!

The team at Healthcare Improv would be excited to hear about you or your team’s communication needs and goals. We can develop personalized workshops and experiences based on the areas you hope to develop. Schedule a consultation today!

Let's Chat.

Because every team’s needs are different, we request you schedule a free consultation with us to discuss workshops and associated fees. Contact us using the form below or give us a call.

Group Communication Skills

Adaptability

The only constant in our work, home, and social environments is change. Improv teaches us to be flexible in times of discomfort and make decisions that move us forward in a way that is consistent with our principles and goals.

Body Language

Understanding body language is a vital aspect of communication, especially during difficult conversations. Improv teaches us to understand the subtext of day-to-day conversations through body language and environmental factors, such as time and place.

Growth mindset

Feedback is accepted as an essential component of improving performance in any arena, yet most people struggle to give or receive it. Improv helps us to create meaningful conversations, so the exchanged information can lead to both personal and organizational growth.

Trust

Effective communication requires trust from all persons involved. Improv provides a platform for us to practice vulnerability, take risks, and allow ourselves to be seen - all essential elements of building confidence with others and ourselves.

CULTURE

What are the core principals of your team, organization, or company? Working to understand your groups core principles is an essential task but only the beginning. Improv is a great way for your group to practice those principles, address how your group lives those principles, and develop shared expectations for when those principles are not practiced.