The best way to understand how Medical Improv works is to experience it in an expertly facilitated session that is integrated with learning objectives, discussion, and reflection. The possibilities for interactive soft skill development relevant to healthcare outcomes are profound!
The second best way to understand how Medical Improv work is to see it in action. Here are a couple of examples:
Same Time Story
In this activity, one person tries to tell as story their partner is making it up at the same time. Sounds weird, right?
Watch this brief video with Jody Fuller and Glenna Kimball playing Same Time Story.
Notice how they are planning one topic when I surprise them with another and how they shift between leading and following as I tap Glenna on the shoulder. It is a fantastic activity for developing listening skills and navigating change.
That’s the first time I ever felt heard!
Nurse after participating in Same Time Story
Did you notice any of these wonderful things?
- How much fun they and their classmates are having!
- How quickly they adapt to a new topic and change in leadership!
- How focused they are on each other!
- How safe and easy this activity can be!
Physical Phone
In this activity a single file line of people are asked to pass along 3 distinct gestures without talking. Starting with the person at the end, who makes up the gestures, showing the person in front of him/her, one by one down the line. Once the final person gets the ‘message’ that person and the originator stand next to each other and on the count of “3” show the message.
It is hilarious to watch and fun to do yet there are serious learning opportunities in debriefing such as; awareness, dialogue, and reflection around how hard communication actually is.
Watch improvisors and healthcare professionals at a presentation I led with Dwyer Leahy Vessey at the Applied Improvisation Network World Conference, Stony Brook University in partnership with the Alan Alda Center For Communicating Science in 2019.
I typically do this activity once, debrief and then invite participants to suggest ways to improve the continuity of the message and try again. In this Working Nurse article, I describe how it can be used in the context of Patient Handoffs, a communication intersection that is notorious for problems.
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