UNMC’s Michael Smith, MD, and a team of campus facilitators will lead a four-session communication skills workshop that incorporates the principles of improvisational theater to enable participants to become more agile communicators.
The workshop series, "The Art of Thinking on Your Feet," runs from October to April and is being hosted by the UNMC Office of Faculty Development. Participants will develop and practice the skills involved in individual communication, teamwork and organizational behavior. Each of the four workshops in the series contains two parts, one that focuses on elements of individual communication and a second that focuses on team and organizational communication. While it is encouraged to attend both sessions within a unit, it is not mandatory.
"I began taking improv classes in 2014," Dr. Smith said. "After realizing early on that the skills learned through improv could help me as a hospitalist, I began implementing them at work. The result was more enjoyable work, better interactions with patients and more effective teaching."
Former participant Teresa Hartman of the McGoogan Health Sciences Library said the workshop proved valuable professionally.
"Relating improv to comedy, I was unsure about registering for this workshop at first," Hartman said. "After I was in the session, it became clear the skills I was learning applied to my daily work. An example is the ‘yes, and’ practice — it works to continually keep your mind open to possibilities and prevent you from heading down negative pathways."
The workshop will be held on campus, one of the one of the few in-person learning opportunities offered by the Office of Faculty Development this year.
Registration links and a detailed description of each session can be found on the workshop webpage.