Improvisation Skills

Improvisation is based on skills such as listening, spontaneity, and supporting others. These skills can help improve communication, leading to healthy relationships and personal wellbeing for patients, clinicians, and - well, humans! 

Skills of improvisation include paying attention, focus, perception of cues, adaptation, memory, creativity, reflection, spontaneity, and acceptance (among many others). Improvisation enables you to think on your feet and make positive contributions to your conversations with others.

Together, these skills help you navigate through challenging and unpredictable interactions in a way that improves empathy, connection, and wellbeing.

What about comedy? The goal of improv in medicine is actually not comedy; it's about collaboration. Laughter often comes naturally when we communicate with spontaneity and authenticity, which are essential improvisation qualities. 

Medical Improv

Medical improvisation (aka "medical improv" or "medimprov") is the adaptation of improvisational theatre teaching methods to the context of medicine, in order to improve cognition, communication, and teamwork. 

Med Improv Exercises are dynamic, interactive, and 100% participatory. They break down the complex art of communication into basic building blocks – like how to express or perceive emotion, or how to modulate eye contact – and help learners practice them until each fundamental skill is solid. 

Med Improv Principles capture the "spirit of improv." Examples of such principles or "rules" include "Yes, and" or "Listen and remember," or "Take care of each other; make each other look good." Improvisors strive to embody these principles, which can help them develop their skills. 

IMPROV PRINCIPLES (selected)

• Yes, And
• Support each other
• There's no mistakes, only gifts & opportunities
• Embrace uncertainty
• You have everything you need

MEDICAL IMPROV EXERCISES (examples)

• Status Cards
• 'Yes, and' circle
• Time Traveler