Improvisational theatre is a type of unscripted theatre that is performed spontaneously and collaboratively. It’s practice precedes the invention of writing. Modern improvisation was fostered in the 1920’s and 30’s by a woman named Viola Spolin who had the idea that acting could be taught through a series of games¹. These teaching techniques are meant to train actors the skills of adaptability, team work, and attentive listening. It teaches those who practice it to accept uncertainty and ambiguity. It allows students to develop the mental agility to think creatively in fast changing environments while maintaining character (i.e. under stress)². 

The skills of improvisation have been noted to have important skills useful in everyday life. It can teach decisiveness through forcing those who practice it to commit to split second decisions free of judgement. It can further teach individuals to improve communication through increased listening, to develop the habit of saying “yes and”, thereby requiring one to acknowledge those speaking to them, which can build a sense of empathy³. 

Surprisingly, improvisational theatre and medicine are both galvanized by the obligation to be able to quickly prepare for unpredictable situations. Successful physicians require excellent communication skills, which is a skill that is almost never taught². Therefore, Dr. Belinda Fu suggests that improvisational theatre should be incorporated into medical education, known as medical improv⁴. By practicing activities such as the “yes and” rule, where one must respond to their partner by saying yes and adding something to the previous line. In this way, the “yes and” rule can be applied to medicine when communicating with concerned patients or caregivers, where it is now a rule to acknowledge what the patient or caregiver is saying by saying yes, and then the physician is able to add in more information. This can make the patient feel heard, safe, and cared for. Another exercise that can be taught through medical improv is the mirror exercise which can teach how to respond to nonverbal communication, where students are to face each other silently, and when one student moves, the other must follow. It becomes a very focused and personal exercise, teaching students to follow verbal cues and pay attention to what is not said⁵. 

Integrating medical improv into the medical curriculum can enhance flexibility, mindfulness, and confidence. It requires and develops skills of active listening, mindful observation, and emotional expression and reception which can, not only, improve inter-professional relationships between colleagues, but the physician-patient relationship. If you are a medical professional or a student considering a career in healthcare, Professor Katie Watson and Dr. Fu have created the Medical Improv Organization where they hold classes and workshops in medical improv⁶.

References

1. Short History of Improvisation. URL: http://www.improvcomedy.org/history.html
2. Watson, K. (2011). Serious Play: Teaching Medical Skills With Improvisational Theater Techniques.  Jounral of the Association of American Medical Colleges: Academic Medicine, 86(10), 1260-1265. doi: 10.1097/ACM.0b013e31822cf858
3. Improv Therapy Group, & Improv Therapy Group. (2020, January 14). Ways improv improves your everyday life. URL: https://improvtherapygroup.com/ways-improv-improves-your-everyday-life/
4. Fu B. (2019). Common Ground: Frameworks for Teaching Improvisational Ability in Medical Education. Teaching and learning in medicine, 31(3), 342–355. https://doi.org/10.1080/10401334.2018.1537880
5. Kaplan-Liss, E., Lantz-Gefroh, V., Bass, E., Killebrew, D., Ponzio, N. M., Savi, C., O’Connell, C. (2018). Teaching Medical Students to Communicate With Empathy and Clarity Using Improvisation. Journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges: Academic Medicine, 93(3), 440-443.  doi: 10.1097/ACM.0000000000002031
6. Medical Improv. About. URL: https://www.medicalimprov.org/about