The art of improvisation has been applied to a wide range of industries. The global Applied Improvisation Network (AIN) alone has over 3,000 facilitators, consultants, executives, teachers, scientists, artists, aid workers, therapists, managers, and coaches who utilize improvisation techniques from comedy, theatre, and jazz to innovate within their fields and others. AIN denotes that these techniques are not only being incorporated at major companies (including Google, PepsiCo, MetLife, and Pixar), but it is also being taught in half of the top business schools around the world.

The next major improvisational application on the verge is within the field of medicine. In the words of UC Irvine’s Program in Nursing Science Assistant Professor Miriam Bender, PhD RN, “Good communication is vital to healthcare quality, but we don’t yet have good methods for training nurses to communicate concerns with other professions that are not positioned to want to listen.” If we can change the culture of the medical field via applied improvisation, in the same way that the culture of companies like Google and PepsiCo is changing, there is potential for profound positive impact.

UC Irvine’s Department of Drama Faculty Member Joel Veenstra with Professor Katie Watson and Izzy Gesell will present a free interactive experience, “The Impact of Improvisation,” which will outline the core concepts of improvisation that can be utilized in various fields and the future potential within the healthcare field.

More information on the Applied Improv Network (AIN): http://www.appliedimprov.com

Improvisation: Humanizing Communication Dynamics in Healthcare