I have questions.
But I don’t want to risk looking unknowledgeable…
Been there?
We can work it out.
Working Without a Script:
A workshop to improve client counselling and inter-professional communication skills
team retreats . lunch and learns . university courses . staff meetings . conferences . and more
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Who is this program for?
Any health care professionals, or students of healthcare, who want to:
- improve how they assess, educate and work with their patients and clients.
- be more comfortable with or improve the quality of their patient and client encounters.
- improve their role collaborating within the inter-professional model.
- be comfortable and creative with situations and outcomes that are less than perfect.
What are the workshop learner objectives?
The workshop runs exercises that practice the skills of connecting and communicating with patients, clients and other professionals, as well as listening to, understanding and validating patients, clients and peers.
Participants will learn to confidently:
- Connect with clients to build trust
- Move forward a conversation or plan
- Collaborate in a team and with clients
- Contribute in rounds and team meetings
- Be comfortable with silence
- Roll with unexpected outcomes and change with creative problem-solving
What are the workshop exercises actually like?
Improv exercises are balanced with theory, group discussion and individual reflection on how these apply to healthcare practice. Most exercises are done sitting, standing or moving around, and are done in a group or in pairs as opposed to “being on a stage.” Some exercises will have some participants practicing and demonstrating in front of the group due to the nature of the skill being practiced.
– Participant of the improv workshop at the National Dietitians of Canada Conference
Care is taken to create as safe a space as possible. The exercises do not force participants to act in any way they feel uncomfortable. It is imperative that the personal boundaries of each participant are respected. Participants who want to step or act outside their comfort zone will have the opportunity. Regardless of the desired level of engagement from participants, we will all learn, we will all have fun, and we will all laugh!
Can your program accommodate people with different abilities?
Yes. Exercises are flexible and can accommodate different needs. Before the workshop, participants will be asked to complete a short questionnaire, which will be used to tailor the workshop to the learning and ability needs of the participants. Participants can also speak directly to me at any time regarding any concerns or requesting any accommodations.
What is included?
- Pre-assessment of your group to determine learning and ability needs.
- Tailored workshop objectives and duration to the needs of your organization. Workshops can be 2 to 4 hours long as a one-time event, or recurring sessions over several weeks for more training and impact!
- Workshop delivery onsite at your workplace to make it easily accessible for participants.
- A safe, respectful, non-judgemental and fun environment is created to practice these skills.
What brought you to delivering this workshop?
I’ve been a dietitian since 2010 and I started improv in 2014. I have since performed with local troupes different forms of improv – from the kind made popular by the TV show Who’s Line? to longer forms of improv, such as an improvised murder mystery.
Since starting improv, I have personally noticed my comfort levels increase in day-to-day interactions, receiving feedback and dealing with failure. I have noticed a positive impact on my work in healthcare – creative tools that I didn’t have access to before. It’s true that this can’t entirely be attributed to my participation in this type of theatre. But my personal experience aside, I noticed how others were benefiting when I started teaching improv in 2018. I teach improv to students of comedy and to corporations looking to apply these skills to organizational development and culture. It has amazed me how introspective each person’s takeaway is from just simple improv exercises. This got me interested in the application of improv skills to other areas of life.
Combine my love for improv with my respect for the scientific method, and on my own time I found myself doing a research literary review. I discovered that improv was being applied to many other areas including business, therapy for social anxiety and, yep, counselling skills in healthcare. I have taught improv to social workers, people in the tech industry, human resource professionals, design artists, leaders from a tertiary hospital centre and more. And just like many people have said before me, it truly appears that improv is life!
How do we get started?
Contact Krystal to book a workshop.
We will set up a phone consultation to get your workshop underway!
Phone: 613.324.7734
Email: KJMnutrition@gmail.com