I have developed a number of public engagement workshops, which have been enjoyed by professionals from diverse fields, including scientists, dentists, physical therapists, engineers, medical doctors, entrepreneurs, and legal professionals at places such as Harvard University, Brandeis University, Tufts University, UMass Boston, and the American Association for Law Librarians.
Applied Improvisation Workshops
Through a series of accessible, fun, easy to play theatre games, I have devised a number of interactive workshops that get participants out of their heads and into their bodies by encouraging play, spontaneity, and collaboration through a number of low-risk theatre exercises that teach participants how to:
Play with nonverbal communication.
Listen carefully.
Speak from their minds and hearts.
React instantaneously.
Adopt a “yes, and” frame of mind.
A roster of over 100 games and exercises forms the basis of my curriculum. As such, I can cater the workshop based on the learning goals of your team. I can also accommodate a variety of needs and requirements related to space, time, the participants’ abilities and comfort level.
Public Speaking for Academics
Additionally, I help academics practice their pitching skills. The ultimate goal of these workshops is to remind academics that public speaking, even in academic environments, is first and foremost about connection, which requires empathy, authenticity, and spontaneity. I have led these workshops for medical researchers, engineers, and bio-medical entrepreneurs, and scholars in the humanities.
I frame my workshop as an interdisciplinary conversation. Because I am a theatre scholar and practitioner, I often know very little about my clients’ fields of research. This primes me as an ideal audience member. I am a novice in their discipline, but well-trained in the art of storytelling and stage craft, which I use to help clients’ bring their research to the audiences who need to hear them the most.
My workshop then takes a two prong approach:
Part One: Narrative
Human beings crave dynamic stories, I first help researchers fine tune their pitches by honing in on narrative devices. The goal is to guide researchers away from the minutia and jargon towards broader messages that just about anyone can understand.
Part Two: Performance
We then rehearse the presentation of those stories. I play the role of director and treat the researchers as actors in a scene. The goal is to help speakers realize that vulnerability and authenticity help ignite an audience’s compassion, which helps them listen to and value what the speaker has to share.
Participant Testimonies
These workshops routinely are met with enthusiasm from participants, who boast:
“Matt is a master at his trade. . . He is able to bring together people of many professions and backgrounds and relate the art of improv to almost any professional theme or leadership scenario. I have learned more from him about being in a team than many experiences.”
“This is a great way to encourage creativity while also making everyone comfortable with each other!”
“This was an excellent exercise to shake up the room for a group who do not know each other. It pushed comfort zones without over stressing the environment. Excellent experience and I may use these techniques in the future.”