Improving Communication through Improvisation
PROGRAMS PRESENTED
"Improving Communication Through Improvisation" Interactive Workshop
The Lucas County Board of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities (LCMRDD) contacted Communiprov about providing some training for their workforce.
The challenges of this particular training were that this organization only has two days set aside each year for training and in addition to the communication training they wanted to offer, they also had three hours of state-mandated training that needed to take place. They also have a large number of people that needed to complete the training. In talking to the HR representatives, the issues that needed to be dealt with were substantial.
We felt that three days would be needed to do the proper training for this organization; one day for communication training, one day for teambuilding and a third day for conflict resolution. In addition, we normally like to keep our class size to 18 or fewer in an attempt to allow for more one-on-one contact with the participants.
In this case, we had 80 associates to put through the training in one day. Two facilitators from Communiprov were brought in to do four total trainings for the day with each training session having as many as 25 participants. After some discussion with the HR professionals from LCMRDD, it was decided to hold one workshop in July focusing on communication skills with some teambuilding included. If the training was well-received and felt to be successful, we would then go back in October and complete the training with the same group of associates. This subsequent fall training would focus on conflict resolution.
Some of the participants were initially very apprehensive about the participatory nature of the workshop. The program was designed to slowly introduce the participants to the class and allow them to gradually acclimate themselves to the class. By the end of each session, even some of the most challenging associates were enjoying the workshop and getting a benefit from it.
We were told by many of the associates that they loved the workshop and were looking forward to having us back in the fall. Due to the success of the initial training, we finalized arrangements to return in October for the conclusion to the training session.
COMMENTS
Avg. score: 6.4 out of 7
87 participants
"Humorous - Interactive. NOT BORING!"
"What I liked about the workshop was that we were involved and not lectured to."
"Program was presented very well."
"Tom is full of energy and very positive."
"Tom was very friendly and a good speaker."
"The instructor was very interesting. I would like to do this workshop again."
"Everything about the presentation was wonderful. I really enjoyed it. Come back again. Thank you!"
"I liked that it was very up - no dry spots. I would like to have this class again in the future."
"I can apply this information to everyday life. I hope Tom comes back."
"It was fun. We participated in the group, not just sitting and listening to someone talking."
"This class had it all. It was super. No one fell asleep."
'This class was interesting. Kept my attention. Very enjoyable.'
"I thought the games were a good way to present the information."
"This was the most entertaining session I attended."
"It showed everyone that being a team is the best way to work effectively."
"Presented in a way that made it fun and easy to understand. Humor was great!"
"More workshops like this one. It was fun, interesting. Hands-on learning."
"I thought it was great. This was the best session I've attended."