CASE STUDY
Improvisation for Uncertainty:
Building Communication Confidence for Leaders & Faculty
Client
Saarland University
Audience
Faculty and staff from a range of backgrounds, roles, and disciplines
Purpose
To build participants’ confidence in dealing with unpredictable, high-pressure communication situations — whether in teaching, collaboration, or research environments. The university was looking for a training that was practical, engaging, and relevant to an increasingly international campus community.
Our Approach
We designed a full-day, in-person workshop grounded in improvisation and experiential learning. The goal wasn’t to turn participants into performers — it was to create a safe, energising space to explore how we respond under pressure and learn practical tools to stay agile, empathetic, and constructive in our communication.
We structured the session around six core improv techniques, each paired with:
- Real-world research or workplace examples
- Space for individual and small-group reflection
- Group conversations to consolidate key takeaways
The focus was on building both awareness and skill, with lots of doing, reflecting, and laughing throughout.
Highlights
- A strong interdisciplinary mix of participants led to rich conversations
- No slides — just flipcharts, real-time notes, and full-body engagement
- Key themes explored:
- Active listening and empathic communication
- Voice and body language awareness
- Storytelling and structured spontaneity
- Navigating status and power in communication
- Resilience and comfort with ambiguity
- Safe failure and experimentation
Follow-up Support
- Participants received a comprehensive post-workshop guide with cheat sheets, additional resources, and reflection tools
- We hosted three short follow-up sessions (online), using different facilitation formats to continue skill-building and peer exchange
Impact
Participants left the session with tools they could immediately apply to their daily interactions, as well as stronger interdepartmental ties. For many, it was the first time they’d had space to reflect on communication as a practice — not just a skill. The success of the session sparked interest in future workshops focused on collaboration, status and voice, and inclusive communication practices.
In all the years I’ve organised workshops, I’ve never seen a group leave with this much energy and connection.
This was the most doing I’ve ever done in a training — and it worked. I could see myself using techniques immediately.
I’ve been thinking about status ever since, and it’s shifted how I approach difficult conversations.
It was especially helpful to do this in such a diverse group — it challenged my assumptions and gave me new ideas.
Curious? Want to know more?
Interested in learning more about our communication workshops, training and coaching for scientists and researchers? Take a look around, or get in touch – we’d love to help.
We believe that research matters. We also believe that good research deserves to be shared. What about you?
Curious about how our communication workshops, training programmes and coaching can help you, your research group or your institution get better about talking about your research with expert and non-expert audiences alike? Book a 30-minute call, or drop us a line.
