Improv for Engagement and Conflict Management

In successful conflict management, we aim to solve problems without any preconceptions of what should happen. It’s an improvised process. But improvising isn’t always easy. We may get caught up in our own thoughts, try to create solutions too quickly, or feel lost when things don’t go as we’d planned.

This course is for you if you’d like to apply the skills of improv to your work in engagement and mediation. An iterative process of exercises and guided reflections will help you develop a solid understanding of the foundations of improv and its applications in mediation. With four weekly sessions, you’ll have ample opportunities to practice these skills, so they start becoming second nature in your work and day-to-day life.

This course will help you build your toolbox of “improv-for-conflict management”, including active listening and presence, letting go and following others’ lead, acceptance and building on what’s offered, suspension of judgment, spontaneity, and creative thinking. The more practice you get with these skills through improv exercises, the more easily you’ll be able to integrate them into your work.

Duration: 12 Hours

Zoë Barrett-Wood and Richard Moore

Zoë Barrett-Wood is an improviser, actor, and facilitator. She has studied with some of the top acting and improv teachers in Canada and has performed on stages and screens across North America. Zoë has taught improv to those in the private and public sectors and has led theatre-based conflict transformation workshops for a wide range of clients. Zoë also has a background in environmental science and worked for a decade on projects related to land protection and community health. She aims to approach all her work with openness, compassion, vulnerability, and a healthy dose of humour.