Our Story
We were created from the need to help people who help people.
In the late 1990's and well into the new millennium, a slew of scientific studies highlighted doctors' inability to talk and listen to their patients. Positive healthcare outcomes were down, lawsuits were up, patients were unhappy – and physicians were looking for rigorous ways to address the problem. The same thing was happening with businesses. Disconnection was epidemic.
Our story begins in the theatre. The very first skill that actors learn is how to be present. The second is how to listen. The third is how to react to the people around them. This is why a world-renowned epidemiologist asked us to design a study to measure whether we could use theatre-based skills to teach his physicians how to listen and empathize with patients. He knew we had specific exercises to teach the skills his physicians needed.
We help people who help people.
So, in 2005 we conducted the first of many studies demonstrating that a few key skills and exercises can significantly improve human connection across a range of measures.
Before we began, we were invited to shadow teams of surgeons in operating rooms to document how they communicate while doing critical care surgery. We were asked to accompany internists and nurses as they conducted rounds and discussed patients’ care plans, and to observe emergency room physicians to see how doctors, nurses and trauma units collaborate while making life and death decisions.
When the fields of business and science came calling, we took the same precautionary measures we did with medicine and healthcare. We were invited into board rooms, annual stakeholder meetings, and daily pitch sessions to discover what and how things are said in the "real" world to get things done quickly and efficiently. It wasn't easy but we eventually learned the best communication practices from many renowned industry leaders.
Over more than two decades we’ve developed hard-won – and clinically proven – process to help you and your teams connect with those you need to help. Our coaches train executive presence, active listening, emotional intelligence, and real-world presentation skills that combine specific theatre-based processes with the best communication practices from medicine, healthcare, business, and science. From the moment we began until today, every coaching and training session starts with learning outcomes and ends with measurable results.
Contact us to learn how we can help you help your teams and people today.