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On a recent afternoon, a group of Mayo Clinic medical residents were pretending to toss around an imaginary ball. It was a goofy scene for these newly minted doctors who are at Mayo to specialize in family medicine. 

The rules are simple, said improv comedy coach and Mayo Clinic Artist in Residence Tane Danger. 

“It can be any kind of ball you want. It could be like a big, giant beach ball, or a little ping pong ball, whatever you like,” he said.

Danger then clarified that the participants were not allowed to catch the ball, which was met with nervous laughter.

The whole point of this improv game called ‘Loser Ball’ was to have fun failing. Danger's been teaching similar workshops to Mayo Clinic doctors since 2017. He uses improv theater techniques to help physicians be comfortable using humor, curiosity and empathy in their interactions with patients and each other. 

Danger said participants are skeptical at first. 

“By the end of a workshop, students will say, like, ‘Oh my gosh, this really was getting me to think about, like, how do I connect with another person? How do I practice empathy?’ which is obviously a thing that we want healthcare professionals to do.”

Dr. Chris Boswell oversees the doctors doing the improv training. He said the skills help residents think on their feet in evolving situations.

“You never know what your colleague is going to say next, necessarily. So you always want to be able to adapt,” he said.

Can humor ease tension in polarizing times?

After a few more rounds of tossing the imaginary ball, residents paired off. Danger led them through more exercises, like an activity where they mirrored each other's movements.

The final activity was the ‘yes/and’ game — an improv classic. Danger explained that the idea is to agree with everything your partner says — and then say “and,” adding an idea. 

“I'm gonna give you a great topic, which is food. Everybody likes food,” Danger said. 

First year resident Dr. Manvir Sandhu kicked things off with her partner, Dr. Tea Pere. 

“I think I could eat sushi literally every day for every meal,” said Sandhu. 

“Yes, and I could also be down for a little kimchi on the side and a little hot pot, too,” responded Pere.

The duo went back-and-forth like this for a few minutes. And when they were done, Pere said she saw how the exercise connected to her work with patients. 

“I feel like when patients are maybe worried about a medication or a diagnosis or some sort of uncertainty, opening in the conversation with, ‘Yes, I understand your concerns. Tell me more about them,’ and then leading with, ‘And, you know, I hope you trust me. I'm your physician, and this is what I think would be best for your health care.’ I think it was really translatable.”

Sandhu agreed. She said that the workshop taught her how important body language is. 

“When you're in the room with the patient and it's just them, and they're sharing these really difficult things with you, thinking about body language, reading their body language, anticipating the way that what you're communicating… and making sure that you're not dismissive. That's a huge skill to learn.”

It’s a skill, she said, that can't be learned from a textbook.

Catharine Richert

Author

Medical residents at Mayo Clinic are learning some unexpected skills through improv comedy classes. These workshops help them better relate to patients — and each other in an often stressful environment.

Why doctors at Mayo Clinic are doing improv theater

Two people balance on one foot and hold their hands together, mirroring each other.

Ken Klotzbach for MPR News

A large group of people wearing scrubs stand in a circle, listening to one man speak.

Why doctors at Mayo Clinic are doing improv theater

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