The University of Pittsburgh School of Law has implemented a new improv course for students. The course is called “Applied Improv for Lawyers”, and the main outcome is to help law students become more empathetic and clearer communicators as lawyers. The course is geared towards first-year law students as they navigate the soft skills necessary to be successful in a legal career.
The course is led by Ben Bratman, a professor that also teaches legal writing at Pitt Law. Part of his inspiration comes from Ohio State University Professor Olwyn Conway who also uses improv to foster effective communication and human skills for first-year law students. Bratman visited this class in Ohio and it inspired him.
In addition to being a stress release for law students amidst challenging courses, Bratman also wants students to develop listening and nonverbal communication skills. Another large tenet from this unique improv class is preparation. Bratman notes that preparation is crucial for lawyers in many different capacities.
The improv class at Pitt Law includes different games during each meeting time. These include speaking gibberish and then translating it based off things such as body language and other games that create a story by each participant adding just a word or sentence at a time.
Being that a lawyer is an occupation that interacts with clients frequently, the communication skills learned in this unorthodox way have found to be beneficial for those taking the course. But a little fun in the process doesn’t hurt either.
