Our approach, our story and our team.
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The Center for Brave Communication teaches engaging and evidence-based methods for change resilience, growth mindset, and building, maintaining and restoring trust. We'd love to do business with you! As you consider what that may look like, here are some good things to know about us:
WE BELIEVE Culture is determined in moments of tension. Disagreement is valuable. Trust can be rebuilt. Brave communication skills are learnable for all personality types. Staff trainings can be enjoyable... and when they are, people learn better. Your team is comprised of people who are smart and good and WANT to do brave communication well. WE VALUE Authenticity, joy, integrity and simplicity are central to everything we do. We value keeping our work human and relatable, and we prioritize impact above all else. We value relationships, and hope that our work together feels to you like a true partnership, not a transaction. OUR MISSION Above all else, we see our work with you as a piece of something much larger. Brave conversations are the secret to a healthy culture, but they're also the foundation of a healthy world. It's our desire that your staff will take the skills they learn for building trust and developing inner calm into their families, communities and spheres of influence. Our founding philosophy and goal is to create a braver, kinder and safer world one client interaction at a time. Thanks for being here! We're honored to be on your radar. |
OUR HISTORY
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In 2016, Andrea Flack-Wetherald incorporated Improvising the Office, LLC in Pittsburgh, PA, turning a side-hustle into an official entrepreneurial endeavor. The only service offered at the time was a 90-minute improv workshop in which participants learned a bit about the origins and philosophy of improv, and spent the majority of the time playing games.
In reviewing workshop evaluations, a common theme emerged: people appreciated the opportunity to laugh and connect, but wanted MORE. They shared about underlying feelings of instability and wanted more support on addressing cultural issues and restoring real trust amongst team members. Since Andrea's background includes Social Work, intervention methodology research and restorative communication practices, she felt uniquely equipped to build a training program that could be engaging and joyful while also becoming more substantive and focused on skill building where it counts most: the moments when trust gets damaged or broken. An inescapable reality of human collaboration. She began incorporating evidence-based models from earlier in her career (the TransTheoretical Model, Motivational Interviewing and aspects of mindfulness practice) into her work and building more structured trainings around guiding teams through cultural turbulence or times of change. This was the creation of the Mindful Improv Thinking framework - a holistic approach to brave communication that involves thoughtful and actionable processes for the full cycle of the trust building process:
We are now The Center for Brave Communication, and we serve clients throughout the US and Canada. The logo has changed, the services have expanded and the team has grown, but our focus on equipping people with the critical skills needed for building, maintaining and restoring trust in themselves and others has remained the same. Today, we offer a robust suite of coaching, training and retreat facilitation services for leadership and HR teams, as well as company-wide training solutions. Our training packages now include the option for clients to decide how improv is used and what language we use in presenting this to your people. This way, clients get the deeply engaging training experiences they want without worry about "forced fun" or any concerning imagery the word "improv" may conjure based on its comedic roots. |
A LOOK AT THE EARLY DAYS:
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OUR TEAM
Andrea Flack-Wetherald
Founder & President Akron, OH |
Dr. Toya Jones
Training Facilitator & Coach Pittsburgh, PA |
Erin Kelly
Training Facilitator & Coach Pittsburgh, PA |
Doug Harshberger
Training Facilitator & Coach Pittsburgh, PA |
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Annie Gerber
Growing Brave™ Curriculum Development Harper, Kansas |
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We believe in the restorative power of courage and the connective power of laughter. As staff trainers and coaches, we create joyful learning environments where people leave inspired, motivated and clear on how to take action in the brave conversations that will help increase trust and collaboration.
OUR APPROACH
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Bringing the disciplines of mindfulness and improvised comedy together, alongside evidence-based methodology for supporting behavior change, allows us to equip your people differently than any other staff training and uniquely position your team for success. We call this the Mindful Improv Thinking framework, and it's the backbone of all of our staff training, coaching and content.
This DOES NOT mean that you or your staff will be on stage performing improv in front of everyone. :) We get that improv is many people's most horrifying nightmare! It DOES mean that the skills improvisers use to succeed on stage (like choosing curiosity instead of judgment, listening in the present moment, rolling with change and using each other's ideas -- probably all things you're on board with) are taught. We also use interactive activities that get people out of their seats, meeting other teammates and laughing together at their tables. Too often, trainings on the most important topics leave employees rolling their eyes and watching on a minimized screen at 1.5 speed to "get it over with." ...So you basically paid a trainer to distract your employees while they work. We know that's not what you want! You want trainings that create engagement, thoughtful discussion and actual learning. If you share our conviction that professional development can feel like a gift - that it can be enjoyable and enriching in the deepest sense - you're in the right place. We have introduced thousands of heart-centered humans to the Mindful Improv Thinking framework for building a culture of resilient trust, and we'd love for YOUR team to be next! "Our people really connected with this content. It was a critical and meaningful experience for our team! This training was a great reminder of who we want to be and practically instructive on how we get there."
- Jake Witherell | COO Schell Games |
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