As MBA students we are used to making the declaration “I think….” But the Brave New Workshop Creative Outreach team challenged us to make different declarations at the the session they led for us on April 14.
Brave New Workshop, the country's oldest continuously operating comedy improv troupe, is based in Minneapolis. In addition to regularly scheduled performances at their Uptown theater, Brave New Workshop also offers a Creative Outreach division that provides customized training and entertainment events for corporations, universities, and other organizations. The goal of these events is to help teams work on their creative confidence.
When was the last time an MBA student declared her feelings? That’s a great question! I wasn’t sure. It made us all think about the way that we communicate. If we really tell people how we feel, will they react differently? Will we have more positive communication because people actually understand who we are and what we want to accomplish? The Brave New Workshop facilitators encouraged us to stand up and declare our answers to these statements:
“I want….”
“I need….”
“I feel….”
“I am….”
The students, staff, and faculty who attended had fun yelling out how great clams are and sharing claps, but we all walked away thinking about the way we communicate and the ways we could be better at it. Everyone at the event wants and needs the Brave New Workshop team to come back next year, and we're currently working to schedule another event for the incoming students in the fall!
The UST chapter of the National Association of Women MBAs (NAWMBA) sponsored the Brave New Workshop event.
Sara Christenson is Full-time UST MBA student.
