Bill Klaproth (Host): This is a special podcast produced at SHSMD Connections 2026 in Baltimore as we talk with speakers and session leaders and keynote presenters right from the conference.

I'm Bill Klaproth. Healthcare marketing and communications leaders rarely have the luxury or perfect information. Priorities shift, unexpected challenges surface, and sometimes you simply have to make the best decision you can and just make that move. So, what can the world of improv comedy teach us about navigating uncertainty, taking smart risks, and adapting quickly?

Well, with me are Candy Rodriguez, Certified Corporate Trainer with Improv for the People, and Matt Moore, the Artistic Director for Improv for the People. Candy and Matt, welcome.

Candy Rodriguez: Hey, Bill. Hi, thanks for having us.

Matt Moore: Hello, Bill. Good to be here, and I look forward to our podcast.

Host: Yes, me too. This is great. I don't often get to talk with two improv comedy professionals, so this is going to be awesome. So, we should have a lot of fun on this podcast, I think. Matt, let me start with you. When most people hear the word improv, they probably think about comedy and trying to be funny, but you see Improv as a framework for leadership and decision-making. So, what does improv teach us about succeeding when we don't know exactly what's going to happen next?

Matt Moore: I'll start by saying that in our studio at Improv for the People in Los Angeles and in Boston, the first question we ask when someone joins is, "Why do you want to take an improv class?" Right? And a lot of people say, "I want to be funny. I want to be witty." And honestly, I get that. That's great. But the study and practice of improv is not about being odd enough, about being funny or about being witty or quick on our feet, right? It's really an art form that celebrates collaboration and listening to offering my idea, for example, as an improviser, and listening to and being open to my, we say scene partner or your teammate, listening to their idea and seeing how we can build from there as opposed to it's my way or the highway kind of thing.

So yes, the symptom of improv for lack of—you know, we're SHSMD so I'm going to use the word symptom. How is that? The symptom of improv often is laughter. People watch it, they do laugh, and it is a fun art form. But what we're enjoying is the collaboration of two or more improvisers creating something that never was there before through listening and through the concept of yes-anding. I imagine we'll talk about that a little bit.

Host: Oh, yeah. For sure, we definitely will get to the yes-and, but it's interesting to hear what you say about collaboration.

Matt Moore: Yeah. It has a direct tie to those of us in the corporate setting, listening and building on what each other has to say and to offer, and accepting new ideas and having empathy around those who are around us. So yeah, it's a great crossover.

Host: And I know, Matt, that you also emphasize that collaboration lowers risk, and that may sound counterintuitive because involving more people can sometimes slow things down. And people are like, "I don't want to slow this down. I don't want to ask a lot of people," because then it does seem to bog things down. How can we trust in collaboration that it will actually help organizations respond faster when the outcome is uncertain?

Matt Moore: Well, I'll challenge the comment respond faster, right? So, I think maybe respond more appropriately might be the better phrasing. I think it starts with trust. And I come from 21 years in the corporate setting too. So, I have one foot in the arts and one foot in the corporate setting.

And I'll start by saying, you know, you look at a boardroom or you look at a table surrounded by your colleagues. Whether it's two or 10, there's a big dose of trust that's needed that the people around that table, for example, are there for a reason, or at least they should be with their experience and their career experience, their life experience, their education.

There needs to be a trust that what people bring to the moment is valuable, So if we're working on a project, and take our time and hear different perspectives from the people around the table, I think that's a very good thing as opposed to this mentality of—I'll put in air quotes—some leaders will have the mindset of it's my way or the highway, and you're going to jump on board. And that really is risky. You know, it's risky in improv, it's risky on stage, and it's risky in a corporate setting, because you may be missing out on some great contribution. So, that's what I would say to that.

Candy Rodriguez: I would say too I'm also a foot in the corporate world, a foot out. I worked with Kaiser Permanente Educational Theatre, and I would say even regardless of where you work, you got to be in the same boat. You got to be in the same story. If you're in a romance and I'm in a reality TV show, you know what I mean? And it's interesting to me, like, well, we got to do it fast. Well, do you want to do it three times or do you want to do it the first way correctly? Because you and I are not the same person. Like, you're not in my head. So, the 10 minutes it'll spend to get you up to speed—because it might be like Matt's sailing away. He's having the time of his life, but we got to go north. You know what I mean?

Host: Right. He's on the Love Boat, we're on the Titanic. This is not good.

Candy Rodriguez: Yes.

Matt Moore: Bill, I've only been on the Titanic. I've never been on the Love Boat.

Host: Wow.

Candy Rodriguez: Oh.

Matt Moore: Was that too personal? That was personal.

Host: No, this is what this podcast is about. We're all being vulnerable. Yes, and.

Matt Moore: Bill, I'm going to jump in there. You use a key word, and that's vulnerable, you know, at the keynote SHSMD. And I think when Candy and I come out, "Hey, we're going to do some improv," that can scare people or people be like, "What is happening right now?" And Candy and I get that. I'm not speaking for Candy, but I bet she would agree with that. But it requires a certain amount of vulnerability to put ourselves in this art form. And it always impresses me when people say, "Hey, I trust this process. I don't know anything about improv, but I want to learn. I want some takeaways." These are the people in my mind that take risks. And if they're taking a risk doing improv exercise which has zero consequence, there is no consequence, right? Nobody's going to lose anything by doing improv. Even if it's the worst thing in the world, great, wonderful. We celebrate failure. Who cares? But what I care about by the way, oftentimes there's success, right, when people embrace it, and that's super fun. But people who take risks in my mind can be very, very good leaders.

Host: Well, that's a really good point about leaders. So, let's stay on risks right now. Candy, when we're talking about taking a risk, you talk about how taking a smart risk is a skill. How do you distinguish between taking a smart risk and then simply maybe being reckless with a decision?

Candy Rodriguez: I think it comes from the information, I think when you have information, you can make the smart risk. So if we're talking from a doctor's perspective, right, you're talking to a patient, you have a lot of information. So if you're talking to a patient and you see their lip is drooping and there's X, Y, Z, okay, a smart risk would be to stop talking and get them to X, Y, Z.

If we're talking like a more corporate setting or meeting setting, I think the only way you can be reckless is if you don't care. If you don't care of the outcome, yeah, it's going to be reckless. But every smart risk is like you're seeing A, B, and C. Like, "Ooh, you know what? There's this meeting and I had this idea where we go to Vegas, and we go to the roulette table and we learn about risk that way." And you assess the people in the room and it's like, "Yeah, you know what? I'm going to say it. I'm going to say it." So, I think that information is the main component of what makes something a reckless versus a smart risk.

Host: Got it. So, I know that I was in the audience there when you did your keynote at SHSMD, and it was a lot of fun. And you asked what are some of the important components of conversation, Matt, and somebody finally said listening. So, listening is obviously critical in improv because what one person says determines what happens next. So, what can we learn from improv about really listening to our teams, you know, especially during stressful or rapidly changing situations, which always seem to happen in the healthcare industry?

Matt Moore: Yeah. It's I think a lot of our listeners would have heard the phrase listen to understand as opposed to listening to respond. I think people have heard that concept. You know what? We hear it because it's right. I liken it to what I call cocktail hour, right? You ever go to a network event at 6:00 at whatever bar or whatever it is for a networking event, and you just can't wait for the other person to stop talking because you have something to say? We've all been there. And I would say try this on for size. Really listen to the person who's speaking to you. Be inquisitive, be curious. That's another thing about this art form.

At IFTP, we always encourage each other to be curious about our partner's information. So if we enter into a meeting, whatever the case is, a project, being curious about what other people have to bring to the table. Obviously, being prepared with what we want to bring to the table. But when we have this mindset of being curious that will ramp up our listening skills. So yeah, that's my thought on that.

Host: Listen for understanding instead of listening, waiting to talk. That makes a lot of sense, for sure. And in improv, you really have to listen intently on what the other person is saying, right? So, that's one of the main core bedrocks of improv. Would that be right, Candy?

Candy Rodriguez: Absolutely. And I want to add, I think that can be like a radical notion when we really put it into practice. Because I do think a lot of times where if we're not listening, it's out of fear too, right? I mean, there's some workplaces where it's like it's you or me, you know what I mean? It's pretty cutthroat. So, to actually listen to someone and to be curious rather than I got to get mines first, I think it can be a radical solution.

Host: Yeah, I totally agree with you. In fact, at SHSMD, one of the overriding themes was authenticity and trust and how we need to get back to making sure that the human is at the center of everything we do, and listening to somebody, making them feel heard and seen is so important, especially in what we do in healthcare. So, listening, really good thoughts on that.

Matt Moore: When you're in a leadership role and you are at the helm of a meeting, it's incumbent upon that leader to watch the body language of participants in the meeting. Like according to the Mehrabian study, we talked about this in the keynote. The Mehrabian study is a communication study done in the late 1960s, still very respected today. I won't get into the details of it here, but I will say that the Mehrabian study says that 55% of communication is body language.

So in my mind, it is incumbent upon the leader of the meeting to watch the body language of the people around the table. Because you can tell when someone has something to say or wants to offer something. It's incumbent upon the leader to call on that person. "Judy, would you like to add something?" Because there are personality and cultural dynamics that can influence the meeting. Some cultures respect people being quiet, are more quiet, and they see that as reverence and respect for the moment. I get it. Some people have personalities that are naturally more quiet, but guess what? They may be sitting on a treasure of information. And what a shame to just skate through a meeting and not clock, "Oh, I think that person has something to say." It's incumbent upon the leader to put the spotlight on that person, because they might not do it themselves.

Host: Know your team. Know if somebody quiet or more reserved or shy and try to pull it out of them. Matt, that's a great point. So, let's talk about one of the other core principles of improv. I guess that's the yes-and, right? So, Candy, let's talk about that. How does that translate into the workplace without turning into a situation where everybody's just simply agreeing with everyone?

Candy Rodriguez: Well, I think what's interesting about yes-and is the main tenet of it, right, is I hear you. Yes, you don't like dogs. So, I don't have to agree that I don't like dogs. I love dogs, but I'm just hearing you like, "Okay, yes, you don't like dogs, and I'll make sure my dog is kept in my room while we meet," right? So, yes-and is a validation of your opinion, of your thought, of who you are. I don't have to agree. So, my and is adding to your validation and then what are we going to do about it? Or and what comes next, right?

Matt Moore: I completely agree with Candy's assessment there. Yes-and means, yes, I hear you and I understand what you're offering. If we agree, great. Let's go. If we don't agree, your partner at least knows that you've heard them, you understand them. And this is what I have to add. Now, we have the work of coming to some sort of middle ground. But a lot of stress and a lot of tension comes in a communication moment when someone doesn't feel heard. When they don't feel heard, the arms cross, the head goes back, right? You know what I mean?

Candy Rodriguez: They get a but. Yes, but.

Matt Moore: Yeah. Right. Right, right, right. "Yeah, but..."

Host: We don't want the but in there. So, help me through this for someone listening right now. So, say, your boss comes to you with something, just an outrageous idea that you're like, "I totally disagree with this." Like, "I want to do a billboard campaign featuring something." It's just like, "No, this is ridiculous." You still want to say yes because, okay, I hear that you have this idea, but then how do you redirect to say, "I don't think this is a good idea"? Wouldn't you have to have the but in there? If it's something that you don't agree with, how do you yes-and that person?

Matt Moore: Well, no one at IFTP is suggesting that we walk around saying, "Yes, and. Yes, and. Yes, and." First of all, it's weird. Secondly, it's just a mindset to have in our back pocket. Just a little mindset. So in your example, Bill, if your boss came in and said, "Hey, I want to do this billboard campaign thing," and you think, "Oh, I don't want to. That's not a good idea." The number one thing is to say, "Well, I hear what you're saying. You want to do a billboard campaign. All right." So, there's the yes part. And, "I know in some research I've done or in my experience, it's not as impactful as we might think. "Here's an idea. Can I get back to you tomorrow with some ideas I have?" as an example.

And the other thing is with yes-and, there are times when no is the right answer. So, no one at IFTP is suggesting that we say yes to everything we agree and look at us, aren't we great? There are times when things are illegal, immoral, against company policy, da, da, da, da, da, the list goes on. There are times to say no, and no is the right answer. So, I just wanted to throw that in.

Candy Rodriguez: One of the exercises we do that I really enjoy and that we did in the workshop was that you repeat what someone just said and then add. And then, they repeat what you said. So, I feel like for the billboard, improv can help you really get to the bottom of what someone is trying to do, right? So, it might be your boss is like, "The billboard." And it's like, okay, let's talk about this billboard idea. Getting into the minutiae, being really curious about it. And you might see like, oh, what they really want is PR, they want to be seen. So, I think improv can help with getting to the bottom of what someone really wants.

Host: I think that's great advice. So instead of right away giving pushback, "I think that's a terrible idea," like, "What are you thinking?" Dig into it a little bit. "Okay, tell me more about this billboard with dogs on it," or whatever it is. "Tell me more about this. Why do you want to do this? Why do you think this is going to work?" And really dig into it. You might find the thing that that person is trying to accomplish, but you could say, "Well, maybe instead of having, you know, a dog in diapers on a billboard, maybe we could do this instead."

Candy Rodriguez: "Yeah, what about this idea?" Exactly. So then, you really know what the other person is saying and why they're saying it.

Matt Moore: I'm very interested in this billboard with dogs in diapers. Could you give me your financial breakdown of this project in my inbox in the next few days? I'm all in, I think.

Candy Rodriguez: They're called Fur Babies Diapers.

Host: Fur Babies Diapers! Yes! I think we've got a new product here. Fantastic. Well, that's really good, and that's very helpful because I think a lot of people first put up the, "I disagree," or "I don't want to hear that." Or I heard a good one the other day when somebody said if somebody comes to you with an idea you don't like, instead of saying like, "I'm going to give you some pushback on that," instead of saying that, say, "Well, I hear what you're saying. I have a different point of view," or "I have a different opinion of that," which is a little softer instead of saying, "I'm going to give you pushback." So, a way to soften it up a little bit, which is basically what you're saying, Candy and Matt.

So when you're doing improv and you're riffing, so you say to the audience, somebody throws something out and you start riffing, I'm always amazed at that. What can we learn from you on how to recover when things might not work, when you think something is going well or, say, we make a bad decision or something simply falls flat? How do you recover quickly from those things?

Matt Moore: Candy and I have improvised together for many, many, many years. And Bill, we can't answer that question because we have never made a mistake on stage. Never.

Candy Rodriguez: Sorry, Bill.

Matt Moore: Sorry, Bill. Next question.

Host: Okay, next question.

Matt Moore: This is what I would say. In our studio we have this phrase that improv is like the Depression, right? We use everything. So if we're talking like a show, an improv show, if a scene is wonky, it didn't go well, we don't abandon that. We learn from it.

Candy Rodriguez: Never bail.

Matt Moore: What was there? What can we get out of it? And how can we take that clunky scene and spin gold out of it? A fun example is when somebody mispronounces a word on stage, one of the improvisers, we jump on that and now the rest of us pronounce that word that way. So, we use failure. See, like, what can we get out of it? Okay, we tried. We can't get anything out of it. Let's just move on.

Candy Rodriguez: Absolutely. Never bail. And also, just acknowledging, right? It's part of authenticity and being vulnerable. It's just like, "Whew, we're in a rotten place." And it lightens up. It's like, "Oh, okay. Okay. Now, we can loosen up and find the next thread."

Host: We are bad. Okay. Right.

Candy Rodriguez: We are bad at this.

Host: We are not good. We are not good. Okay.

Matt Moore: Candy and Bill, that's so funny. And how refreshing. Let's talk about leadership, right? Honesty in leadership, I think everybody agrees that's super important. But how fun for a leader, as you're digging in, you're working on a project, and for a leader to say, "You know what? This sucks." You know, "Hey, we gave it our all. Let's go have lunch and come back and try it again." What's wrong with that?

Candy Rodriguez: Yeah. Absolutely.

Host: Yeah, that is good. So, honesty in those things. But it's hard though. When you're a leader, you don't want to have egg on your face. You don't want to look bad. It's hard sometimes. People do have a hard time admitting their mistakes. When people do admit their mistakes, it's usually endearing. Your team likes it. You're a stand-up person, if you can stand in front of the room and say, "Man, I made a bad decision. This was the wrong move." People really like that, but it's hard to do, Matt.

Matt Moore: Well, I agree with that, but a good leader does it. And if the leader's saying that every other day, "Hey, this sucks. Hey, we messed up," and we're hearing that three times a week, that's a different issue, okay? That might be an HR issue. But in general, God, we're just people. This art form is so humanizing. When companies bring me in to do corporate trainings or bring Candy in or both of us, whatever it is, sometimes—it doesn't always happen—but sometimes in the leading up process and working out logistics, the person will say to me, "Hey, you know, you're going to have 35 people, and let me tell you who's going to be in the room. You're going to have the CEO, you're going to have the receptionist." And I always stop them and I say, "I don't want to know who's who. I mean, I care, but I don't want to know who's who in the room. And some times people are like, "Are you serious?" I'm like, "I don't want to know." Because to me, everyone's on the same playing field. And it's really cool to see maybe an entry-level hourly employee doing an improv scene with the CEO of the company. And that has happened, and it's fascinating. I love it.

Host: Like you said, we're all human. Well, this has been great. I definitely have learned a lot here, and hopefully everyone listening has as well. You've talked about collaboration, how important that is in improv and in real life and in business. Listening, how important that is in communication. The yes-and thing is great. Honesty, being upfront if something doesn't quite work out.

And I think for that honesty thing too, Matt and Candy, if you're willing to admit your mistakes when you're taking risks, and we talked about taking risks and how important that is, your team members won't be afraid to take risks or make mistakes. And sometimes when you make a mistake, you can learn so many great things. The outcome will be much better down the road because you made that mistake. So, being honest right in front of people and admitting mistakes kind of frees your whole team. Would that be a good way to think about it too?

Matt Moore: I mean, it was perfection, Bill. Beautifully stated.

Host: I'm a good student. I'm an A student.

Candy Rodriguez: I bet you're a real problem-solver too, Bill.

Host: Yes, I am. Yes. In fact, when the doggy with diapers situation came to me, I said, "I've got a great graphic for that."

Matt Moore: Oh, Lord. No, I was just going to tell you that doggy diaper billboard thing, that really sucks.

Host: That is a terrible idea. Terrible idea.

Candy Rodriguez: We're going to push back on that, Bill. Yep.

Host: Okay, but think of the carpets that could be saved in America if your dog had a diaper.

Candy Rodriguez: Yes. And then shag carpets will come back in full effect.

Host: And who doesn't like laying on shag carpet without like a soiled stain from the dog?

Candy Rodriguez: That copyrights itself.

Host: That copyrights itself. I love it. Okay, last thing. This has been awesome. Love talking to you, Candy and Matt. So, we've uncovered a bunch of things that healthcare leaders can learn from improv. Is there anything else we missed, Candy and Matt? Candy, I'll start with you.

Candy Rodriguez: You know, I would say, and again, this came up in the workshop that playful curiosity is actually a problem-solving tool. It's not just, ooh, it's having fun. I mean, it is fun, but you can use your playful imagination, your playful curiosity to solve major problems.

Host: I like it. And when you're having fun, right, your mind is more open and creative.

Candy Rodriguez: Yes. Exactly.

Host: Love that. Matt, how about you? Anything else that we can take away from improv that'll help us out?

Matt Moore: I would say that we mentioned this at the keynote, that Mayo Clinic points to research that says that fun and laughter in the workplace can increase productivity by 10%. that's a big number. In my book, I think that's a big number. It also makes us more agile and reticent, more reticent to change and just being present in the moment.

The other thing I'd like to say is just a note of gratitude, Bill, to you and certainly to Candy, and to Lisa and Kelsey and all the others who brought us in to SHSMD. To bring in improvisers, particularly Improv for the People, that's not so much of a risk because we're awesome, but it's a risk for a conference like yours to bring in improvisers as a keynote and in a workshop, and I really appreciate it. I want to thank all of you for bringing us in because we had a really, really good time.

Host: Well, it was great to have you there. And thank you for the shout-out to the SHSMD team, Lisa, Kelsey, Shavonne, and Tom. They do such a job. And it was so cool to have you there because it was out of the ordinary. It was different. Usually, we don't have keynote presenters that are improv professionals, so it was really fun to have you there. And as we've discovered on this podcast, and if you were at SHSMD Connections 2026, there's a lot we all can learn from improv. So Candy and Matt, thank you so much again.

Matt Moore: Thanks, Bill.

Candy Rodriguez: Thank you, Bill.

Host: Yeah, you bet. Once again, that is Candy Rodriguez and Matt Moore. And if you found this podcast helpful, and how could you not? And if you're listening to this and you run with the doggy diaper and you don't give us credit...

Candy Rodriguez: We're coming for you.

Host: we see that on a billboard and you're making a million dollars off the doggy diapers that are saving your carpets, we're coming for you.

Matt Moore: Yup, we're coming for you.

Host: Make sure you share this on your social channels and subscribe so you don't miss an episode. I'm Bill Klaproth. This has been a production of Doctor Podcasting. Thanks for listening.