“Maaaaaa … eeeeeeee …. ohhhhhhhh” lawyers chant in their pairs, mimicking each other’s noises to improve their active listening skills. Shortly before this, the group of lawyers had assembled in a circle to play “crazy eights,” a more frantic version of the hokey pokey, where each limb is vigorously shaken eight times, then seven, then six, getting increasingly louder and faster as the numbers are counted down. Wednesday’s workshops, held by Osgoode Professional Development, are not your average way of getting CPD hours, but there are important lessons to be learned amongst the silliness. This quirky idea obviously appealed to lawyers as the morning slot proved so popular that an afternoon session had to be added to the program.
Tommy Galan, a former New York attorney turned Director of Corporate Programming at The Peoples Improv Theater, developed “Improv(ed) Legal Skills” to help lawyers become better communicators. Almost a third of all malpractice claims are due to communication issues between lawyers and clients. In light of this, Galan believes his workshops address a serious gap in the legal education system. Describing his classes as “cross training for the mind,” Galan uses improv exercises to develop skills used by both performers and lawyers, such as intuition, listening, conquering fear and dealing with the unexpected.
Galan begins his session by asking the sea of dark-suited lawyers to remove their jackets and “get comfortable.” After some initial nervous looks, the group forms a circle and warms up with a clapping game. As Galan increases the tempo of the game and the lawyers struggle to keep the rhythm, he reminds them that this is a lesson in client interaction — when people are new to the game, you have to slow things down to make it easier for them.
In another exercise, the lawyers play with “improv putty” — invisible “putty” which is shaped with the hands into imaginary objects. One person forms the “putty” into an object and performs an action with it before passing their imaginary creation to the person next to them. If the recipient is unable to identify the object, it is passed back. This seemingly bizarre exercise is a lesson in attentiveness and taking responsibility for your communication. Bruce McCartney, a partner at Miller Thomson, described the class as “innovative” and “an interesting approach to learning how to react.”
The session ends with exercises focusing on awareness of body language and confidence. Then, it’s time for the lawyers to put away the “improv putty,” don their jackets once again and return to their day jobs.
Image: User:Booyabazooka via Wikimedia Commons