The Proof In The Improv Pudding…
The Hypothesis
If improvisation is used to build important skills for those with developmental disabilities, then it can greatly increase social, workplace, and lifetime opportunities.
The Skills
The team identified the following skills that improvisation would impact the greatest:
Voice Projection Eye Contact Quick Thinking Creative Thinking Listening Teamwork
Problem Solving Adaption to Change Focus Attention To Detail Character Development
Evaluations
“In just 1 year, we saw nearly a 90% average growth in the skillsets we measured” - Rob Snow
Rob decided he just wasn’t close to smart enough to fully understand how to actually evaluate and measure these skillsets. So he worked with a behavioralist out of the Children’s Hospital of Cincinnati, Dr. Anna Esbensen, to create an evaluation form the team could use at the beginning of the first session, then a year later towards the end of the last session of each level. This form consisted of a sliding scale from 1 (low skill level) to 5(highest skill level) that measured each skillset through the games the participants would play in the class.
After a full year, all 9 of the original cast of Improvaneers was evaluated. Growth was achieved for each skillset. In some cases, the increase was dramatic and rose over 2 points or 40%, like with Adaption To Change, Attention To Detail, and Creative Thinking. Another increase the team saw was in Self-Confidence. While not really a skill, they did find a way to measure it in the speed at which participants volunteered and body language following a game. These evaluations were not an exact science and a far from perfect study, as the participants brought various levels of emotions and stamina into each class, but they made for the start of a terrific assumption.
By the time the first Improvaneer class had finished, the team was set to train two other classes and continue testing the hypothesis. Unfortunately, as of this writing(11/2020), the live classes were halted temporarily during the pandemic. In all live class teachings and in a purchased license of The Improvaneer Method, these forms are available to download and to input on our system online. The goal is to collect hundreds or even thousands of results to truly prove the effect improvisation has on those with Developmental Disabilities.
Surveys
We have noticed a confidence we haven’t witnessed in Emily prior to the Improvaneers. She has grown immensely in her conversational skills with other adults and increased her ability to keep a conversation going and on topic. Emily has gained a keen sense of inquisitiveness in language arts and uses this to the best of her ability in her performances and throughout her daily activities. - Lisa and Rick King
After the evaluations, it was important to understand how the parents/caretakers of the participants of the program felt. What, if any, changes had they seen since the program began? How did the participant improve skillsets? Did that improvement make a noticeable difference in the participant’s daily lives? All of these questions still needed to be answered. Below provides some of the statistical data from those surveys, but please visit the Reviews and Media page to see some of the insight parents and others have shared about this program and its affect on their loved ones.
The original Improvaneer Parent Survey:
8 out of 9 LOVED the program (1 marked the LIKE box, so don’t worry, no one disliked the program!)
100% of the parents felt the program was significantly improving their skills and opportunities in their daily lives
100% wanted to continue the classes into more advanced levels after the first year
The skills that the parents thought improved the most (in order) were Self-Confidence, TeamWork, Listening, Problem Solving, Focus, Voice Projection, Adaption to Change, and Eye Contact
The Original Improvaneer Cast Survey:
100% LOVED the class
100% thought they were using the improved skills in their daily lives
100% wanted to continue with more classes
The skills the participants thought improved the most (in order) were Focus, Teamwork, Listening, Eye-Contact, Self-Confidence, Problem Solving, Creativity, and Humor
Online Survey:
70 parents/caregivers responded
100% of the parents/caregivers like or love the program
100% of the participants like or love the program
The participants get the following from the program - Fun(94%), Connection(92%), New Cognitive Skills(72%), Break From Monotony(70%), Skill Reinforcement(65%), and Increase in Self Confidence (63%)
Skills increasing the most (in order) - Listening, Quick Thinking, Creative Thinking, Problem Solving, Teamwork, Focus, Adaption To Change, Voice Projection, and Eye Contact
The Directors of the program receive a 4.94 out of 5 rating
Case Studies
The final piece of the puzzle in measuring the effect of the Improvaneer Method, was to go a bit further than the evaluations and the surveys and dig into what was happening in the daily lives of our Improvaneers. Each of the nine Improvaneers have their own success stories, but we wanted to focus on two of them below that showed unique and incredible improvements in their daily lives largely due to the skills and confidence developed in the program. To complete the case studies, Rob interviewed the parents, employers and co-workers, and the Improvaneers themselves.
Theresa Buzzelli
“Theresa has shown considerable growth in her conversations and interactions with her family, friends and coworkers over her past year with the Improvaneers. Her eye contact, and ability to initiate and stay engaged in conversations has been recognized by many. Theresa’s spontaneity and confidence to join in conversations has blossomed, which lets her joy and sense of humor shine through!” - Eileen and Allan Buzzelli
Theresa walked into the Improvaneer audition with a giant smile and an even bigger personality. Right away, Rob and Maggie new she needed to be on the team. Her challenge was her articulation. Theresa speaks very fast and without much enunciation, so she can be a bit hard to understand. She does, however, have incredible comprehension and a ton of ambition. Shortly after joining the Improvaneers, Theresa got a job at a local fast food establishment. In the beginning, she was mostly in the back, prepping food and washing dishes. The manager noticed a shift in that joyful personality, and decided to change her job a bit. Theresa was asked to begin busing some tables. Almost immediately the manager heard laughter. He looked up to see Theresa and the customers laughing and hugging. He made Theresa a greeter, drink refilled, and had her help bring out food to the customers. Her personality came back and then some. She also improved the morale of the staff and became a customer favorite. The manager and her parents credit her Improvaneer classes for helping her perform so well at her job.
Nick Doyle
“The biggest growth through the Improvaneer program has been giving him the confidence to know he can and should have a seat at the table. He has a renewed confidence that has fueled him to take more control over his life decisions, be more purposeful in his thought process and take calculated-well thought out risks to pursue his life goals.” - Lisa and Tim Doyle
Nick’s case study after joining the Improvaneers shows the many ways this program can improve the lives of those who participate. After becoming the leader and “big brother” of the troupe, Nick realized that his job of 11 years at a local grocery store was not meeting his abilities and fulfilling the goals he had started to envision for his life. He quit his job, and used his increased confidence to ask to join two non-profit boards. As his skills grew, it became apparent to Rob that Nick could not only be a valuable and productive board member, he could help sell and promote the program to others. Nick was hired by The Improvaneer Method as a sales associate. He also proved extremely effective at teaching students the art form, so Rob also made Nick an Assistant Director of the program. Along with those duties, Nick tours with The Improvaneers as a lead performer. Perhaps most impressively, Nick has created and performs a one-man show around the country detailing the ups and downs of his journey since joining The Improvaneer Method.