To schedule a FREE needs assessment for your workplace, email Sara Young at [email protected].
The Scoop APT's Professional Development Program uses philosophy and skills drawn from theater practice. In theater, emotional intelligence and presentation skills are used every day, as actors tell vibrant stories with authenticity, adaptability, and a true connection with their audience. These tools are also vital to effective workplace communication, and can transform the way your team collaborates, providing a powerful advantage for your business.
The Approach The process begins with a free 30-minute needs assessment with Kelsey Brennan, APT's Director of Professional Development Program and a member of APT's nationally recognized Core Acting Company. Kelsey will work with you to determine what your team needs and how APT's process can help. A detailed proposal is available upon request.
The Coach Kelsey Brennan is an ICF credentialed Professional Coach and a member of American Players Theatre’s Core Acting Company. She has worked with clients at U.S. Bank, Gundersen Health Systems, Zendesk, Boldt Construction, Illumina, Paradigm, Steve Brown Apartments, and Sauk Prairie Healthcare.
In these workshops we introduce your team to the foundational concept of “Yes, and,” a communication tool that will help you seamlessly navigate conflict and appreciate differing points of view. In addition, we’ll use storytelling to explore individual values, promote emotional intelligence, unlock creativity and ultimately develop a strong support system that your team can lean on when times get tough.
Active listening and responding in the moment
Achieving authenticity and credibility in communication
Exercising imagination and empathy to express thoughts and emotions
Orienting focus and energy for the success of the team
Strengthening relationships within the team in a safe, relaxed and playful environment
Self-reflection and constructive criticism within the team
This workshop is designed to immediately equip professionals with stronger relationships, sharpened creativity, improvisational skills and tools for more confident expression and communication.
In these workshops we'll explore individual presentation styles, using tools designed to help you deliver a targeted pitch or presentation with confidence and originality. Using the language skills and methodology that actors use every day, we’ll show participants how to diversify speech patterns, bring passion and persuasion to their performance, and address those pesky nerves. (Actors get them too!).
Workshop participants will learn and practice the following skills:
Exploring the values, beliefs and identity of your audience
Landing communication with strengthened intention and vocal presence
Exercising imagination and empathy to express thoughts and emotions
Achieving authenticity and credibility in communication
Active listening and responding in the moment
Orienting focus and energy for the success of the team
Strengthening relationships within the team in a safe, relaxed and playful environment
Self-reflection and constructive criticism within the team
This workshop is designed to immediately equip employees with a sense of sharpened creativity, improvisational skills, and tools for more confident, dynamic presentations.
"In a highly regulated industry we have a tendency to keep our heads down and do the work, and remote work has only amplified that. The skill of how to cultivate collaborative conversations is often overlooked. To invest in our team’s ability to practice how to have these conversations and develop skills they haven’t previously considered will both improve their cross-team engagement but also provide more thoughtful and sustainable solutions for our members." - Beth Ferstl, Quartz Benefits
"APT’s professional development series was extremely popular with our organization. Managers and individual contributors who regularly collaborate in cross-functional meetings learned tools and techniques in the Radical Collaboration session to become better active listeners and to build trust and communication among team members. We saw how our old communication patterns were just a series of microaggressions that left everyone in the room unsatisfied because they felt that they were not being heard or respected. The Taking Center Stage sessions made our staff aware of how they could change their communication style to drive credibility in their communication." - Bill Checovich, Illumina
“Kelsey's approach to the material helped me think differently and more deeply about these concepts in a way that was fun and engaging. It also added some new techniques to my repertoire. I find myself thinking about the material and what I learned quite a bit, even months later. I'm grateful to have been a part of it.” - Stef Morrill, River Valley Commons
“I walked away feeling confident and comfortable with our group discussions. It felt wonderful to open up to my peers.” - Anonymous, Sauk Prairie Healthcare
“Thought provoking, very relatable and pertinent information. Thank you!” - Anonymous, Sauk Prairie Healthcare
Kelsey Brennan is an ICF credentialed Professional Coach and a member of American Players Theatre’s Core Acting Company. As an actor she has performed works by Shakespeare, Austen, Chekhov, Coward, Ibsen, Miller, O’Neill, Shaw, Stoppard, Wilde, and Williams all across the Midwest. Inspired by the opportunity to share her experience with language and collaboration, Kelsey created APT’s Professional Development Programs to teach authentic, meaningful communication in the corporate sphere. She has worked with clients at U.S. Bank, Gundersen Health Systems, Zendesk, Boldt Construction, Illumina, Paradigm, Steve Brown Apartments, and Sauk Prairie Healthcare. Kelsey is an alumnus of Ohio University and the University of Wisconsin- Madison.
