The Alda Method®

Trusted | Proven | Distinct

Grounded in the social sciences and honed through improvisation, the Alda Method® delivers authentic, human connections. Our method trains scientists and health care professionals to strengthen fundamental communication skills focused on clarity and empathy, to help them build interpersonal connections and trust across backgrounds, experiences, and expertise.

The Alda Method® brings together an expert team of social scientists and improvisation specialists to translate research-backed communication principles and techniques into practical learning experiences. Our method uses improvisational delivery models to create a transformational learning experience that fosters engagement and human connection.

Communication is not a one-way transmission of information. It is dynamic, contextual, and socially constructed to convey a shared meaning. Scientists and health care professionals do much more than transmit information. The Alda Method® harnesses the power of experiential learning, interpersonal connection, and expert feedback to help participants develop communication strategies that work for them.

Research-Backed Methodology

Since the Alda Center’s founding in 2009, our expert team of social scientists and improvisation specialists continue to advance Alan Alda's original idea of using improvisation to improve science communication. We collaborate across disciplines to bring the most up-to-date social science research to our cutting-edge programs. 

Below we offer some examples of the research that informs our programming. These lists are updated regularly as new studies are published, and as we continue to build and refine our programming to meet the dynamic needs of the scientific community.

• Research Informing Our Signature Science Communication Programs

  American Academy of Arts & Sciences (2020). The public face of science in America: Priorities for the future.  https://www.amacad.org/publication/public-face-science-america-priorities-future
  

  Akin, H. & Scheufele, D.A. (2017) Overview of the science of science communication. In: The Oxford Handbook of the Science of Science Communication. Oxford University Press, pp. 25-33.

  Akkerman, S. F., & Bakker, A. (2011). Boundary crossing and boundary objects. Review of Educational Research, 81(2), pp. 132-169. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654311404435

  Aurbach, E. L., Prater, K. E., Cloyd, E. T., & Lindenfeld, L. (2019). Foundational skills for science communication: A preliminary framework [White Paper]. http://hdl.handle.net/2027.42/150489

  Baram-Tsabari, A., & Lewenstein, B. V. (2017). Science communication training: What are we trying to teach? International Journal of Science Education, 7(3), pp. 285-300. https://doi.org/10.1080/21548455.2017.1303756
  

  Bednarek, A. T., Wyborn, C., Cvitanovic, C., et al. (2018). Boundary spanning at the science–policy interface: The practitioners’ perspectives. Sustainability Science, 13, pp. 1175-1183. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-018-0550-9
  

  Berkes, F. (2009). Evolution of co-management: Role of knowledge generation, bridging organizations and social learning. Journal of Environmental Management, 90(5), pp. 1692-1702. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2008.12.001 

  Besley, J., Dudo, A., & Storksdieck, M. (2015). Scientists' views about communication training. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 52(2), pp. 199-220. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.21186
  

  Besley, J., Dudo, A., Yuan, S., & Ghannam, N. A. (2016). Qualitative interviews with science communication trainers about communication objectives and goals. Science Communication, 38(3), pp. 356-381. https://doi.org/10.1177/1075547016645640
  

  Besley, J., & Tanner, A. (2011). What science communication scholars think about training scientists to communicate. Science Communication, 33(2), pp. 239-263. https://doi.org/10.1177/1075547010386972
  

  Bloomfield, E. F. (2024). Science v. story: Narrative strategies for science communicators. University of California Press. https://www.ucpress.edu/books/science-v-story/paper
  

  Brownell, S. E., Price, J. V., & Steinman, L. (2013). Science communication to the general public: Why we need to teach undergraduate and graduate students this skill as part of their formal scientific training. Journal of Undergraduate Neuroscience Education, 12(1), pp. 6-10. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24319399/
  

  Cash, D. W., Borck, J. C., & Patt, A. G. (2006). Countering the loading-dock approach to linking science and decision making: Comparative analysis of El Nino/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) forecasting systems. Science, Technology & Human Values, 31(4), pp. 465-494. https://doi.org/10.1177/0162243906287547
  

  Copple, J., Bennett, N., Dudo, A., Moon, W. K., Newman, T. P., Besley, J., Leavey, N., Lindenfeld, L., & Volpe, C. (2020). Contribution of training to scientists’ public engagement intentions: A test of indirect relationships using parallel multiple mediation. Science Communication, 42(4), pp. 508-537. https://doi.org/10.1177/1075547020943594
  

  Craig, R. T. (1999). Communication theory as a field. Communication Theory, 9(2), pp. 119-161. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2885.1999.tb00355.x 

  Crona, B. I., & Parker, J. N. (2011). Network determinants of knowledge utilization: Preliminary lessons from a boundary organization. Science Communication, 33(4), 448-471. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2885.1999.tb00355.x

  Dahlstrom, M. (2014). Using narratives and storytelling to communicate science with nonexpert audiences. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, 111(4), pp. 13614-13620. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1320645111
  

  Davies, S. R. (2008). Constructing communication: Talking to scientists about talking to the public. Science Communication, 29(4), pp. 413–434. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1075547008316222
  

  Dudo, A., & Besley, J. C. (2016). Scientists’ prioritization of communication objectives for public engagement. PLoS ONE, 11(2), pp. 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0148867
  

  Fredricks, J. A., Filsecker, M., & Lawson, M. A. (2016). Student engagement, context, and adjustment: Addressing definitional, measurement, and methodological issues. Learning and Instruction, 43(4), pp. 1-4. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2016.02.002

  Gorghiu, G., & Santi, E. (2016). Applications of experiential learning in science education non-formal contexts. The European Proceedings of Social & Behavioural Sciences, pp. 320-326. https://doi.org/10.15405/epsbs.2016.11.33
  

  Jackson, C. (2018). The public mostly trusts science. So why are scientists worried? Science. https://www.science.org/content/article/public-mostly-trusts-science-so-why-are-scientists-worried

  Kahan, D. (2010). Fixing the communications failure. Nature, 463(7279), pp. 296-297. http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/463296a 

  Kahan, D., Peters, E., Wittlin, M. Slovic, P.,  Ouellette, L.L., Braman, D. & Mandel, G. (2012). The polarizing impact of science literacy and numeracy on perceived climate change risks. Nature Climate Change, 2, pp. 732–735.  https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate1547

  Kuchel, L. (2019). Insights for designing science communication training from formal science education: Apply the mantra and be explicit. In T. Newman (Ed.), Theory and Best Practices in Science Communication Training. Routledge. 

  Layton, D., Jenkins, E., McGill, S., & Davey, A. (1993). Inarticulate science? Perspectives on the public understanding of science and some implications for science education. East Yorkshire: Studies in Education.

  Linnenbrink-Garcia, L., Rogat, T. K., & Koskey, K. L. K. (2011). Affect and engagement during small group instruction. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 36(1), pp. 13-24. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2010.09.001 

  MacArthur, B., Lindenfeld, L., Aurbach, E., Bevan, B., & Newman, T.P. (2020). Bridging science with society: Defining pathways for engagement. Communication Center Journal, 6(1), pp. 62-78. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1289311.pdf
  

  MacArthur, B. L., Leavey, N. J., & Ng, A. E. (2019). Abandoning the runaway train: Slowing down to draw on lessons learned from health communication training. In T. Newman (Ed.), Theory and Best Practices in Science Communication Training. Routledge. 

  McGreavy, B., Hutchins, K., Smith, H., Lindenfeld, L., & Silka, L. (2013). Addressing the complexities of boundary work in sustainability science through communication. Sustainability, 5(10), pp. 4195-4221. https://doi.org/10.3390/su5104195
  

  National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2017). Communicating Science Effectively: A Research Agenda. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/23674.

  Olson, R. (2015). Houston, we have a narrative: Why science needs story. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.

  Parker, J. N., & Crona, B. I. (2012). On being all things to all people: Boundary organizations and the contemporary research university. Social Studies of Science, 42(2), pp. 262-289. https://doi.org/10.2307/23210209?urlappend=%3Futm_source%3Dresearchgate

  Pew Research Center. (2019). Trust and mistrust in americans’ views of scientific experts. https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2019/08/02/trust-and-mistrust-in-americans-views-of-scientific-experts/

  Rajput, A. S. D. (2017). Science communication as an academic discipline: An Indian perspective. Current Science, 113(12), pp. 2262–2267. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26493533
  

  Rogers, C.L. (2000). Making the audience a key participant in the science communication process. Science and Engineering Ethics, 6(4), pp. 553-557. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11948-000-0015-1
  

  Smith, B. (2019). A metro for science communication: Building effective infrastructure to support scientists’ communication and public engagement. In T. Newman (Ed.), Theory and best practices in science communication training. Routledge. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781351069366-11/metro-science-communication-brooke-smith 

  Smith, H., Suldovsky, B., & Lindenfeld, L. (2016). Science and policy: Scientific expertise and individual participation in boundary management. Journal of Applied Communication Research, 44(1), pp. 78-95. https://doi.org/10.1080/00909882.2015.1116707 

  Sturgin, P., & Allum, N. (2004). Science in society: Re-evaluating the deficit model of public attitudes. Public Understanding of Science, 13(1), pp. 55-74. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963662504042690 

  Suldovsky, B., McGreavy, B., & Lindenfeld, L.(2018) Evaluating epistemic commitments and science communication practice in transdisciplinary research. Science Communication, 40(4),pp. 499-423.https://doi.org/10.1177/1075547018786566

  Trench, B., & Miller, S. (2012). Policies and practices in supporting scientists' public communication through training. Science and Public Policy, 39(6), pp. 722-731. https://doi.org/10.1093/scipol/scs090
  

  Ziman, J. (1991). Public understanding of science. Science, Technology, & Human Values, 16(1), pp. 99-105. https://doi.org/10.1177/016224399101600106

• Specialized Communication Research

  Climate Change Communication

  Guston, D. H. (2001). Boundary organizations in environmental policy and science: An introduction. Science, Technology & Human Values, 26(4), pp. 399-408. 

  Lindenfeld, L.A., Hall, D., McGreavy, B., Silka, L., & Hart, D. (2012). Creating a place for communication research in sustainability science. Environmental Communication, 6(1), pp. 23-43. https://doi.org/10.1080/17524032.2011.640702

  McGreavy, B., Gottschalk Druschke, C., Sprain, L., Thompson, J. L., & Lindenfeld, L.A., (2016). Environmental communication pedagogy for sustainability: Developing core capacities to engage with complex problems. Applied Environmental Education and Communication, 15(3), pp. 261-274. https://doi.org/10.1080/1533015X.2016.1181018

  Noblet, C., Lindenfeld, L. & Anderson, M.W. (2013). Environmental worldviews: A point of common contact, or barrier? Sustainability, 5(11), pp. 4825-4842. https://doi.org/10.3390/su5114825

  Smith, H.M. & Lindenfeld, L.A. (2014). Integrating media studies of climate change into transdisciplinary research. Which direction should we be heading? Environmental Communication, 8(2), pp. 179-196. https://doi.org/10.1080/17524032.2014.906479

  Suldovsky, B., McGreavy, B. & Lindenfeld, L. (2017) Science communication and stakeholder expertise: Insights from sustainability science. Environmental Communication, 11(5), pp. 587-592. https://doi.org/10.1080/17524032.2017.1308408

  Health Communication

  Brown, R. F., & Bylund, C. L. (2008). Communication skills training: Describing a new conceptual model. Academic Medicine, 83(1), pp. 37-44. https://doi.org/10.1097/acm.0b013e31815c631e

  Deveugele, M. (2015). Communication training: Skills and beyond. Patient Education and Counseling, 98(10), pp. 1287-1291. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2015.08.011

  Fu, B. (2019). Common ground: Frameworks for teaching improvisational ability in medical education. Teaching and Learning in Medicine, 31(3), pp. 342-355. https://doi.org/10.1080/10401334.2018.1537880

  Gao, L., Peranson, J., Nyhof-Young, J., Kapoor, E., & Rezmovitz, J. (2019). The role of “improv” in health professional learning: A scoping review. Medical Teacher, 41(5), pp. 561-568. https://doi.org/10.1080/0142159X.2018.1505033

  Hathaway, J.R., Tarini, B.A., Banerjee, S., Smolkin, C.O., Koos, J.A., & Pati, S. (2022). Healthcare team communication training in the United States: A scoping review. Health Communication, 38(9), pp. 1821-1846. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2022.2036439.

  Kreps, G. L. (2014). Evaluating health communication programs to enhance health care and health promotion. Journal of Health Communication, 19(12), pp. 1449-1459. https://doi.org/10.1080/10810730.2014.954080

  Mehta, A., Fu, B., Chou, E., Mitchell, S., & Fessell, D. (2021) Improv: Transforming physicians and medicine. Medical Science Educator, 31(1), pp. 263-266 https://doi.org/10.1007/s40670-020-01174-x

  Muldoon, K. M. (2022). IMPROVing communication about diversity, equity, and inclusion in health professions education. The Anatomical Record, 305(4), pp. 1000-1018. https://doi.org/10.1002/ar.24864

  Norgaard, B., Ammentorp, J., Kyvik, K., & Kofoed, P. (2012). Communication skills training increases self-efficacy of health care professionals. Journal of Continuing Education in the Health Professions, 32(2), pp. 90-97. https://doi.org/10.1002/chp.21131

  Pati, S., Cleek, E.N., Bojsza, E., & Miller, P.P. (2022). Strategies to meet the urgent need for connection in health care. Academic Medicine, 97(3), pp. 321-322. http://doi.org/10.1097/ACM.0000000000004548

  Pati, S., Lindenfeld, L., Gropack, S., & Paz, H. (2024). Meeting the need for human connection in our health care workforce. Academic Medicine, 99(4), pp. 347-348. http://doi.org/10.1097/ACM.0000000000005624 

  Preis, H., Bojsza, E., Lindenfeld, L., Gan, T.J., & Pati, S. (2022).  Process evaluation of a medical improvisation program for healthcare communication training. Journal of Communication in Healthcare. 15(4), 260-266. https://doi.org/10.1080/17538068.2021.2012750

  Preis, H., Bojsza, E., Lindenfeld, L., & Pati, S. (2021). Medical improvisation improves communication skills among healthcare professionals. Communication Center Journal 7(1), pp. 95-107.

  Preis, H., Dobias, M., Cohen, K., Bojsza, E., Whitney, C., & Pati, S. (2022). A mixed-methods program evaluation of the Alda Healthcare Experience: A program to improve healthcare team communication. BMC Medical Education, 22(1). https://bmcmededuc.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12909-022-03972-w

  Real, K. & Buckner, M. (2014). Interprofessional communication: Health care teams and medical interpreters. In N. Harrington (Ed.) Handbook of health and communication studies. London: Routledge.

  Rosenbaum, M. E., & Silverman, J. D.  (2013). Training for effective communication in healthcare settings. In L. R. Martin & R. DiMatteo (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Health Communication, Behavior Change, and Treatment Adherence. Oxford University Press. https://academic.oup.com/edited-volume/28130

  Rux, S. (2020). Utilizing improvisation as a strategy to promote interprofessional collaboration within healthcare teams. Clinical Nurse Specialist, 34(5), pp. 234-236. https://doi.org/10.1097/NUR.0000000000000541

  Watson, K., & Fu, B. (2016). Medical improv: A novel approach to teaching communication and professionalism skills. Annals of Internal Medicine, 165(8), pp. 591-592. https://doi.org/10.7326/M15-2239

  Whitney, C., Bojsza, E., Besch, S., Preis, H., Zheng, S., & Pati, S. (2024). ADAPTing to participant distress: A protocol for applied improvisation in healthcare. Medical Education, 59(7), pp. 750-756. http://doi.org/10.1111/medu.15602

  Science and Health Literacy

  Cho, H., Cannon, J., Lopez, R., & Li, W. (2022). Social media literacy: A conceptual framework. New Media & Society, 26(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448211068530
  

  Cooper, C. M.,* Rosen, T.,* Kim, H.,* Eaton, N., Cohn, E., Drahota, A., Moskowitz, L., the UCAS Consortium, Lerner, M. D., & Kerns, C. M. (2023). Predictors of expert providers’ familiarity with intervention practices for school- and transition-age youth with autism spectrum disorder. Autism, 27(2), pp. 331-343. https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613221100787

  Justvig S., Li, J., Caravella, G., Chen, M., Wang, H., Benz-Scott, L., & Pati, S. (2016). Improving adherence to care recommendations using a community health worker intervention with the pediatric medical home. Journal of Community Health, 42(3), pp. 444-452. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-016-0275-6

  Kerns, C.M., Moskowitz, L., Rosen, T., Drahota, A., Wainer, A., Josephson, A., Soorya, L., Cohn, E., Chacko, A., & Lerner, M.D. (2019). A multi-site, multidisciplinary Delphi consensus study describing "usual care" intervention practices for school- to transition-age youth with autism. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 48(1), 247–268. https://doi.org/10.1080/15374416.2017.1410826 

  Pati, S., Mohamad, Z., Cnaan, A., Kavanagh, J., & Shea, J. A. (2010). Influence of maternal health literacy on child participation in social welfare programs: The Philadelphia experience. American Journal of Public Health, 100(9), pp. 1662-1665. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2009.172742

  Pati, S., Feemster, K. A., Mohamad, Z., Fiks, A., Grundmeier, R., & Cnaan, A. (2011). Maternal health literacy and late initiation of immunizations among an inner-city birth cohort. Maternal and Child Health Journal, 15(3), pp. 386-394. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-010-0580-0

  Pati, S., Siewert, E., Wong, A. T., Bhatt, S. K., Calixte, R. E., & Cnaan, A. (2014). The influence of maternal health literacy and child’s age on participation in social welfare programs. Maternal and Child Health Journal, 18(5), pp. 1176-1189. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-013-1348-0

  Pati, S., Ladowski, K.L., Wong, A.T,, Huang, J., & Yang, J. (2015). An enriched medical home intervention using community health workers improves adherence to immunization schedules. Vaccine 33(46), pp. 6257-6263. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2015.09.070

  Pati, S., Kavanagh, J., Wong, A., Bhatt, S.K., Noonan, K.G., & Cnaan, A. (2012). Reading level of Medicaid renewal applications. Academic Pediatrics 12(4), 297-301. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acap.2012.04.008 

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