The Alda Method®

Trusted. Proven. Distinct.

Grounded in the social sciences and honed through improvisation, the Alda Method® delivers authentic, human connections. Our method prepares scientists, engineers, researchers, and health care professionals to transform complex expertise into meaningful conversations that build trust, inspire action, and drive lasting impact.

The Alda Method® sits at the powerful intersection of academic credibility and experiential delivery. Our expert team of social scientists and improvisation specialists translate research-backed communication principles and techniques into practical learning experiences, using improvisational delivery models to create a transformational learning experience that fosters engagement and human connection.

 

Participants in two rows in conversation

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

Learn more about the origins of The Alda Method®

Participants doing mirror exercise

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 programs to meet the dynamic needs of the scientific community.

 

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’ perspectivesSustainability Science, 13, pp. 1175-1183https://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

Ayers, M., Marlon, J. R., Ballew, M. T., Maibach, E. W., Rosenthal, S. A., Roser-Renouf, C., & Leiserowitz, A. (2024). Changes in Global Warming’s Six Americas: an analysis of repeat respondents. Climatic Change, 177(6), 96. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-024-03754-x

Bloomfield, E. F., & Manktelow, C. (2021). Climate communication and storytelling. Climatic Change, 167(3), 34. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-021-03199-6

Bolsen, T., & Shapiro, M. A. (2018). The US news media, polarization on climate change, and pathways to effective communication. Environmental Communication, 12(2), 149-163. https://doi.org/10.1080/17524032.2017.1397039

Colston, N., & Thomas, J. (2019). Climate change skeptics teach climate literacy? A critical discourse analysis of children's books. Journal of Science Communication, 18(4), A02. https://doi.org/10.22323/2.18040202

Falkenberg, M., Galeazzi, A., Torricelli, M., Di Marco, N., Larosa, F., Sas, M., ... & Baronchelli, A. (2022). Growing polarization around climate change on social media. Nature Climate Change, 12(12), 1114-1121. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-022-01527-x

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

Leiserowitz, A., Roser-Renouf, C., Marlon, J., & Maibach, E. (2021). Global Warming’s Six Americas: a review and recommendations for climate change communication. Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences, 42, 97-103. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cobeha.2021.04.007

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

Lynas, M., Houlton, B. Z., & Perry, S. (2021). Greater than 99% consensus on human caused climate change in the peer-reviewed scientific literature. Environmental Research Letters, 16(11), 114005. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ac2966

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

Oreskes, N., & Conway, E. M. (2010). Defeating the merchants of doubt. Nature, 465(7299), 686-687. https://doi.org/10.1038/465686a

Roser-Renouf, C., Myers, T. A., & Maibach, E. W. (2025). Information Processing and Response Among Global Warming’s Six Americas. Environmental Communication, 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1080/17524032.2025.2464165

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

Veland, S., Scoville-Simonds, M., Gram-Hanssen, I., Schorre, A. K., El Khoury, A., Nordbø, M. J., ... & Bjørkan, M. (2018). Narrative matters for sustainability: the transformative role of storytelling in realizing 1.5 C futures. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 31, 41-47. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cosust.2017.12.005

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

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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Professional Development Programming