St. Thomas students showcase their work and enjoy the final day of their improvisation class. COMM 246-01 is taught by Professor Bernard Armada, who encourages students to take the course to improve their communication skills. (Eli Andersen/The Crest) 
The class warms up their improvisation skills with quick games. (Eli Andersen/The Crest) 
Students perform a skit in a chef-style presentation. (Eli Andersen/The Crest)
When picturing a 14-person class with students majoring in computer science, communication studies, engineering and political science, most wouldn’t think of an improvisation class.
But with associate professor of communication studies Bernard Armada guiding the class, “Building Communication Skills Through Improvisation,” people of any discipline can benefit from the comprehensive communication tools he brings to the table.
“Why should anyone take a class like this?” Armada said. “To learn how to relate to others and the power of relating to others; to learn truly supportive teamwork, which is what all of us are looking for.”
The course is broken down into two sections: COMM246 and COMM248.
COMM246 focuses on improvisation games while COMM248 dives further into the concept of “yes and.” Students in COMM248 learn how “yes and” can be translated into the workplace to foster positivity and how they have the power to be a person who “yes and’s” many corners of their lives, Armada said.
The course is not the traditional lecture-style class that many of his students are used to.
“A typical class period will be to begin by discussing the reading due for the day and then to put some of that into practice by playing improv games,” Armada said.
With most of these games, students are given an emotional point of view to send around a circle. Working with these emotional points of view through improv pushes people to think outside the box and use their own natural creativity to think independently, Armada said.
“Creativity is essential for effective problem solving,” Armada said. “Being able to think outside of pre-packaged solutions is so important, and improv is really about a mindset, a perspective, on the way you see things more than necessarily about being a loud and goofy theater person.”
Kaitlyn Raymond, a senior studying communication studies, has seen these improvements in her problem-solving abilities and more after being in the class for only seven weeks.
“I think it has impacted my confidence, and I am just a lot more comfortable in situations now,” Raymond said. “I used to freak out being in conversations when the conversation would kind of die. I’d be like ‘What do I talk about next?’ I’ve got a lot more comfortable with there being silence, and it has helped me not overthink as much.”
Raymond is an outfielder for the University of St. Thomas softball team and has translated skills from the class to the field.
“One of the big things, especially with playing softball here, is unity, and a lot of unity can come from mirroring each other. And that’s not only how you learn, but bond too,” Raymond said. “So, we do a mirroring exercise in improv, and I have seen the effects of that.”
Raymond thinks members of her team and of other teams at St. Thomas could benefit from this course.
“I think every team can benefit from the (improv exercises) because every team has to work together, in a sense,” Raymond said. “You have to make your presence known with your body and your voice, so that they know you’re there, even though they’re not looking at you.”
After receiving primarily positive feedback from students since the class’ debut in 2020, Armada hopes to one day expand the improvisation curriculum at St. Thomas.
“If I could wave a magic wand, of all the classes that I know in my department, I would want this to be in the curriculum because I truly think every single human being can benefit from it,” Armada said. “It’s just so valuable. There’s just so many ways in which you can utilize it.”
Cecilia Wallace can be contacted at wall1238@stthomas.edu.