the art of business communication
We are specialized in teaching the art of communication. Through professional, practical and playful exercises in theatre, we will inspire confident business communication and transform your team.
All workshops are customized to the clients' requests.
"A fast paced training packed with incredibly valuable knowledge served in a very engaging and effective way. I have no doubt it greatly improved our communication skills that we'll continue to benefit from moving forward."
- Karol Stosiek, Engineering Manager, Zürich -
We’ve had the pleasure of working with these great companies…
our workshops
improvisation
Enhance your team’s communication and collaboration skills
Your team will gain an introduction to improvisation and its well-known “Yes, and…” principle, a powerful tool for developing communication skills and building cohesion in high performing teams. They will tune into their playful side and connect with each other in a way that is safe, engaging, and fun as they are guided through a series of practical improvisation exercises that enhance connection, communication and collaboration.
present yourself
Elevate your team’s leadership
presence
Participants will learn how to connect with an audience in an authentic and present way. We will focus on developing communication skills through proper execution of the voice. Furthermore, we will unpack nonverbal communication and give your team tools to present themselves as confident and engaging.
empathic
communication
Tools for mastering difficult conversations
Building an empathic culture in your organization is now recognized as key to success. The research confirms that empathic workplaces enjoy less stress, stronger collaboration and greater morale. It also improves employees' abilities to manage difficult events and situations. In this workshop we combine our skills in drama, relational counseling, coaching and psychotherapy in order to provide you and your team practical, inspiring and relevant exercises and resources to cultivate empathic communication in your organization.
pitching with passion
& purpose
Techniques to fully engage an audience
This workshop is designed to enhance your team's presentation skills. Participants will learn how to structure speeches to captivate and inspire an audience using storytelling tactics. We will also focus on giving your team tools to understand the connection between the body, voice and text to elevate leadership presence.
private coaching
Methods to enhance your presentation skills
Are you preparing for an important presentation? Do you want to take your upcoming pitch to the next level? Do you want to feel calm and confident during an important team meeting and in front of an audience? In our sessions together, you will learn how to connect with your audience in an authentic and present way.
entertainment
live improv show
Entertain your team with a professional improvisation show
The art of improvisation is creating scenes spontaneously based on the audience’s suggestions, making it an interactive, unique and fun experience. Our actors will cater the show to fit your company setting and guarantee laughter for all!
murder mystery
A team experience: Step into the story, solve the crime.
A Murder Mystery is an interactive, immersive team building experience. Your team will meet a variety of interesting characters… Then a murder happens! You and your teammates will need to function as detectives to interrogate, investigate and put the pieces together. Who did it, how, and why?
Every Murder Mystery quest is customized to your desired theme, location, group size and duration.
our services
Our workshops are designed to:
INCREASE
DEVELOP
BUILD
INSPIRE
ENHANCE
ELEVATE
IMPROVE
STRENGTHEN
your negotiation and agile thinking skills
your confidence and risk-taking
your awareness of the importance of non-verbal communication
the use of your voice for public speaking
lateral thinking, innovation and creativity
your empathic communication & active listening skills
your storytelling skills for presentation
your interpersonal relationships and corporate culture
what our corporate clients say
I think your training surpassed our expectations and added a lot of new insights that we had never received. It was spot on what I was looking for: dynamic, fresh and educational.
Amaya Gutiérrez
CFA - Head of Investment & Portfolio Advisory.
The IBM improv class was an incredible experience for all the participants. Tara is a great teacher - with her positive and professional approach she allowed us to move out of our comfort zone whilst having fun!
Monica Manni
IBM Zürich
The improv class was an eye-opening experience! It gave me the foundations to improve my presentation skills, my confidence in public speaking and the ability to manage emotions when I’m on the spot. On top of this, it was a very fun activity!
Simone Mantovani
Project Leader
Philip Morris International
A magical place with amazing, competent people. The experience helped us grow as a team,
Thank you
Tara & team!
Yvonne Eichholzer,
Aroma
I would rate it as one of the best communication workshops that I have attended in recent years.
Swiss RE, Zürich
I highly recommend Tara Brodin’s workshop to any organization seeking to elevate their team's communication and interpersonal skills.
Jean-Luc Haefflinger
EY - People Advisory
Our team event this year was so much fun! The Close Encounters Theatre group were amazing and very entertaining but behind that was a key message of letting go of inhibitions and not being afraid of failure. In one hour we laughed more than I can remember, with a performance that was personalised to us as an audience.
Deloitte, Zürich
Eye-opening in terms of how much presence & attitude matter!
Participant,
Swiss Marketplace Group
It is hard to grasp the close connection of improv and business at first sight. It does not matter how prepared you are for a presentation - if you cannot bring your message across in an engaging and encouraging way - it was all for nothing!
Robert Marx
Senior Client
Project Manager
Thank you once again for contributing to the overall success of our corporate event concept. We were delighted to experience you in action. The resonance from the team was overwhelmingly positive and everyone enjoyed the evening and the activities.
Alexander Peters
ARROWRESOURCES AG
Thank you once again from the whole team for your energy, joy and positive spirit! We have had so much laughter and Tara found the ideal balance for the team so everyone felt comfortable while leaving their comfort zones
Monika Kreppold, People & Culture, Sports Federation, Zürich
This workshop was super rich and interactive. I was provided with easy tips on how to improve my presentation skills. These tips are easy to implement, and I can see the effects straight away!
Participant,
Swiss Marketplace Group
I had the pleasure of experiencing the workshop on Developing the Team Dynamics and Communication Skills Using Theatre Techniques offered by Close Encounters Theatre first hand. It was a fast paced training packed with incredibly valuable knowledge served in a very engaging and effective way. I have no doubt it greatly improved our communication skills that we'll continue to benefit from moving forward.
Karol Stosiek
Engineering Manager,
Zurich
Tara designed and led the perfect workshop for us. It was inspirational, provoked a lot of deep thinking about leadership presence and helped build concrete skills. Most importantly, it was a lot of fun and a wonderful chance for our group to connect and understand each other at a deeper level. I can’t wait to work with Tara again!
Michelle Grant
ETH Zürich
Before Tara's improvisation class, I was nervous giving presentations.
Now, I feel confident
and comfortable in front of an audience!
Anca-Nicoleta Ciubotaru
IBM, Zürich
Thanks again for your and Shakti’s energy and contributions to our meeting. The participants loved it. And I loved it too.
Dorien de Jong,
Head of Environment, Health and Safety
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