Improv for Coaches™
Facilitator Training & Certification

Ready to Transform How People Learn?

The world needs facilitators who can:

  • Create safety at speed.

  • Make serious skills feel like play.

  • Hold space for vulnerability and growth.

  • Help people access their natural creativity, presence and connection.

People learn by doing, not listening. Play unlocks creativity. Connection happens through vulnerability.

That's what we teach.

What is the Improv for Coaches™ Facilitator Training & Certification?

A 36-hour certification program that teaches you to facilitate the Improv for Coaches methodology —
whether you're training coaches, developing leaders, building teams or leading any group that needs better communication, presence and adaptability.

You'll learn to:

  • Facilitate 12 core Improv for Coaches lesson plans

  • Create psychological safety that enables risk-taking

  • Design learning through strategic constraints and structured play

  • Give feedback that accelerates growth without judgment

  • Manage timing

  • Adapt exercises for different audiences and contexts

  • Handle challenging moments with grace and humor

Who is this for?

Coach Educators or Trainers who:

  • Want to make their training more engaging and effective

  • Teach in coach training programs

  • Run mentor coaching groups

  • Develop coaching skills in organizations

Experienced Coaches who:

  • Want to facilitate peer learning groups

  • Want to expand into group coaching or team coaching

  • Are looking to add facilitation to their service menu

  • Want to make their training more engaging and effective

Leadership & Team Development Facilitators who:

  • Lead workshops on communication, presence or adaptability

  • Want to build high-performing teams

  • Develop leaders at any level

  • Are tired of traditional training that doesn't stick

Independent Facilitators or Consultants who:

  • Want to add a unique, proven methodology to their offerings

  • Want to differentiate in a crowded market

  • Are ready to scale impact through group work

Internal Learning & Development Professionals who

  • Are responsible for training programs in organizations

  • Are looking for innovative approaches to skill development

  • Want to create experiences, not just deliver content

PRE-REQUISITE: Improv for Coaches Series.
Coaching experience and credential or equivalent highly recommended.

What You'll Master

The Philosophy & Framework

  • The Rules of Improv and how they apply to coaching and life

  • Creating and maintaining psychological safety

  • The science of play and experiential learning

  • Non-judgment as a practice, not just a concept

  • Introduction to the 12 core lesson plans

Module 1: Foundations

The Art of Holding Space

  • Time management that honors everyone's learning

  • How to give feedback that builds (the BNA method)

  • Side coaching: when and how to interrupt skillfully

  • Using humor without performing

  • Managing energy in the room (virtual and in-person)

Module 2: Core Facilitation Skills

Module 3: Coaching & Communication Skills Through Improv

The 12 lesson plans: Deep dive into facilitation core skills

  • Succinctness

  • Questions

  • Reflections

  • Interrupting

  • Focus & Agenda

  • Information Sharing

The 12 Lesson Plans Continued + Adaptation

  • Stages of Change 

  • Ambivalence 

  • Emotions

  • Metaphors

  • Somatics

  • New Directions

Also includes:

  • Adapting for different audiences (leaders, teams, teens, businesses)

  • Designing your own exercises and lesson plans

  • Handling challenging participants and situations

Module 4: Advanced Applications

Module 5: Final Practice & Practical Skills Assessment

Each participant facilitates a lesson segment with the full cohort, receiving comprehensive feedback.

Here’s what people say about
Improv for Coaches

  • "I went into this course expecting it to be good, and it exceeded my expectations. The content was innovative, and it challenged me to become a more creative and joyful coach. Each session was engaging and focused on building new skills for seasoned coaches who are ready to learn something new."

    — Leslie Spencer, PhD, NBC-HWC

  • "I was apprehensive about signing up for an improv class because I’m not an actress, but this isn’t your typical improv class! After the first session, I was hooked. As a new coach, I struggled with being in my head during sessions with my clients. This class allowed the perfect environment to practice mindful listening, relaxing into coaching, and having fun with a group of coaching peers. 100% would recommend this class, and I plan on taking more!"

    — Nicholle Chandler, PCC, NBC-HWC

  • “Improv for Coaching marks a turning point in my coaching career. Coaching Psychology concepts like presence, reflections, and questions turned from abstract into tangible skills that can be practiced, drilled, and mastered through lighthearted play."

    — Iris Fernandez Valdez, PCC, NBC-HWC

  • "This was the most fun I’ve ever had in a coaching class. The skillful facilitation and format enabled learning and safety while trying new things."

    — Jess Ahlum, MA, NBC-HWC

How it Works

Format

  • 36 hours total: 12 live virtual sessions (3 hours each)

  • Small cohort: Maximum 8 participants for personalized attention

  • Between-session practice: Assignments to deepen your learning

Learning Experience

  • Practice: You'll facilitate, not just observe

  • Feedback: Give and receive skillful feedback

  • Discussion: Group learning and integration

This is improv. You'll be doing it from day one.

Certification Requirements

To earn your Certified Improv for Coaches Facilitator credential:

✓ Attend all 12 live sessions
✓ Complete between-session practice assignments
✓ Successfully facilitate a lesson plan
✓ Demonstrate facilitation competency in final assessment

What You Get

  • 36 hours of live, interactive facilitation training

  • 12 complete lesson plans 

  • Coaching with a Twist: Improv for Coaches book (signed by authors)

  • Individual feedback on your facilitation from master facilitators Betsy & Amy

After Certification:

  • Certificate and credential

  • Listing in the BNA Certified Facilitator directory (on website)

  • Continuing education: 36 CCEs - ICF and NBHWC (approvals pending)

  • If an attendee does not pass (or wish to take) the facilitator assessment, but still attends all 36 hours, they will still get the full CEs.

    • 3 payments of $1167

    • 4 payments of $875

    With Early-Bird Discount

    • 3 payments of $1050

    • 4 payments of $788

    If you’re interested in a payment plan, please email us.

  • Save $350 when you register 8+ weeks before program start. Use code: EARLYBIRD350

Investment

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Meet Your Trainers

Betsy Salkind

Professional comedian, TV writer (The Tonight Show, Roseanne), and improv veteran (Guilty Children, Terrorist Bridesmaids). MIT and Sloan School of Management graduate. Trained 1,000+ coaches as faculty and Associate Director of ADAPT Health Coach Training. Master of making serious skills seriously fun.

PCC, NBC-HWC

Movement teacher, martial artist, and somatic specialist who makes things happen. Cornell and Northwestern graduate with training in expressive therapies from Lesley University. Co-Active certified. Expert at bringing body-based awareness to coaching and creating communities where people connect authentically.

MCC, NBC-HWC

Amy Warshawsky

Together, we've:

  • Trained hundreds of coaches through Improv for Coaches

  • Delivered workshops for ICF, NBHWC, Wellcoaches and major organizations

  • Written Coaching with a Twist: Improv for Coaches (Cooper Trinity Press, 2025)

  • Created a methodology now integrated into ICF-accredited programs

We practice what we teach: we improvise, we play, we make mistakes publicly, and we've proven that play isn't frivolous—it's the fastest path to presence, creativity, and genuine connection.

  • No, but you need coaching or facilitation experience. This isn't an intro to coaching—it's about facilitating coaching skill development through improv. If you're a leadership facilitator, team builder or educator with group work experience, you're welcome.

  • Perfect. This isn't about being funny or performing. It's about presence, listening, and creating space for others to learn. The methodology works because of the structure, not because of jokes. You'll find your own style.

  • Improv comedy classes teach performance. We teach facilitation of skill development through improv structures. Very different purposes and outcomes.

  • The training is live virtual (Zoom). However, you'll learn to facilitate both virtual and in-person sessions.

  • Plan for 1 hour of practice between weekly sessions. This isn't homework—it's play. You'll practice exercises with friends, family or coaching peers. In addition, you will be expected to read relevant chapters in Coaching with a Twist: Improv for Coaches to best prepare for each session. (Average 15 pages per week)

  • Life happens. You can make up missed sessions in a future cohort. If you know from the start that you’ll need to miss a session, please discuss this with us prior to enrolling.

  • Absolutely! We love co-facilitation and include how to facilitate with a partner or solo. You can enroll with a partner, or potentially partner with another attendee.

    • Offer Improv for Coaches workshops to coaches, leaders, teams

    • Integrate these methods into existing training programs

    • Run peer learning groups for coaches

    • Add to your consulting/facilitation offerings

    • Use in coach training programs you teach

    • Offer as team-building or leadership development

    • Teach communication skills to teens, educators, anyone

  • No. We don't take a percentage of your revenue. You can charge whatever you want for your offerings.

  • Yes, as a certified facilitator, you can use the "Improv for Coaches" name and identify as "Certified by BNA Mentor Coaching." You'll get materials with proper attribution.

  • Encouraged! Once you understand the methodology, we want you to create your own exercises and adapt for your audiences. That's mastery.

  • Yes. Betsy and Amy are available for mentoring and supervision. There will also be opportunities for advanced training.

  • The program provides 36 CCE hours for ICF and NBHWC credential holders.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Or schedule a 30-minute exploratory call with Betsy or Amy to see if this is right for you.

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For the early bird discount, use code: EARLY BIRD350 (through July 23)

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