“EVERYTHING IS A TEST,” one man jokes as people start arriving. A semi- circle of chairs cuts the large room in half, arranged to face a pull-down projection screen, three easels with poster paper and a computer on top of a generic AV cart. Almost everyone is meeting everyone else for the first time, and, for most people, this is their first class at the Misha Glouberman School of Learning.

At ten seconds to 7 PM, Misha Glouberman marks the time and happily notes that all of the participants are present and accounted for. He begins the class, which is called How to Talk to People About Things. After introducing himself, he writes on one of the easels, in big slanting letters, “What Are You Hoping to Get From This Class.” Glouberman breaks everyone up into smaller groups to discuss the question. He doesn’t stop to listen in on ...