3 Skills for Better Communication from Professional Actors.

You are about to have an important conversation. You want it to be effective - really effective. So where do you start?

As an actor, my choice is biased, but I truly believe the world of acting has everything to offer when it comes to the best techniques for effective communication skills.

So below are 3 ways you can use the skills of an actor to improve the impact and influence of your own speaking.

1. Choose an intention

Before delivering their messages, actors must understand with great clarity how they want their audience to react to each message. They think deeply about how they want their audience to feel as a result of their communication.

In day to day life however we often develop a message focusing primarily on the words and content we are delivering. What we fail to ask ourselves is why that overall message should be important to our listener. Why should they care? What would make them care? This very common mistake is usually fatal to effective communication.

Understanding the importance of choosing intention and deploying it effectively is the cornerstone of brilliant acting but also the key to an effective conversation.

2. Find your light.

Every actor knows the expression: 'Find your light'. It means if you're in the dark on stage, you need to step into the light source so you can be seen. So let's tweak this idea a little. When we have conversations we can feel vulnerable by 'stepping in the light' when we communicate. How will the other person react? Will I be able to respond in a correct way? The best way to become comfortable with being in the spotlight is by being congruent. This means that everything you do with your voice and body must support your intention. When you offer mixed signals, or there is a disconnect between what you are saying and how you are saying it, your audience can become confused or distracted. This is called in-congruence and it is the enemy of effective communication and great acting.

3. Learn the art of being present.

This means developing 'conversation sense' - an awareness of how your partner in conversation is responding. Naturally actors cultivate this attribute until it's a finely tuned instrument. But you can benefit from awakening this awareness in yourself.

How can you do so? By practicing the ability to communicate while sensing how that information is received. Pay close attention to how your listener is responding and learn how to address these observations. Allow people to respond. For that's when you'll be truly present and able to really connect with someone.

Now go out there and shine!

Practice makes you 60% better!

Be honest: when you have a challenging conversation ahead, how much time do you spend practising it? I mean really practising—sitting down, speaking out loud, positioning your hands as you want them, and using the appropriate tone of voice—as opposed to just thinking about how to approach it. I spent nearly ten years in sales, and I used to rehearse my negotiation skills in my car. While I was mentally preparing, I realized that wasn’t real practice. You truly need to say it out loud and act it out. Take it from someone who has spent a lot of time rehearsing like an actor. There are two forms of long-term memory to consider: 1. **Explicit Memory**: This type stores facts, events, people, places, and objects. 2. **Implicit Memory**: This retains perceptual and motor skills, such as riding a bike or typing on a keyboard. To recall explicit memories—like the script of your message—you need to consciously focus on the process of retrieval, which can be challenging. In contrast, implicit m...

Assessing Job Applicants using Actors

Nearly two third of major companies in Australia solely use psycho-metrics in the hiring process as an indicator or candidate competency. But more HR professionals and corporate recruiters are coming up with different ways to assess job applicants and get the best people on board. Using professional role play actors for role play interviews has recently been a famous choice to choose candidates in the field of Sales, Marketing, Management and Service. It turns out to be a quick, effective and revealing way of testing candidates on their suitability for a specific position. This is not only because the scenarios reflect common work situations, but also because it allows a candidate to demonstrate their ability to perform under pressure. While competencies may also be tested within a competency based interview , it is necessary that job applicants demonstrate them throughout the recruitment process, or you could suspect that they are merely saying that t...

How I Failed in Feedback...

Research is finally showing the link between free-flowing feedback and better business results. In workplaces where managers don’t give and receive feedback, employee engagement rates limp in at 29%. On the flip side, when feedback is regularly exchanged between managers and employees, engagement jumps to 79%. But let’s face it, we’re human — and we find it tough to engage in feedback. Many of us —including myself — get defensive when we hear it, or we assume nobody wants to hear it. So feedback gets chronically buried and put off. But it doesn’t have to. In my experience, there is a simple principle that can play a key role in unlocking feedback: It’s not who you are, it’s what you do As a communication trainer and role play actor, I assume that everyone wants to, and can, get better. When I take this approach I find myself able to engage in discussions about areas for improvement with an optimistic and open heart. But even though I always try to take thi...

INTERACT WA

Search This Blog