Skip to main content

The Power of Play



How often have you left a meeting, interview, or pitch feeling embarrassed about how it went, wishing you had presented yourself better?

Strong communication skills are essential in all areas of business, both individually and collectively. Many companies are beginning to recognize the value of acting out workplace scenarios to identify potential pitfalls and opportunities.

In Australia, drama-based training providers like INTERACT are pioneering this innovative approach to business coaching and training.

Unlike traditional training, which typically focuses on improving concentration and advancing the business's core objectives, drama-based methods engage you physically and mentally and encourage you to consider behaviors that might lead to successful outcomes.

Participants in training workshops usually grasp theoretical concepts of what they should do. The added benefit of using drama-based methods is that they can see, hear, and experience the situations, allowing them to practice in a realistic environment.

The impact of this approach can be profound. Compared to passive listening in a presentation, participants gain far more from the intensity and realism of the experience.

Roleplay actors bring a vivid sense of reality to these scenarios. 

So, what distinguishes them from the theatre, movie, or TV actors?

- They possess business experience that enhances their credibility with clients.
- They understand the training environment.
- They are trained to provide powerful feedback to learners.
- Their personalities align with both our values and those of our clients.
- They have the ability to convincingly portray roles.
- They demonstrate flexibility in the training setting.

During roleplays, the actors maintain multiple levels of awareness:

- The participant's experience, aiming to keep them in the "stretch zone."
- The content of the roleplay.
- The individual learning context.
- The overall learning context of the course.
- Their own emotional responses.
- Noting and remembering key events for feedback purposes.

The drama-based approach has meaningful benefits for addressing challenges related to behaviours in individuals, teams, and businesses. When individuals operate at their best, the potential impact on business success is immeasurable.

Would you like to know more? Visit our website www.interactwa.com.au.


Popular posts from this blog

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...
Read more

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

We often perceive Leadership Communication as a purely verbal and intellectual exercise, but that’s not the complete picture. Leadership Communication is less about the words you use and more about how you convey them. As you present your message, your physical presence plays a crucial role. Your body sends its own signals through gestures and tone of voice, which can differ significantly from your spoken words. Unfortunately, it’s often your body language that resonates more with your colleagues. This brings us to a fundamental truth: when it comes to body language, actions do speak louder than words. Your body language can either enhance or undermine your Leadership Communication. Your eyes, mouth, hands, head, and various body movements all provide insights into your mental state. While gestures can emphasize your points, excessive or exaggerated movements may come across as overbearing or aggressive when your intention was simply to appear "strong." Certain gestures, like...
Read more

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...
Read more