Norton Associates - Directing Excellence

Improvising Successful Meetings

2010-10-28T03:10:00.000-07:00

Desmond: “I propose we each take on one of the outstanding tasks so that we can get this phase of the project completed on time”

Kyle: “Yes, but I can’t take responsibility for anything more than I already have.”

Desmond: “We have to find some way to get the rest of these things done by Wednesday. We can do it if each of us spend just one extra hour every day…”

Ruby: “Okay, but nobody has any extra time. We’re all working on other projects. Maybe we should just try and get some more people in to help.”

Kyle: “Yeah but who has the time to recruit them?”

And so it goes, round and round and round. How to break the vicious cycle of ‘yes but’ and get some traction so the team can move towards one of many possible solutions to an existing problem?

Borrow some language from the world of improv theatre and you may find it shifting mindset on a whole variety of things including creativity, obstacles, changing direction, recognizing and seizing opportunities and the list goes on and on.

Improv is form of unscripted theatre that is made up by the performers, right on the spot. Commonly thought of in terms of comedy due to the popularity of shows like ‘Whose Line Is It Anyway”, there are many forms of improv and all subscribe to the same set of guidelines. Perhaps the best way for me to introduce them to you is to share a short glossary of established improv terms:

Accepting – Suspending judgment and taking on, with openness enthusiasm, offers made by other players in order to advance the scene. Advancing -The process of moving a scene forward. Blocking - Not accepting other improvisers’ offers and in doing so stopping the flow of positive creativity. Canceling – Negating or demolishing an idea that has been established. Chivalry - Not clinging to your own ideas and daring to give up control. Conflict – What advances a story but you usually do not want to start a scene with conflict. Hedging - Making small talk rather than forwarding the action. Justifying - Finding a use for every Offer introduced in the scene with best outcome being the ability to justify everything in the scene. Offer - Any action or dialog that may advance a scene with a “strong” offer clearly giving a direction into which a scene might evolve and an “open” offer leaving a variety of possible directions for scene evolution. Overloading - Overloading is throwing unnecessary elements into a scene which will usually prevent whatever was going to happen from happening. Platform - The who, what and where of a scene. Success of a scene often depends on a solid and clear platform, so establish the platform as early as possible. Status - A character's sense of self-esteem. Storytelling - Improv is group storytelling and in most stories, we want to know who/what/where we are (Platform), and then something should happen (Conflict) and finally we want a solution, to conclude the scene. Subtext - A character's underlying drive, goals, ambitions and sense of self-esteem. Waffling - Postponing because of lack of ideas but continuing to babble in the hope one will come. Wimping - Accepting offers but refusing to do anything with them. Yes! And… - Advancing scenes by accepting everything said and/or done and doing something useful with it.

Try this: Re-read the glossary thinking in terms of behaviour demonstrated in business meetings. Substitute “player” or “character” with colleague, staff or boss and “scene” with agenda item or project.

What are some other ways of phrasing “Yes! And…”? What would happen to our opening script if Kyle had responded to Desmond’s initial suggestion by saying, “What I like about your idea, Kyle, is that it gets everyone involved. What if we find a way for team members who are already over committed at the moment to contribute during the second phase of the project, next month. ”

It is important to note that accepting does not necessarily mean agreeing. There is much that can be achieved by finding the common ground in opposing ideas.

The Truth About My Theatre-based Coaching

2010-10-05T22:39:00.000-07:00

Clara in HR: “…and so, based on the results of our talk and

the results of your 360 Degree Feedback, I’d like to recommend you work with a coach to develop a stronger, more managerial communication style, Winston.”

Winston: “Okay. Well…great! I look forward to the development opportunity.”

Voice in

Winston’s

Head: “This can’t be good. They’re sending me off to get a personality transplant.”

Okay, so even if Clara has done a superlative job of positioning one-on-one coaching as a developmental piece, there is often the concern on the coachee’s part, that he or she is being asked to change who they are.

This can be worrisome for Winston as he steps into my rather unconventional space for the first time, making his way past the eclectic mix of Asian art and theatre props, to settle onto one of two wingback chairs in my office overlooking Lamma Island and the South China Sea beyond. The room is filled with an assortment of back stage mementos, antique top hats and books that range from a facilitator’s guide for accessing group wisdom in the workplace to the Oxford Companion to Shakespeare and a wonderful book on the art of theatrical direction.

The setting is probably not what Winston expected despite Clara’s having told him he would be working with a communication coach whose background is professional theatre. Something catches his eye. A mask hangs from one of the bookcases on the opposite wall.

This, I suspect, represents his greatest concern – that he will working with me to ‘mask’ his personality, creating some made up ‘character’ in order to meet others’ expectations of how a strong manager behaves.

Renowned acting teacher Sanford Meisner said that acting was ‘living truthfully under an imaginary set of circumstances’. You don’t leave the theatre going, “Wow, great pretending!” You are moved because it feels honest.

I took an acting workshop with a London based director who described her role like this, “I gather talent together and get them good in action, performing well with others”.

My work is pretty much based on these two philosophies. I aim to get the talent/coachee at their most effective in action (as opposed to in theory) building healthy, collaborative relationships with co-workers and customers.

To do this, Winston will need to be able to live as his best, truthful self under whatever challenging set of circumstances he is given in the workplace. Those ‘given’ circumstances may call upon him to share his opinions more confidently with his boss and colleagues, for example.

Winston doesn’t need a personality transplant for this. He needs to identify what he is doing when he is ‘in action’ that indicates to others that he is not confident in his opinions and then he needs a safe environment in which to explore alternative ways of expressing himself that are effective and feel truthful. In short, Winston needs a rehearsal space, an actor or two with whom to experiment and a director whose only objective is to help get him at his best when faced with a set of challenging circumstances.

The professional actors I hire are briefed by Winston so that they can replicate the sort of behaviours displayed by his bosses and he chooses a real scenario that has already happened or is likely to come up in the future. The rehearsal space is set up as it would be in his office and I sit, off to the side, stopping the action from time to time to ask what might be more useful or make suggestions about trying a different approach. If what I see is working well and feels truthful for Winston, we run it a few times so that he understands how it feels for him to be ‘good in action, performing well with others’.

With muscle memory in place, Winston is ready to step onto life’s stage.

“This above all: to thine own self be true,

And it must follow, as the night the day,

Thou can’st not then be false to any man.”

Hamlet Act 1 , scene 3

Seaside Sundowners on October 8

2010-09-21T23:12:00.000-07:00

We've moved to the South Side and traded our harbour view for a view that offers spectacular sunsets over Lantau Island. Come "warm" our new offices with a glass or two and a nibble. The wine is being generously supplied by our new neighbours and old friends at Boutique Wines. Join us on Friday, October 8 from 6:30pm - 9:30pm. Please RSVP to Natalie Lo by email us at admin@teresanorton.com