Regular readers may recall that we presented a workshop in mid 2015 at the International Playback conference in Montreal. Today, we’d like to present the main takeaway from our workshop, Sustaining Company Life, in the hope that you’ll take our insights in your organisations, to create authentic dialogue, build a strong culture and enhance your own teams.
A key factor, Playback Theatre Sydney (PTS) has found, in sustaining company life is creating open and robust communications. ‘Of course’ you might think, but creating this isn’t accidental – a strong foundation, must be nurtured and diligently managed – as all Montreal workshop participants agreed. Here’s what we did – you could try it too.
The workshop began by PTS reviewing our company’s past ups and downs, until the present day – this opened up a sense of connection in the room. Our story, revealed an ever-changing company, at some stages critically on the edge of collapse, as well as the good times, to show honesty and display vulnerability. The workshop divided into groups and one story informed the next – so began an organic process of story sharing. After story sharing, analysis began and each group shared the particular strategies that they used, in their Playback companies. Each strategy aimed to build trust in the ensemble, offer a platform for honest talking, and was an invitation for each member to engage honestly with the issues at hand. Effective strategies included:
– Placing a chair in the middle of a circle to provide a focus point and ‘place’ for story
– Cheering those who had the gumption to mention the elephant in the room – often a point of tension that cheering dissolves
– Reframing judgement – those telling difficult or contentious stories are labelled ‘truthtellers’ (even though it may be solely their ‘truth’) rather than trouble makers
– Using specific sharing techniques such as a talking stick or the passing of a stone to add ritual and space for a single voice
– Role reversal – a psychodrama technique
– Doing Playback reenactments – to demonstrate the main points and arc of the story – and then feeding back on the reenactment – to show comprehension and permit other points of view to be expressed – as well as allowing us to further practice our craft.
Just like individual ‘checking in’ at a start of a meeting, supporting any teller in sharing their tale, and drawing stories out, is like ‘group check in’ on steroids. It has to be thoughtfully managed though, to engender trust and sharing. Setting up the right environment for story telling is key, since ‘hoping for the best’ is risky, as some people will be reluctant to share, and feel vulnerable when speaking up. Consciously managing the environment allows all voices to be heard, not just the assertive ones.
Once people have spoken their truth, it’s important that others empathise, and engage constructively with the teller, to acknowledge their story. Strategies such as listening for what has heart and essence, asking ‘what do we want more of’ or ‘what could be done differently’ opens up the forum for a range of possibilities and points of engagement – creating functional, respectful discussion. We finished our Montreal workshop concluding that identifying and managing the structures that actively hold conversation creates collaboration, transparency and a strong, flexible – and sustainable – company into the future.
We hope you take some of these ideas into your own organisations and meetings for better group cohesion, honesty and positive truth-telling – sustaining your own company life.