Client relationships on
the stage – forum theater directed by the audience
Starting situation
A European jewelry company held its annual
meeting with 200 direct marketing staff. This year’s
topic was “the presentation experience”. The aim was
to use presentations and workshops to discuss
potential improvements in contact with clients.
Objective
A play followed by audience participation kicked
off the meeting. This aimed to present as vividly as
possible difficulties present in client contact and
to test alternative behavioral strategies as a
group. This was intended to stimulate employees’
ideas about the subject in an entertaining fashion
and in so doing introduce the event’s main topic.
Course of action
Prior to the meeting, a theater ensemble made up
of employees from the company met for a three-day
large group event. We started the event off with an
acted sequence and basic acting exercises. The
ensemble devised various scenes for the stage
presentations that built on the experiences of the
participants. The scenes depicted “disastrous
jewelry presentations”.
The annual meeting began with short speeches by the
management. The following theatrical section saw the
ensemble perform five scenes of “disastrous jewelry
presentations”. This illustrated aspects such as:
- Handling the jewelry too hesitantly and
awkwardly
- Pushy behavior towards a client
- Unsuitable external conditions for a
presentation.
The interactive part of the event followed. Our
director oversaw the open rehearsal: “We’ll have a
look at the scenes once more. As soon as you notice
something going wrong, please shout ‘stop!’” The
participants enjoyed using this direction. The
director asked why “stop” was being called so
frequently. “Please formulate an instruction to act.
What should the actress do?” Step-by-step, the
audience’s interventions led to the jewelry
presentations running much more smoothly. The
audience provided instructions on how to act in
terms of:
- Internal composure of the jewelry consultant
- Awareness of the atmosphere between the
clients
- External conditions (room, preparations
etc.)
The next days’ workshops built on these elements
of performance.
Benefit
The theatrical performance prompted an animated
and open discussion about the various experiences,
perceptions, and proposals for solutions among the
employees. The recognition value of the scenes and
identification with the scenes played out by their
colleagues was very high. The combination of this
opening up emotionally and the rational factual
discussion forged an entertaining and direct link to
the subject of the event. The colleagues saw how
their experiences and ideas were used as a resource
for positive change.
|
