Companies in flux - new
freedoms, new responsibilities
Presentation theater is a means of using elements
of performance to bring oral presentations to life
and integrate them into a larger theatrical whole.
Presentation theater is thus a small part of a
larger performance.
Starting situation
Annual meeting of the women’s network from a
large electronics corporation. 80 colleagues from
middle and upper management gathered together. A
speaker introduced the subject of the evening:
“companies in flux – new freedoms, new
responsibilities. Individual scenes were intended to
lighten up and support her presentation.
Course of action
The evening event was preceded by a one-day
large group event
with ten colleagues. The content-based work of the
event was based on intensive discussions between the
director and the organizers and speaker. This
ensured that the presentation topic was successfully
interwoven with the theatrical interludes.
An acted sequence at the beginning of the event
got the employees moving. Small groups devised
different scenes relating to the evening’s
presentation to which they could bring their own
experiences concerning the topic of “companies in
flux – new freedoms, new responsibilities”. The
director gave tips on how to make the performances
clearer. The dynamics of the workshop produced four
scenes with a total playing time of twenty minutes.
Aspects of the presentation topic that were
performed included for instance “new forms of and
designs for living” or the concept of “intercultural
competence”. The speaker came to the dress rehearsal
of the scenes. She coordinated the performances with
the director. The preparations for the evening event
and the link between oral presentation and
theatrical performances were thus complete.
Presentation theater illustrated the message of
the presentation by means of several scenes at the
evening event. The ensemble and the speaker
coordinated the transition between presentation and
theatrical interludes via agreed signals.
The event was concluded by a podium discussion and
informal talks over champagne and snacks.
Benefit
By visualizing specific aspects of the
presentation, the audience was given direct access
to individual facets of the topic. The acted scenes
brought vitality and personal reference points to
the meeting. The connection between the factual
statements and artistic elements enhanced the event
as a whole.
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