Your core as communicator – Playing Actions!

What actions are you playing today?

If you’re thinking “take action” or “what’s on my ‘to do’ list” you’re on the right track as those are activities you want/need to get done.

But how do you get them done when people are critical to your success?  What do you do to those people as you accomplish your action items?  How do you treat them?

Playing Actions is:

• The foundational component of successful interaction with others
• Natural – you’ll do it throughout your day today and every day
• A technique you can learn and leverage on your path of becoming an excellent communicator
• Something Actors do to create compelling stories (that’s YOU, the authentic Actor!)

Actions are:

• A verb expressed in the phrase “to _________” where you fill in the blank with what you do to your Audience (e.g. to energize)
• Something you can do to someone right now
• Always directed toward your Audience to help them get what they want (and therefore, get you what you want)
• Appropriate for the Atmosphere in which you’re interacting

So, what are you doing to the next person with whom you come in contact?  What Action are you playing?  How do you do it?

How to Play Actions:

• Consider your Audience – what they want, what you want for them
• Sense the Atmosphere – what is the energy surrounding this interaction?  Will you leverage it, or change it?
• Decide on your Action – what will you do to this Audience (one or many) to get them what they want and what you want.  What Action (verb) will you use to fill in the blank, “to ________”
• Commit to it as Actor – is your energy in body, voice and intention delivering the Action with credibility and confidence?  Does your Audience believe you?

Become aware of how you Play Actions in every interaction.  Decide what it is you’re doing to others.  Play it out and be ready to adjust based on their response.  Build a repertoire of Actions you can confidently draw on as you adapt to your various Audiences.

For an in-depth look at Playing Actions, follow Bob and his Coach as they discover how this works in the book I wrote on the subject and the foundation of How to Act in Business.

For me, my daughter really needs some encouragement right now.  What action should I play?  😉

It’s your stage.  Your performance.  You’re on!