Dear Colleague -
Are You Getting the Results You Want?
Do you sometimes wonder why people don't want what you want? You present a really great and useful idea, and people look at you blankly? You're trying to convince someone that they should use your services and they come up with an endless list of reasons why they shouldn't? You're in a meeting, and you desperately want others to recognize a problem, but no one seems to care?
If you're like me, your success rests on your ability to get others interested in what you've got to say. I am a consultant. None of my clients ever have to do a single thing that I suggest! When I train, no one has to go out and use what I teach. The only power I have in those situations is my ability to interest others in what interests me – and get interested in what's important to them.
The truth of the matter is that much of the time people do apply my ideas. If that didn't happen, you'd see me working some night shift asking people, "You want fries with that??
What Gets Others Interested in Our Ideas
This may surprise you, but the best tool I've found for getting others interested in my ideas is theater improv. Think about it. Improvisers must listen, and be open to whatever comes out of their partner's mouth. If your partner in a scene suddenly says she wants to go to the moon, you better put on your space suit. Alan Alda said that actors need to listen with a willingness to be changed. That's what improv teaches.
A few years ago I put together a powerful two-day workshop called Theater of Resistance. I have conducted it for professional groups, inside corporations, and offered public seminars like this one. Here's what people said after a three-hour version of the course.
And they said those things after just three hours! Think of the potential when we've got two full days together.
People who are consistently successful at getting their ideas accepted at home and at work are not necessarily more brilliant, more articulate, more charismatic, or more persuasive than the rest of us. But they do possess one skill that sets them apart. They know how to transform resistance into support for their ideas. These people know how to pay attention – they know how to listen with a willingness to be changed. And that's where this workshop comes in.
What is Theater of Resistance?
Theater of Resistance is a unique workshop that uses actors' tools such as improvisation, exaggeration, and experiments to expand your capacity to work with people who resist you and your brilliant ideas.
I've been active in theater for years. But, in 1998 I began to realize that actors' training can be a powerful tool in helping turn resistance into excitement. I attended a workshop given by James L. Brooks (Terms of Endearment, As Good As It Gets, Taxi, Mary Tyler Moore Show). I am big fan and simply wanted to watch him work. I didn't expect to learn something that would help me professionally. But, I was blown away.
As I watched him work with actors, it occurred to me that acting – more than any other profession – has exercises and techniques that assist people in paying attention to what's in front of them. If the actor's partner forgets a line, skilled actors will respond to that change. If the other actor says a line sarcastically instead of sweetly during a performance, skilled actors will play off what is given to them. If a doorbell rings by mistake on stage, skilled actors will incorporate that into the scene. Actors are ready for whatever occurs. It is this in-the-moment quality that makes people like Tommy Lee Jones and Meryl Streep so exciting to watch. The people who are successful at building support for their ideas have that same ability to pay attention and respond in the moment to whatever occurs.
I began using improvisation and other acting techniques in my work with clients and the results were remarkable. For example, people who believed they could only respond in one way to someone who was resisting them, began to see options. Others were able to begin catching themselves just before they shot themselves in their feet and made matters much worse. Others learned how to step in the shoes of people who opposed them – giving them more options and greater compassion.
I believe Theater of Resistance can make a dramatic difference in how you respond to other people.
I'd like to invite you to join me on October 9 and 10 for two full days of improv. But this isn't just fun-and-games improv, the techniques we use are all focused on helping you increase your personal effectiveness relating to others.
You might be asking, what will I learn?
A lot. But for those of you who'd like a little more tangible answer, here are some outcomes.
- Gain an understanding of those who resist your ideas. You'll gain insights into their values, beliefs, assumptions, and thoughts
- Uncover what you do inadvertently to make matters worse
- See the impact your actions have on others – for better and for worse
- Explore options for working with people in tough situations
- Increase your ability to pay attention to yourself, others, and your surroundings when people resist you
Here's what a few people said after attending the full two-day workshop.
"This is a workshop that has been crafted by a master of process work who understands that competent facilitation of a small amount of excellent content can lead to real insight and learning. It is one of the best workshops I have attended in years. It is simple, elegant, most enjoyable and very powerful. Thank you, Rick!"
- Graham Bullen, Deloitte Consulting
"I gained valuable insight into my own internal and external reactions when I'm faced with resistance. I learned specific strategies for applying that insight toward working more successfully through others' resistance to my ideas/suggestions --- I found that what I learned in the workshop had immediate relevance to my work and encouraged me to think in new ways about my interactions with clients."
- Heather Jelks, Adventist Healthcare
"I learned as much as I had hoped, more than I thought probable. I have no doubt that I will be more effective in my job. A wonderful job of making theory practical."
- Matt Kayhoe, Morgan Kayhoe
"Saw alternative ways of handling resistance… If I'm responding inappropriately to resistance, it adds to the problem… When I did well I worked from my heart and gut, when I did poorly I did it from just my head… Loved being on stage… If I can get the big picture, everything else will come naturally…"
- Comments on evaluations
What Does the Workshop Look Like?
This is a very active workshop in which you will use actor's training techniques to develop skills in working with resistance. This probably is unlike any other workshop you have attended. For example. . .
Did you ever wonder how perfectly nice people can play such evil characters like Hannibal Lechter and Lady Macbeth? The same skills actors use to become these characters can help you learn more about yourself and those people who resist you the strongest. Experimenting with ?becoming? those people will teach you things you couldn't learn in any other way.
Through improvisation techniques you will exaggerate and have fun with tough situations. Improvisation will allow you to experiment and try out lots of different approaches using a variety of styles. You might exaggerate anger in one, compliance in another – just to see what happens. These are not your typical role-plays.
I've written three books that focus on resistance to change. The content of the workshop is based on this work. But, you will not be listening to long lectures. You'll get two or three short lectures on knowing how to base your communication on the appropriate level of resistance, and how to avoid using ?knee-jerk reactions.? During the rest of the time we will move, play, and experiment.
We'll probably do most of these improv and acting exercises created especially for this class.
- The 180º Shift. You take a cherished belief, make your best case, then shift 180 and argue the other side, then shift back again and again.
- Step in Their Shoes. The steps actors use to better understand a character's behavior.
- Exaggerating Our Worst Encounters. We ask you to ?do it wrong.? Have fun shooting yourself in the foot. Lots can be learned from this.
- Responding in the Moment. A series of activities that ask you to respond to sound, movement, and words instantly.
- Resist-O-Meter. This is a great way to see how resistance goes up and down based on what you say or do. During improv, you experiment – try to make resistance actually go up – or you can try to make it go lower. The Resist-O-meter allows you see how you are doing every moment.
Is this workshop for you?
I hope so, but it's not for everyone. That's why we offer two options. If you learn best when you are actively engaged, taking risks, having fun, challenging yourself, experimenting, and thinking and applying what you learn immediately, then this just might be a workshop for you. Sign up for the full workshop.
If you prefer learning by sitting back, taking notes, mulling things over, and learning vicariously (which is a perfectly legitimate way to learn) then sign up as a Member of the Audience.
When and Where
We don't have a public workshop currently scheduled; however we would be glad to customize the workshop and bring it to your organziation. Contact us to discuss the details - info@beyondresistance.com.
