Strategies for Effective Communication
Effective communication contributes to learning, success, and overall life satisfaction in a positive manner. For example, effective communication has been shown to be powerfully associated with individuals feeling satisfied with their colleagues, coaches, and trainers, among others. Furthermore, effective communication has been found to have a positive impact on how individuals relate to each other in a performing environment. In that regard, how information is delivered will influence future relationships.
Effective communication can also help build trust and reduce confusion, as well as help keep performers, their family, and members of their performance environment all working toward a common goal. In turn, a lack of effective communication can disrupt learning, confidence, and competitive resilience.
Consider the following problematic communication issues (characteristics of less effective communication) that you may want to improve:
Interrupting others who are speaking.
Attempting to fix the problem by advising a solution or the answer.
Assigning blame
Becoming judgmental
Changing the subject is typically considered impolite or disrespectful.
Getting philosophical may leave others feeling that the conversation has been dismissed.
Using a loud tone of voice may detract from the topic and result in defensiveness.
Shaking your head and saying “no,” before others have finished speaking.
Now note the following communication strategies that you may want to employ to more effectively communicate:
Offer empathy or a message of compassion.
Identify the thought or idea being expressed.
Identify and summarize what you understand to be the “wish” or “preference.”
Identify a point of agreement or a part of the discussion with which you can agree.
Request elaboration of detail or your interest in hearing more about what you hear.
Express appreciation for the opportunity to listen to what is being said.
Express interest in what is being communicated with an appropriate facial expression.
Ensuring Resilience
Mental and emotional recovery is as important as physical recovery. Muscles need rest and so does your mind. Adequate emotional recovery time helps protect and restore mental resilience, which includes abilities such as better energy, positive mood, greater focus, and appropriately sustained concentration.
In that regard, please consider the following:
Do you notice when you are feeling mental and/or emotional fatigue?
How have you helped yourself recovery from mental/emotional fatigue in the past?
In reality, training, rehearsals and auditions, etc. can be intense, stressful, and fatiguing at times. Accordingly, you may consider trying one or more of the following mental/emotional time-outs to help find recovery strategies that work for you:
Talking with friends or family members
Helping someone else with a small project
Looking out the window, looking at a lake, or observing a city scape
Art and craft projects, taking photos, making a scrapbook
Engaging in activities that are relaxing and fun and not related to professional endeavors
Going for a walk, watching a sunset, playing with pets
Exercise
Cooking your favorite dishes or a new dish
Telling stories, organizing a personal collection, writing, journaling
Reading just for pleasure, engaging in word games, doing word puzzles, playing board games
Spending time outdoors and in nature
Redefining Success
Consider how you currently define success.
Not getting the top score, or setting a personal record, whether novice or elite, can hurt. Both performers and families can feel the sting for some time, especially if the situation comes as a surprise or has significant meaning for the performer and their family.
You may be setting yourself up to be defeated by failure, if the parameters for success are limited only to the winning score, expectations that are inflexible, or standards that few individuals can achieve.
It is helpful to remember that a loss does not need to be a “failing.” The origin of the word “fail” is actually “mistakes.” All humans will make mistakes.
All great performers make mistakes. In fact, mistakes are an inherent part of learning and cannot be avoided. Please consider the following:
Mistakes do not mean you are not trying.
Receiving a disappointing score from judges does not mean you did less than your best or that your performance was not an accomplishment.
Failing to “win the audition” or failure to “be offered the role you aspire to”, does not mean you are a failure as a person. You may feel sad, but you are still the person willing to take on incredible challenge in a highly competitive arena, knowing some emotional risk exists. That takes courage.
Having courage is an essential component for finding continued success and harnessing resilience.
Overcoming Obstacles
There are many potential factors that can disrupt performance, and progress toward goals. Obstacles or barriers can come in the form of your thoughts and fears or from communication with friends, coaches, and parents, etc. Similarly, situational, health, or environmental factors can also pose a challenge and disrupt progress.
Personal/Emotional Factors
Such as stress, anxiety, low confidence, grief, sadness, negative self-talk, etc.
Possible strategies for the prevention, improvement, or resolution may include; asking others for support, increase positive self-talk, adjust expectations, breathe for relaxation, etc.
Health Factors
Such as sleep, nutrition, illness, injury, pain, allergies, etc.
Possible strategies for the prevention, improvement, or resolution may include; improve sleep hygiene, prioritize injury rehab, secure second opinion regarding illness/health, etc.
Interpersonal Factors
Such as relationship conflict, family conflict, communication difficulties, dating stressors, etc.
Possible strategies for the prevention, improvement, or resolution may include; express frustration constructively, avoid controlling others, prioritize what you most want or need in relationships, work toward small changes, consult a professional, share time with friends, etc.
Environmental Factors
Such as weather, stage quality, spectators, equipment/attire malfunction, etc.
Possible strategies for the prevention, improvement, or resolution may include; improve distraction control skills, practice for consistency in varied circumstances, improve mindfulness skills, improve refocusing skills, etc.