Production Communication

Communication is, very simply, the exchanging of information. It can be done through various forms and has been around since humans learnt to talk in around 100,000BC, starting with verbal communication (such as talking) and then progressing into written or drawn communication (such as cave paintings that date back to around 30,000BC). Communication is a vital aspect of our society and its how we integrate with others around us, but there is a big difference between communication and GOOD communication and in the Performing Arts industry you have to have excellent communication skills in order to navigate the fast paced and high pressure environment, but... lets go back. We know what communication is, but how do we do it?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_communication#:~:text=The%20oldest%20known%20symbols%20created,dated%20to%20around%2030%2C000%20BCE. 

Types and methods of Communication

There are four types of communication: Verbal, Non-verbal, Written and Visual Communications. 

Verbal Communication is when we use speech or written words to communicate a message to another person, and comes in many forms:

• Intrapersonal Verbal Communication- Communicating with yourself (inner monologues, talking to yourself etc)

• Interpersonal Verbal Communication- Verbal Communication with 2 or more people 

• Group Verbal Communication- Verbal communication involving 3 or more people

• Public Verbal Communication- Communicating with a large group of people at the same time.

• Mass Verbal Communication- Broadcasting a verbal communication to a widespread audience. 

Non-Verbal communication is when you use your actions, feelings and body language to convey a message, such as:

• Eye-contact

• Distance (How close or far away from someone you are)

• Body language (Are you defensive? relaxed? nervous?)

• Touch

• Appearance 

• 'Vibes' ('vibes' are often a combination of other non-verbal communications all rolled into one, e.g. eye contact and distance, appearance and distance, etc)

Written Communication is literally communicating through words and comes in four types:

• Formal Communication

  • Formal emails

  • Reports

  • Memos

• Academic Writing

  • Presentations

  • Essays

  • Research papers

• Informal communication

  • Texts

  • Social media posts

  • Personal letters

• Creative Writing

  • Novels

  • Short stories

  • Poetry

  • Scripts

Visual Communication is the act of using a visual element to convey a message, such as:

• Objects

• Photographs

• Graphs

• Maps

• Models

• Videos

And everything that's in RED is a communication method used in the Performing arts industry to some degree...crazy right?

https://www.personio.com/hr-lexicon/types-of-communication/ 

https://pumble.com/blog/verbal-communication/#:~:text=Verbal%20communication%20is%20a%20type,thoughts%2C%20we%20are%20verbally%20communicating. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nonverbal_communication#:~:text=Nonverbal%20communication%20encompasses%20a%20diverse,meanings%20critical%20to%20effective%20communication. 

https://www.topresume.com/career-advice/written-communication-guide#:~:text=Each%20type%20of%20written%20communication,a%20wide%20spectrum%20of%20contexts. 

https://eztalks.com/unified-communications/different-types-of-visual-communication.html 

https://www.techsmith.com/blog/why-visual-communication-matters/#:~:text=Visual%20communication%20is%20the%20practice,motivates%2C%20and%20engages%20the%20viewer. 

https://www.theknowledgeacademy.com/blog/verbal-communication/#:~:text=e)%20Mass%20Verbal%20Communication%3A%20This,and%20maintain%20the%20audience%27s%20attention. 

How to effectively communicate?

Communicating and effectively communicating are 2 different things. For example if someone said "look" and vuagely pointed to the left, you could be looking at or for anything. If someone said "Look at that bright red BMW with a black stripe on the roof", you would know exactly what to look out for. In the Professional world (in any industry) communicating in-effectively wastes time and resources and will often make or break a business and so people are taught to effectively communicate with the people around them, be it their team members or members of the public.  Here are some ways to improve your communication skills:

• Listen. Listening is one of the most important things to do when communicating because people want to know they are being heard and understood. 

• Who you are talking to matters. You would speak very differently to your mate than you would to the king, and acronyms especially can have multiple meanings, so use the appropriate language style for each situation. 

• Body language matters. How you hold your body can have very different projections, so having an open and relaxed body is important for people to feel relaxed and at ease. Crossing your arms or hand on hips for example, could come across as hostile when really, your arms just ache!

• Check before you send. Is what you meant to communicate being communicated? Spellings and grammar checked? Is it too harsh or vague? 

• Be brief but specific. Say what needs to be said and try not to get off-track or ramble. Equally, don't be blunt...that could come across as rude. 

• Write things down. Memory can be a funny thing, dont rely on it! Write things down during meetings or sessions and follow up with written communications (e.g. an email) to verify. 

• Somethings its better to pick up the phone. If you have a lot to say, its sometimes better just to call and talk to someone rather than type it all out in an email or message. 

• Think before you speak. Don't say the first thing that comes to mind, take a breath and think about what you are going to say and how you are going to say it. 

• Treat everyone equally. Everyone is equal and everyone is a PERSON. Treat everyone with the same respect and talk to everyone the same way you would expect them to talk to you. 

• Maintain a positive attitude and smile. Positivity spreads, so talking to people positively and encouragingly will help make people respond positively to you. 

https://www.manpowergroup.com/en/insights/10-communication-skills 

A MINI SUMMER NIGHTS DREAM

This terms project is a short adaptation of Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Nights Dream" and I am in charge of all communications for the production. 

We started off with Production meetings that would address the major issues: Script, Characters, Directors and venue. I wrote the script and we decided on characters and directors through an auditioning and voting process. The venue however would be tricky. 

This venue would be a single Tee-pee located in Llantony priory for the Create24 festival. This tee-pee was roughly 10 Metres round but its unclear how tall it is, based off of last years Create23 festival it will have a pole in the middle to support the structure. That didn't leave us much space to work with. The next issue was that we would be sharing this tent with other HE groups, so that would limit our space more. So what would be the best way to  perform this? Where would the audience go and how could we utilise the space effectively? We came up with a few ideas (The tee-pees are nonagons (9 sided shapes), and I cant draw them, so for demonstration purposes I've used octagons)…

https://www.ecotipievents.co.uk/pricing-layout 

I was also asked to do some marketing for the Create24 festival from the GlosCol Marketing team

Evaluation:

Overall the production went well. The main communication methods I used were; the teams group chat, teams channel, Email and WhatsApp and these worked most effectively. I used Social media such as Snapchat and Instagram on occasion to message someone quickly and individually (usually to check up on ETA's) or to send ideas and inspiration to others when scrolling through socials. I will defiantly be using Email, Teams and WhatsApp again because they have proven a reliable method of communication when talking to a variety of people (Teachers, suppliers, Students and potential audience) but I will try to use more social media platforms in the future as I feel they could work really well for storyboarding ideas and concepts of productions. 

Overall, my verbal communication skills were ok but I defiantly need to work on my body language and facial expressions because they do not always convey what I'm thinking of feeling and that can cause confusion. I need to work on being more open, relaxed and approachable with my body language and work on making sure I control my facial expressions better.