forum theatre
 The Learning Architect is a leading exponent of the powerful training process called Forum Theatre.
When organisations face major issues, their staff can make radical improvements provided they can see what is going wrong and grasp how things could be different. Forum Theatre is an ideal way of achieving that. The way it works is this:
We discuss the company's issue with relevant staff until we completely understand what is going wrong and how this is impacting on the organisation. Then we write a short play or series of scenes which illustrate the situation, either set in the organisation itself or in a parallel organisation with remarkably similar issues.
To view a video of Forum Theatre Click Here
We then perform the play to the relevant audience within the company (the "Forum"), usually to groups of about 30 at a time. At the end of the first scene, a highly-skilled facilitator steps up and asks the audience to comment on the action and suggest improvements to the characters' behaviour.
Then the actors, who are all professionals and experienced in corporate work, re-play the scene according to the suggestions of the audience. They stay in character, so the way they change may not be to the liking of the audience who have to stop the action again and refine their instructions, getting the actors to perform the scene once more, or even more than once. Often a scene which might only take five minutes to play straight through will take an hour or more to work in this way.
Finally, the scenes will be performed as they should be; and the audience has determined for themselves what behaviours are acceptable and which are not. They have, in effect, trained themselves.
We frequently follow a Forum Theatre workshop with interactive skills sessions when participants can practise the new behaviours they have been urging on the actors.
In our experience, Forum Theatre can make a profound and long-lasting impression and it can be applied to a whole range of issues. These are just some of the ones we have addressed using Forum Theatre:
Customer service, sales, values and behaviours, coping with the introduction of new technology, giving and receiving feedback, bullying and harassment, managing change, teamwork, leadership and a range of others.
If you want an imaginative and memorable approach to training and development, try Forum Theatre.
We tailor learning experiences to suit the needs of your business.
For more information or case study examples please contact us on info@thelearningarchitect.com or call us on 01242 700027.
|