Author: Jack Shaw

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Passionate Communication – the Key to Effective Presenting and Training

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As a way of introducing myself to the Training and Development world, I’ve included the bio below. While a variety of skill sets take us in many directions, my strength has been as a passionate communicator. I apply my social psychology background and my verbal skills to my “day” job, focusing on crisis management and customer service. I will be retiring from that position and devoting my time to running my company, Acting Smarts, as well as writing, acting, speaking, coaching and related activities. Meanwhile, I am open to financial opportunities now that will allow me to depart from my current position when feasible, and grant me the means to apply my skills and talent in a broader sense. In general, effective communication is important, not only in achieving our interpersonal goals, but in influencing the world around us. Skillful and charismatic communication is critical in leading any business or organization, and essential to trainers, training developers, professional development staff, and managers. So, here’s my story:

Jack Shaw is a professional theatrical and film actor, voice-over artist, on-camera actor, performing in commercials, public service announcements, audio books, and training films. In addition to being the Training and Development Blog Host for the Free Management Library, he is the Performing Arts blogger for the Wilmington Examiner, as well as a reviewer for Stage Magazine. He shares his thoughts on theater and other communication topics at www.actingsmarts.wordpress.com.

Through his company, Acting Smarts, he focuses his efforts on practical approaches to acting and communicating. Although he coaches actors for commercials, narration and theatre environments, the bulk of his business is derived from other practical applications of the art–in coaching executives in charismatic public speaking and presenting. With graduate degrees in Performance Criticism and Social Psychology, combined with his years of acting and directing, he has a unique communication insight and a dynamic presentation style. He’s directed such plays as Harvey, Lovers and Other Strangers, Romantic Comedy, Blithe Spirit, and Creation of the World and Other Business; and acted in Regional theaters throughout the country. His professional theater experience includes roles as “Nathan” in Guys and Dolls, “Perchik” in Fiddler on the Roof, “Mordred” in Camelot, and “Ice” in West Side Story. He’s also appeared in numerous non-musical theatre productions.

He has been an on-air personality, commercial announcer, a news director and talk show host in radio as well as a public affairs producer, audio chief, and a staff announcer in television. As an Air Force public affairs officer, he was a public speaker and spokesperson for national and local media, taught English and speech at the USAF Academy, ran the tour program inside Cheyenne Mountain, and was Space Division’s community spokesperson for Los Angeles and Orange counties. While stationed in Panama, he trained other public affairs officers how to handle national and international media. As part of the Administration’s National Training Center, he trained State and Federal staff, developed and presented courses in leadership, management development, train-the-trainer, and customer service. From his diverse experience he sees communication as vital in establishing and maintaining credibility, whether it is as an actor, business executive, or other professional.

Jack received Bachelor of Arts degrees in both Psychology and English, and dual Master’s degrees (Speech/Dramatic Art and English) focusing on performance criticism from the University of Missouri in Columbia. He has yet another Master’s degree in Social Psychology. The Passionate Communicator offers coaching, consulting, training in public speaking, executive presenting, and acting. He applies acting coaching techniques to help professionals build exceptional oral communication and networking skills, and helps serious actors act. Contact Jack at (856) 979-2890.

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For more resources about training, see the Training library.

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Three Things You Should Know About Communicating Credibility

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As leaders of an organization, as trainers and managers, or anyone single employee in our organization, it is essential we are able to communicate our credibility and by doing so reflect positively on the credibility of our organization.

We all want to communicate well. It is the key to our success. If we do it well.

Like a tree falling in the woods a thousand miles away that no one hears, if your audience numbering one or a thousand doesn’t “hear” your message the result is the same. Nothing happens. You’re credible in your mind only.

“If I follow the script,” you think, “everything should fall in place.” But it doesn’t. “Why? How can I fix it?” You say it is an established program proven to work. You say all the right things. It should work.

Ever say something you regretted because you didn’t consider your audience? Everyone has had those embarrassing moments. The difference between us and the animals is our big brains and our mouths (often big) that can form words and sentences to communicate ideas—not just immediate needs or express emotions, and yet sometimes we speak on automatic to get the job done. So, we are “embarrassed” by not seeing the “who” we are talking to until it is too late.

We have made a habit of going about our business and forget the basics of communication. In any organization we make a plan. We probably make a “big picture” communication plan so we know how we will get the word out, but what about our messengers? The messengers need to plan how to communicate that plan, or any plan, or any instruction, or any sales pitch, in the same way. Look at the factors involved. What is my purpose, who am I talking to, how do I say what I need to say?

There are three things you should know to effectively communicate your credibility:

  1. Know your audience,
  2. Know your subject, and
  3. Know your self.

Understanding what I want to say seems easy at first, but that may depend on the “who.” Of course, you have to know what you want in the communication. And if we don’t know “why,” then we shouldn’t have the job we do.

It may sound little like Abbott and Costello’s famous bit about “Who’s on first, but this is all about communication or miscommunication. If the classic situation didn’t ring true to us in some way, it wouldn’t be funny. After all, miscommunication and misunderstanding are at the heart of comedy. However, it is credibility we are after.

We have to know about our audience to know how to present our subject to that audience in a way that has the desired result. And since we are doing the communicating, shouldn’t we consider ourselves part of the equation? We are the catalyst. We make the message memorable by adding the spice of our education, our expertise or our experience, and the bottom line: our credibility.

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For more resources about training, see the Training library.