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The Essential Career Skill They Never Teach You In School
Since kindergarten, you’ve been expected to effectively present information to groups of people. In primary school, it was book reports, in high school it was PowerPoint presentations and in uni it was research papers.
In every class, there were always those people who never got nervous, never stuttered and always seemed to want to be up there. These people were never taught how to be comfortable in front of a crowd; they were just good at it. They were naturally talented performers. The rest of us could barely get a word in edgewise without feeling those eyes boring into our souls, judging our every word. There were no core classes that focused on improving these skills, and, as a result, most of us never became proficient at it. This is the art of performing, and it’s one of the most ignored skill sets on the planet. It is also, however, one of the most important to master.
There are certain aspects of this skill that brew apprehension in everyone. Performance skills include oration, acting, dictation and general comfort in front of a crowd. All of these tend to terrify people. We know that our audience’s eyes will be fixated on our every move. That our every word will be judged and the potential for ridicule lies in every moment. Today’s information age exacerbates this terror even more. One mistake can proliferate through social media in days, to be immortalised forever.
As a result, most people never really bother to learn how to perform. They either learn by failing or avoid it altogether. This leaves many of us well educated but unequipped to deal with anything that requires a public performance. This is unfortunate, as so many of today’s careers necessitate some comfort with performing. Presenting information to superiors, convincing coworkers to follow your proposed solutions or defending your opinions in front of a judge all demand a performance: the ability to convince someone of something they may not believe.
There is a certain level of nerves everyone has when confronted with these types of situations. That is normal. The fear is not, and neither is the avoidance.
The fear exists only because no one ever made performing a required skill. In fact, the study of performance, or drama, has historically been isolated to the drama kids — who tend to be made fun of for their interests. The study of speech and debate is a fringe class or after-school activity. Neither is a mainstream part of our education. It should be. If it were, 20-somethings in nascent careers wouldn’t be afraid of speaking up when their professional opinion is needed.
In the words of a friend of mine, a lawyer whom we will refer to as Ron, the acting classes we’ve taken together have been "good training in what to avoid, what reduces effectiveness [and has provided] better awareness of bad habits." I can say for myself that my acting training has made me exponentially better at my part-time job. Clear articulation, the confidence to be private in public and the need to be very focused have made otherwise daunting situations far less nerve-racking. Convincing a group of VPs and the CMO that their proposed solution to a business problem can't be developed as desired is no longer so intimidating.
Acting classes aren’t the only way to practice your performance skills. There are plenty of more business-minded oration and dictation classes you could take. Or you can also practice on your own. I can say, however, that professionally taught classes will push you further than you ever thought possible. You will improve, guaranteed.
Honing your performance skills will also help you better connect with people from all walks of life. To quote Ron one more time: "[Acting classes have] reminded me that I’m a human being — as opposed to that other species: a lawyer." You’re going to spend many hours in your chosen career. Being able to step back and connect will increase your chances of achieving the results you want.
Remember that confidence breeds skill and skill breeds confidence. Eventually, the expectant eyes of your superiors will no longer clam you up. Practice enough, and you’ll be able to bring that welling nervousness under control and use it to your advantage.