Armed with a crystal ball of instinct you may be the last to know the masters that you serve are serving it up to their own demons, ones much bigger than your own. You enter a day like any other but quickly realize that you, the solver…cannot solve. You cannot collaborate; you are left only to take the blow.

“I cannot believe it, she’s down, she’s not getting up, I never even saw the punch. Ladies and gentlemen this match is over as soon as it began”

You may have to throw the fight because it is not your fight to begin with.

He said…

She said…

I don’t care but why…

They told me…

These words are solid hits to the solar plexus in The World Wide Federation of Communication Champions. The lethal blow to a stage manager is when you are told you are not communicating, you think to yourself but I have communicated so many other things… excuses rush through your veins… the heat of defensiveness roils in your gut… You’ve lost that fight so now pick yourself off the mat dizzy and unsure and prepare for the next match.

DEFENSIVE VS LISTENER

Oh the victories that have been lost being on the defensive, I’ve been through more than my fair share matches on the losing end. We, as stage managers, are often being pushed to defend ourselves especially when it comes to effective communication. I often wonder if you can ever do enough communicating without saying more than people want to hear. I will likely never know the answer to this question but I do know this, if you toss a defensive person in the ring with a listener there is no competition. A listener can take in all the information, gathering strength of knowledge and precision that comes with time for thinking. It takes a lot of bobbing and weaving to be a listener the defensive person may take some big swings and jabs trying to get you to fight back before you are ready, but trust if you clearly understand and respond to the situation there is no fight. The results may not be what you want or what you feel is best, but it will help if you understand the entire situation so you are able to share, dare I say accurately communicate, the information.