"The Company is a Theater"—such is the vision of Ian Parizot: actor, director, specialist in theatrical improvisation, corporate trainer, and also director of the troupe Again! Productions. At Seven, we are fortunate to count him among our trainers who are passionate about sharing knowledge. Because oral communication is a skill we work on every day, we wanted to highlight Ian’s expertise on the best techniques to use for effective communication in the professional sphere.

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What elements should you work on when you are an actor?

Since it is not every day that we interview an actor and theatrical improvisation specialist, we were naturally curious to learn about his work habits and advice. What elements does he work on daily? How does he learn and appropriate his text? How does he gauge the audience’s mood? How does he manage his stage presence? How does he prepare his voice? How does he reduce stress? Does he really imagine people naked? Ian shared several of his daily exercises with us.

Working on your speech

I. P - "When I have text to memorize, I do several exercises. I have fun pronouncing my text in an atypical way (by shouting, for example), at other times I have fun using an accent, and sometimes even imagining that the text applies to a completely new context (for example, I put myself in the shoes of a storyteller around a fire or a war chief before battle, etc.). Thanks to these exercises, I learn to discover unexpected echoes in the text so I can remain spontaneous and not mechanical in my delivery. It is a way for me to surprise myself by setting aside my preconceived attitudes."

Surprise yourself by putting yourself in another character’s shoes: that is what we can take away. And what if, before an important client meeting or a meeting to convince others to implement a project, you imagined yourself as a victorious character in order to gain confidence and inspire confidence? Because it is not only arguments that matter, but also what you project, which influences your impact on others.

Taking the audience’s temperature

I. P - "Another factor I pay very close attention to is the audience’s “temperature.” In the hours and minutes leading up to the performance, I listen to hallway chatter that gives me clues about the audience’s level of enthusiasm. Before going on stage, from backstage, I sense the audience’s mood (from their more or less frequent laughter, the volume and duration of their applause, silences, feedback from actors returning backstage, etc.). So I would say you must be very attentive to the room’s atmosphere to adapt your energy level."

Knowing your audience, but above all being aware that it changes depending on the context, is a factor to consider in order to communicate effectively orally. In a professional setting, hallway chatter, informal discussions, and email exchanges before a speech will give you valuable indications about your audience—it's up to you to listen carefully!

Becoming aware of your whole body

I. P - "As an actor, it is of course essential to train your body. To do this, I do not hesitate to work on my body’s flexibility, doing exercises where I become aware of my entire body down to my fingertips. I also train to quickly return to a neutral posture in any situation."

Visual communication plays a fundamental role in oral communication; it is even said to account for 55% of impact on others if we rely on studies conducted by Albert Mehrabian in 1967. And posture is part of visual communication. Are you standing straight? Are your shoulders hunched forward? Are your feet firmly grounded? All these questions should be asked in the professional sphere.

Preparing your voice

I. P - "I also warm up my voice by doing diction and breathing exercises, paying attention to my different resonators (these are the parts of the body that vibrate when sound is produced), aligning my air column, and of course warming up my vocal cords."

High voice, deep voice, singsong accent or not—we all have elements we cannot change. However, we can work on the rhythm of our sentences, the words we want to emphasize, and the volume of our voice. It is by practicing speaking out loud, but also, as Ian mentions, by doing diction and breathing exercises, that we can gradually regain control of our non-verbal communication.

Accepting improvisation

I. P - "Finally, I would say that it is essential to put yourself in a positive mindset in order to reduce stage fright. For example, to reduce my stress, just before going on stage, I tell myself that the audience is attractive. In improvisation, it is even more important to adopt this mindset by always staying in a listening posture toward your counterpart, without trying to force words in, which reduces the impact of our communication. Positivity thus makes your message more authentic."

Ian mentions improvisation here: something we encounter every day at work. Even with maximum anticipation, the unexpected always appears: unexpected news, a last-minute change of action, an opinion we had not considered that is presented to us, etc. Improvising and therefore adapting communication according to events is common in business. Without realizing it, we act like improvisational actors!

Why apply theater techniques in the professional sphere?

We continued the interview by asking Ian Parizot why theater techniques could be applied in the professional sphere.

Self-confidence

I. P - "First of all, I recommend practicing theater because it can only bring many benefits, both personally and professionally: better self-confidence, better command of communication, reduced stress during public speaking… In his play As You Like It, playwright William Shakespeare has this magnificent line: "All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players. And in our lifetime we play several roles." By extension, one could say that "the company is a theater." So why not consider the company as a theater?"

“Considering the company as a theater”—this phrase makes perfect sense when Ian explains the reasons and when we think back to all the situations where we address an audience. Whether in meetings with colleagues or client appointments, we are performing. We certainly remain ourselves, but through our role and responsibilities, we know we must pay attention to our behavior in order to convince our counterpart of the validity of our message.

Moments of performance

I. P - "At work, there is a variety of moments when we are "performing." Indeed, when we lead a meeting, present a new project to our team, or conduct the end-of-year review, for example. These are all periods when we must take care with our communication. I would still add that being in performance mode does not mean being fake, but being 100% present."

Be yourself while respecting company culture—that is what to keep in mind on the “work stage”!

A troupe, a team, a collective

I. P - "In my view, considering the company as a theater makes it possible to gain perspective. Employees who have a passion outside work can often find resources there to be more relevant and fulfilled in the professional world. Take the example of employees used to team sports, who will find it easier to participate in a group project. Practicing theater gives an advantage in taking on a role, following and interpreting a script, developing a troupe spirit, and adapting to a counterpart, for example."

Performing on stage means joining a troupe. Carrying out your duties means joining a company. In the same way as actors, employees are not alone in “performance” (to use theatrical vocabulary); they can count on their colleagues to give them their “cue” and help them move their project forward.

Multi-hat professions

I. P - "For about ten years, many workers have worn multiple hats. Today, you need to be able to be an educator, then a leader, then a colleague, then an executor, then a manager, etc. Just like actors who have several roles, workers must act differently depending on the situation. Being able to adapt according to context is even more visible in roles where human connection is strong: for example in customer relations, human resources, or sales."

Actors wear many hats, and employees do too. The variety of missions pushes everyone to adopt a different posture and adapt according to context. In the end, the more we progress through this interview with Ian, the more obvious the common points between theater and business seem!

What advice helps a manager’s communication ability inspire?

Finally, we wanted to ask Ian Parizot for his definition of a manager, and for him, a good manager is one who knows how to listen. By demonstrating active listening, the managed employee, feeling heard, will be more motivated in their work, more inspired, and therefore more productive. He then shows us that good listening requires three key actions:

1- Ask questions: Ian explained to us that "asking questions shows your counterpart that the topic interests us and makes them want to go further."

2- Rephrase the counterpart’s statements : Ian told us that "rephrasing what others say shows them that we understood and truly listened to what they shared with us, and that we are able to make it our own. It also allows the other person to correct us if we misunderstood what they said."

3- Be emotionally and rationally affected by what is said: Ian argued that "listening to someone else means being changed in a certain way; it means admitting that the other person creates in us a feeling, a real impact, a concrete consequence."

How do you move from emotional to rational during a conflict?

In a professional setting, it is not uncommon to face a conflict situation. How do you manage a conflict and move your colleagues from an emotional state to a more rational one? To answer this question, Ian mentions three steps:

1- Verbalize your own emotion and make it heard : According to him, this is "a good start to managing a conflict because we show sincerity by listening to ourselves."

2- Listen to the other person’s emotion : To do this, you must "be in a listening situation to rephrase statements and truly hear the other person’s emotion. When their emotion is expressed and heard, it can begin to be released. Only after this step can we move toward rational arguments."

3- Show empathy : He specifies that 'sincere empathy' must be put in place, that is, "empathy that pushes us to put ourselves in the other person’s place, to imagine what the other may be feeling. This empathy must remain present even when we move to the rational discussion stage: it will affect the arguments and concrete proposals I choose to raise. If I do not continue to exercise my empathy in this phase, then listening is only a posture."

These exchanges with Ian Parizot ultimately show us that theater exercises are easily applicable in the professional sphere and that the results can be very useful. So it is up to you to step onto the stage and apply theatrical techniques to play your own role!