As a practice coach I’ve had the privilege of working with hundreds, if not thousands, of professionals from all walks of life who are great at their jobs. They’re capable, intelligent and often highly experienced at what they do.
My job is to create a safe space where we can practise any work-based conversation. I then offer feedback and coach them to do it better.
Here’s the interesting part… Almost every individual I’ve worked with knows what they want to say. They’re confident the conversation will go well.
Then the practice begins.
They’re facing an actual person.
And suddenly, this highly intelligent, experienced professional starts to hesitate. They over-explain. They forget the question. They try to fill the silence. Or sometimes they leave a silence so long you could fill it with 3–5 working days.
This isn’t because they’re not capable. It’s because they haven’t had the chance to practice or rehearse.
As well as being the Head of Performance at Experience Works, I’m also a professional actor. I’ve worked in some of the best companies, including the National Theatre, the RSC and the Globe Theatre (sorry, couldn’t help myself).
Here’s what every actor understands:
talent is lovely… practice makes us better.
Before opening night, we rehearse relentlessly. That’s not because we don’t understand the script. We do (unless it’s Shakespeare). It’s because understanding the script, the theory, is not the same as delivering those words to 1,000 people sitting in silence (except that one guy who coughs at the worst possible moment… you know who you are).
Rehearsals allow us to build confidence grounded in competence. To practice staying present. To build listening skills. To hear how the words coming out of our mouths actually sound. To see how they affect other characters. And most importantly, rehearsals allow us to fail in a safe environment.
I don’t know a single actor who would play Romeo or Juliet and say,
“Dude, I get the character… let’s just vibe.”
When actors rehearse, it builds resilience. They’ve tried the same thing in different ways and found what works best for them. They’ve practiced in a safe environment, so when they do it for real on stage, it feels familiar. It’s in their muscle memory.
Practice allows us to stop thinking about “what we want to say” and start thinking about “how we want to show up.”