How can you communicate with performers to ensure they feel supported and valued?

1 Know your vision

Before you start working with your performers, you need to have a clear vision of what you want to achieve with your show. What is the message, the tone, the style, the genre, the audience? How do you want your performers to embody the characters, the emotions, the themes? Having a vision will help you communicate your expectations, goals, and feedback to your cast in a consistent and coherent way. It will also help you avoid confusion, conflict, and frustration later on.

2 Listen actively

One of the most important skills you can have as a producer is active listening. This means paying attention to what your performers are saying, both verbally and non-verbally, and responding with empathy and curiosity. Active listening shows that you care about their opinions, feelings, and needs, and that you are open to their suggestions, questions, and feedback. It also helps you understand their strengths, weaknesses, motivations, and challenges, and how you can support them accordingly.

3 Give constructive feedback

Feedback is essential for any creative process, but it can also be tricky to deliver and receive. As a producer, you want to give feedback that is constructive, specific, and timely. Constructive feedback is feedback that focuses on the positive aspects of the performance, as well as the areas that need improvement, and provides concrete suggestions on how to achieve them. Specific feedback is feedback that avoids vague or general statements, and instead gives clear examples and details. Timely feedback is feedback that is given as soon as possible after the performance, when the memory is fresh and the impact is high.

5 Resolve conflicts

Despite your best efforts, conflicts may arise among your performers, or between you and them, due to various reasons, such as personality clashes, creative differences, or misunderstandings. As a producer, you need to be prepared to handle these conflicts in a respectful and professional manner. Some of the steps you can take to resolve conflicts are: identifying the source and nature of the conflict, listening to both sides of the story, acknowledging the emotions and perspectives involved, finding common ground and mutual interests, and negotiating a fair and feasible solution.

6 Follow up

Finally, one of the best ways to communicate with your performers and show them that you support and value them is to follow up with them after the show is over. You can do this by sending them a thank-you note, a feedback survey, a testimonial request, or a referral request. You can also keep in touch with them through social media, email, phone, or face-to-face meetings, and update them on the outcomes and impacts of the show, such as reviews, awards, or future opportunities. Following up with your performers will help you maintain a positive and lasting relationship with them, and potentially lead to future collaborations.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?