CORPORATE TRAINING
Are you looking to schedule your next corporate training program? Or do you need a guest speaker for a special occasion?
At Perform Australia, we can custom-design a corporate training program to suit your needs – or you can choose from our suite of existing popular courses.
We can also nominate a keynote speaker from amongst our trainers, if you are looking for someone to headline your next event.
In our corporate training programs, Perform Australia draws on acting technique, story theory, drama skills, and actor preparation processes to create real-world, workplace applications for non-actors.
Our workshops are very practical - we have you up and moving about... no more "death by Powerpoint"! We aim to create a safe and fun atmosphere for people who may never have done any acting before, to show them how the skills of the actor make sense in business and organisational settings. And we do it through games, discussion, and thoughtful theory. Our corporate training programs are practical, hands-on and most of all, fun! We strongly believe that learning happens best through play - when we are relaxed and connected to others and having a laugh, we are more receptive to learning.
Using the vocabulary of performance, Perform Australia’s corporate training workshops present playful and insightful ways of solving common and complex workplace problems.
Our presenters are actors, script writers, directors, vocalists, dancers and other creatives working in the entertainment industry, who work across our actor training programs. Most speakers are based in Canberra or Brisbane but can travel to your location.
Our Corporate Training Suite
Below are some of our popular corporate training programs that have been very successful and popular with staff in a range of organisations.
If you don't see a program that suits you, our expert trainers can design one specially for you for an extra fee.
Creativity in Leadership
Creativity has been ranked by the World Economic Forum as one of the top three skills we need in the modern workplace. But how where does it come from, and how do we get it? Explore why we sometimes fear creativity and its power, and how we can overcome that fear and nurture it for innovation and greater productivity.
Your team will walk away with not only greater understanding of the professional actor’s mindset, but also some practical ideas on how to encourage your workplace to be more creative.
Length: Two hours
Impro To Go
Does your team need to bond? Or need to think faster on their feet? Or perhaps they've been working so hard they just need to let off steam and have a laugh?
In this workshop participants embrace the fundamentals of improvised theatre. Through games, exercises and storytelling processes, participants increase their capacity to trust one another, learn about the "Yes And" principle to decrease negativity in the workplace, and develop self-confidence in their own capacity for on-the-spot creativity. Be ready to jump in - and have a lot of fun while it's happening. This workshop creates a highly memorable shared experience for all involved.
Length: Full-day or 2.5 hour option
Presentation Skills
Many presentations in the workplace are vitally important, especially when they advocate for new policies or initiatives which will change people’s lives. Sometimes, however, the ideas may be great - but poor presentation of them fails to win the votes that count.
The good news is that you can learn to enhance your influence through a study of stage presence - a term used to describe the actor’s ability to command an audience. This involves adjusting your physicality, your vocal colour, your content, and even how you walk into the room on the day. We'll teach you how!
Length: Either Full Day or 2.5 hour option
Presenting to Camera
Does your team need to make presentations online?
Are you now livestreaming lectures, conferences or special events?... But are your viewing numbers down?
Do your online presentations seem wooden or unengaging? Then we can help you out! Actors are used to acting for the camera, but non-actors haven't always had an opportunity to explore the best ways to deliver their material with a camera present. In this three-hour workshop, you'll be introduced to some of the key considerations, including eyelines, storytelling techniques, relaxing into the moment, and speaking to the camera.
Length: Three hours
Storytelling for Non-profits
Do you have staff or volunteer advocates for your organisation, who need to share their personal stories as part of your charity work?
In this workshop we look at how to tell our own stories in a safe way that's cohesive and relevant to your non-profit's goals, whether that be fundraising, advocacy, awareness-raising or peer support and sharing.
Storytelling is central to acting, and a few tips from the profession will enhance your team's ability no end.
Length: Two hours
Talk It Up Communications Workshop
Does your team's soft skills need an upskill? Sometimes if you have a team of amazing technical minds, they're not always great at conversation. Or maybe you have some young staff who are right at the beginning of their careers and are learning how to talk to clients. Your business relies on your team's ability to communicate clearly and get the message across.
In this workshop we look at the art of connecting and communicating well for business purposes. Drawing on the skills of the actor, before too long your team will be more confident verbal communicators.
Length: Full Day or can be adapted to shorter time
How training from Perform Australia can help your team.
When you think of acting, you might picture Hollywood stars or Broadway performers. Still, the truth is that acting skills can be beneficial for anyone, including those in the business world.
Whether you're an entrepreneur, executive, or employee, there are numerous ways in which acting skills can help you succeed in your professional life.
Performance is for more than just actors and entertainers, as many business professionals are discovering. Professionals in all aspects of business can benefit from learning acting techniques such as characterisation, poise, presence, storytelling, and improvisation – even honing their body language. Whether you are presenting a project or making an important pitch, these techniques can help you make a good impression on those around you. Through understanding performance fundamentals and developing essential skills like audience engagement and active listening, every professional has the power to succeed - no matter what industry they're in!
Discover why performance skills should be at the top of your list when striving for business excellence.
1. The Power of Performance
Acting skills are not just useful for those in the entertainment industry. They can be beneficial for anyone in the business world. The ability to speak in front of others, to present oneself in a positive light, and manage one's emotions are all essential skills that can help to boost a career. These are also the skills of the actor. As a business person, it's essential to exude confidence in yourself, your ideas, and your abilities. Taking an acting course can help you develop more self-awareness, learn to control your body language and voice, and ultimately boost your confidence in high-pressure situations.
2. Igniting creativity
Acting can also help you increase your creativity. By exploring different characters and emotions, you can stimulate your brain in new ways, which can be great for business innovation and problem-solving. Drama games involving improvisation, in particular, ignite creativity and train the brain to come up with positive solutions quickly; these are commonly used as part of an actor’s training. Being involved in acting can help you think outside the box, take risks, and approach challenges more openly.
3. The Ability to Connect with Others
To be successful in your chosen profession, it's essential to be able to connect with others. Whether you're networking at a business event or presenting to potential clients, your ability to connect with others is vital. If you can learn how to hear the wants and needs of others, and share your thoughts effectively with them, you'll be more likely to succeed in business.
One of the key skills of the actor is the ability to listen. The only way to make a performance look real is for one actor to be truly listening to the other actor in their scene, and to respond in kind - so, they’re not just waiting for their cue, in a disconnected way. Good acting is all about listening and response. Actors do a lot of work on listening skills and develop improved skills in this area through rehearsal and performance. An acting course can help you refine your listening skills.
4. Emotional Intelligence
One of the essential skills for business success is emotional intelligence. This refers to the ability to understand and manage one's own emotions, as well as be sensitive to the feelings of others. Those with high emotional intelligence are typically better at managing stress, handling conflict, and building relationships. Learning to manage your emotions better will make you more likely to succeed in business.
Actors work with emotions day-to-day. Through characters, they play everything from strong emotions like anger and fear, through to gentler emotions like sadness and joy. They explore what these are like in the body, face and gesture. And every time you play a character, you’re walking in another’s shoes. This helps develop "soft skills" like empathy - and a curiosity for the thoughts, feelings and motivations of others. But more than that, studying scripts and thinking about how to embody a character on stage or screen can help you better understand human behaviour. You can see how studying acting and working as an actor can build emotional intelligence.
Want to explore acting further, for personal development? Try our Acting 101 class!