I have been singing in the local community choir. It’s been great – an opportunity to grow my abilities in a new area. And there’s something about singing, about making music, that feeds the soul. There are benefits you just can’t put into words.
At the end of each session, the choir gives a performance. This session we’re doing songs from movies and broadway. We’ve teamed up with the local theatre group who has put together short acting pieces to introduce the different songs.
Each group has been practicing on its own, but this week we came together. It was great fun to see what the theatre group had put together. There was lots of laughter – both at the intended funny bits and the various glitches.
By the second practice, my writer’s brain kicked in (this is why writers are often left off the invitation list to parties). Because there are a number of acting vignettes, I found myself comparing them and thinking about what made the good ones good and others not as strong.
As I thought about how I would strengthen the pieces, I realized the truths of communication are the truths no matter what. Regardless of what you’re trying to communicate or in what medium, a good piece has a single clear message. If you identify that message and then remove the excess verbiage, you are well on your way to good communication.