Eliot has worked extensively in the business training sector as a behavioural coach and facilitator, often working with companies to assess their training needs, creating custom training programmes, writing bespoke scripts, enacting role-plays and running, directing and facilitating learning through Forum Theatre. He has presented at ExCel, the NEC, Olympia and numerous Trade shows as well as appearing in many Business training videos and regularly works for a number of business training providers. 

In the last few years he has undertaken work with clients that include the Hill Group, Jaguar Land Rover in the UK, Slovakia and China, Heathrow Airport, the H&S Executive, Tom Tom in the Netherlands, Allianz Trade, Network Rail, Anglian Water, Wates, NHS Royal Devon, NHS Berkshire, Morgan Sindall, Luton Airport, Johnson Matthey, GoApe, Staropramen, British American Tobacco, EDF, The Natural History Museum, Schroders, Ofcom, ITV, Keolis Amey Docklands, Seadrill, Saica, Progress Housing and Lego. He has a strong working relationship with CentreStage Partnership, and the Healthy Work Company Eliot is also an experienced Event Manager and has run numerous campaigns for companies such as Kreate and Stellar Global.

Personal Statement and Ethos

I am someone that can be relied upon and I pride myself on having an excellent work ethic, being a team player, turning up on time and always being friendly, organised, well presented and on top of my brief. I’m attentive and focused, never forgetting that I’m an ambassador for the company that I’m working for. I will always go the extra mile to be flexible and accommodating to last minute changes to the brief or on the spot feedback from clients. I hold the work I do in high esteem thinking of it as an interesting part of my career rather than just something to do between acting jobs. I tailor my energy to the needs and demands of individual clients working with enthusiasm and bringing I hope, a calm, easy professionalism to the job.

I am able to tailor my work to the demands of the corporate/training environment making sure that I am able to support the learning objectives of a particular programme and always focussing on the needs of the participant, seeking to support and develop their learning ahead of any notions of ‘my performance’ to ensure maximum results. I also have excellent recall ability meaning that I am able to give detailed feedback to the participant in as an objective way as possible. I’m quick witted, with excellent improvisational skills, business experience and vocabulary and am able to stay in character and respond authentically and realistically within the confines of a given role or brief and the dynamics of the situation. I also have the ability to be present during role/real play while at the same time being able to recall what the participants did and the way they behaved enabling me to give constructive and objective feedback based on observation. I’m also experienced in coaching clients in public speaking, body language and in dealing with challenging situations and conversations within the business environment should this be required and appropriate.

Eliot's full C.V. can be found here https://www.spotlight.com/interactive/cv/1572-8943-3788,

https://www.spotlight.com/interactive/cv/1572-8943-3788,

Forum Theatre and Role play specialist

We use theatre and theatre techniques to look at and unlock what motivates people and makes them tick, presenting business challenges, conversations and scenarios in a fresh, dynamic and exciting way to make learning powerful, fun and interactive. Theoretical situations are brought to life and abstract learning is translated into a presentation and analysis of real-life behaviours in challenging business situations. If you really want your training course to come alive, then this might be a course highlight for you! This is not an off the peg training component, but a bespoke session of interactive theatre with a script created in collaboration with you and carefully tailored to the developmental needs of your organisation. 

The session will start with a presentation of a short piece of bespoke theatre that has been created and developed in collaboration with the client - usually a short, dynamic scene for two actors on a ‘live’ subject relevant to the organisation and the watching participants. Conflict, of course, makes good drama and we will often show a conversation or situation with people of differing viewpoints or where there is a particular business or workplace challenge or disagreement. The scene will be believable and to a certain degree realistic but with plenty of glaring mistakes, less than optimum practice and usually a lack of open and honest communication which will give participants a key into the exercise. 

Once the delegates have seen the scene played out, the conversation or Forum starts....What did they think of what they’ve just seen?...how did they think it went? What could have been said differently? Was there a positive outcome? How did they feel when they heard x...y...z? How was a particular piece of information received? What did the body language and tone of voice of that character say?..and so on.. 

We will then explain the concept and rules of forum theatre and replay the scene but this time with a vital difference. The delegate will now get to direct the scene, stopping the action whenever they see something that they don’t like or think could be handled differently and re-directing the scenario so as to achieve a better outcome. In effect, - with our encouragement and coaching - the delegates become the editors, directors, script writers and acting coaches for the scene. We may ask them to tell the characters what to say, or how to say it or what would be the right question to ask at this point or how would they change or modify a characters’ body language or by a combination of all of the above. The actors will ‘try on’ all suggestions that are given so delegates can see how they play out and scene will be rewound or fast forwarded the until a consensus of what ‘good’ might look like has been reached. We will encourage delegates to focus on emotional intelligence and behaviours rather than on company processes - as that is where the learning will be. 

Forum theatre is always great fun and completely interactive and crucially it makes learning, sharing and developing good practice an experiential revelation. The scripted drama is a perfect vehicle on which to ‘hang’ the learning and training on; it gets people talking, agreeing, disagreeing, sharing tips, nuances and stories from their own experiences, and eliciting different points of view. We explore the behaviours of different personality types and get people participating, finding collective solutions and learning in an active, hands-on way. Often delegates (who are happy and keen to do so) will be encouraged to take the place of one of the actors in order to play out and ‘model’ their suggestion or contribution to the scene at a particular moment. 

As a technique, Forum Theatre can be a fantastic way of exploring emotional or sensitive issues or raising awareness. Thought provoking and memorable it shows what theory can look like in practice and gives people a chance to contribute in an environment where it doesn’t matter if you get things wrong. It’s a chance to test new ideas, new ways of working or for people to try out a way of doing things that might feel or seem difficult for them in a safe environment. 

Difficult or Challenging Conversations: One-to-one Role Play with delegates 

One to one role-play gives participants the opportunity to practice having a conversation that is important or ‘live’ for them or for the organisation in a safe environment; a chance to put theory or training into practice and see how a ‘difficult’ conversation plays out in real time. 

Our actors will stay in character for the duration of any role play, responding authentically and realistically within the confines of the given role or brief and within the dynamics of the business conversation or situation. They can also gauge the individual needs, skill and experience of a participant and are able to pitch the conversation accordingly. Experience allows them to be completely present during role-play conversations whilst at the same time recalling later what the participants said and did and the how they behaved. This enables them to coach and give constructive and objective feedback based on observation and to respond to participants sensitively and honestly. 

It might be a conversation that the participant finds challenging, perhaps with a difficult stakeholder, manager or a member of their team or maybe it’s a topic or feedback that they find difficult or that needs to be handled with sensitivity. Whatever the content or scenario, participants will get the chance to practice and will receive feedback on how they come across, and the impact – positive and negative - of what they say and the way they say it whilst having their awareness raised of their non-verbal communication, body language, eye contact and tone of voice. 

Learning is always more powerful when it is experienced and engaging in role play enables participants to ‘sit in the hot seat’ and try things out for themselves, immersing themselves in the experience of having a difficult or challenging conversation that is at once real but which happens in the context of a safe environment and where such conversation can be stopped, analysed, and started again without any pressure or judgement. The focus of role-play technique is not about getting a result but rather trying different ideas and strategies out to see what works and as a vehicle for increasing understanding and learning. Looking at and discussing how such conversations can be handled in different ways, receiving feedback and being given the space to evaluate how their words and behaviours can be received will give participants the tools and confidence to have such conversations in the workplace or to tackle issues that they may have previously avoided. 

The subject and content of ‘difficult or challenging’ conversations are worked out in collaboration with individual clients or they may come from the participants themselves. 

Some examples :
How they might a participant deal with or react to people being angry with them or getting upset or variously offering challenge, agreement or dissent? 

How do you give positive or negative feedback?; what does it feel like to be on the receiving end of feedback? How do you come out of a meeting with both parties feeling positive? 

What happens if you wish to inspire or persuade someone or raise a concern? What helps? What hinders? What works and what is counter-productive? 

Eliot's full C.V. can be found here https://www.spotlight.com/interactive/cv/1572-8943-3788,