Scan Magazine, Issue 101, June 2017

Page 44

Scan Magazine

Special Theme

|

|

Leadership Development and Executive Coaching in Norway

Theatrical communication When Hanne Lindbæk was offered to audition for one of Norway’s most famous soap operas, Hotel Cæsar, she realised that she needed to find a way to say no to the roles she did not want. At the same time, she heard about a group of actors helping people with their communication skills in Washington DC. That was how she got the idea of Ergo;Ego. By Synne Johnsson

|

Photos: Ergo;Ego

Lindbæk is a professional actress with an acting degree from London. When she got the offer from Hotel Cæsar she had already starred in a Norwegian soap opera called Offshore and did not want to be part of another. “The woman who got the role still has it now. It’s kind of like a parallel life, I could have been ‘Cæsar-Hanne’,” she laughs. “Instead, I chose to use theatre in a different way. It is kind of like we have turned the lights on in the theatre and are talking with the audience.” 17 years later, she has worked with a range of different companies across 25 countries in Europe and America as well as Asia. She has not only helped Norway’s top politicians and ministers, but also one man proposing, another man practising his wedding speech, and even a couple who were having troubles who are now still happily married. 44 |

Issue 101

|

June 2017

“Theatre is trying to imitate real life, so actors learn a lot of techniques to help us act natural and to create natural relationships. Some of these techniques work really well if we use them in communication in, for example, business,” says Lindbæk. Ergo;Ego provides communication and leadership training. They also work with culture in the workplace, where they interpret the business and then write small plays with relevant scenes from the workday so that their customers can see themselves, often a bit exaggerated. They pause to ask for tips on how to solve the different problems they act out in the play, so the employees can coach themselves. “We try not to make people sit still and just listen, but instead go out and learn by experiencing,” says Lindbæk. “For us,

it is really important that you become good in your own way, so we tend not to use the same recipe for everyone, because everyone is different. ”This autumn, Lindbæk will release a book together with the publishing house Kagge Forlag about everything she has learned about communication skills. “I have definitely not picked a boring job. It involves a lot of travelling and we are out and about all the time,” says Lindbæk.

Hanne Lindbæk. Photo: Agnete Brun

For more information, please visit: www.ergoego.no


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.