..."persona" refers to the megaphone-like mask actors in Greek plays wore to be heard back in the cheap seats, and therefore is closer to a "role being played" than is "ethos" which would be more closely akin to the real tribal membership of the speaker. [...] Persona is defined as the "role that speakers assume in order to display conscious intentions..."

In the [speakers'] manner and delivery, [their] tone, word choice, and arrangements of reasons, in the sympathy with which [they] treats alternative views, [they create] a trustworthy persona.

• ethos by appearing objective and fair
• pathos by appearing passionate and caring
• logos by appearing informative and authoritative

To convey a point, we act like we know what we're doing. Even when we DO know what we're doing, the need to act remains because we act like we're more than competent:

• we're the experts
• we're the evangelists
• we're the authority -- the bringer of the law!

And this view of role-playing isn't confined to formal discourse. Consider

• violations of rules, especially in sports (e.g. drawing a foul)
• defending good manners (e.g. polite conversation)
• other expressions of personal emotions

Role playing is used in business and industry (as long as organizations can afford it) to enable scientists, engineers, business people and managers to view the world from someone else's shoes. In such environments, you can strengthen your role-playing abilities with factual sources.

The problem you may find is that communication becomes more difficult as it becomes more personal. The closer you are to the subject, or the more you treat it as part of yourself, the harder it is to make it real to others.

Whenever you present an argument to others, you're adopting a role of "authority on the topic." Even though in your eyes that may be exactly what you are, it's the way you play the role that decides how well your audience buys into it. That can mean that you have to examine role(s) that are contrary to your position -- to keep you from trying to persuade your audience with anger, sarcasm, or fallacies.

Improvisation

Improvisation, acting without a formal script, can provide engineers (and other non-actors) more leeway in learning the tools of the trade. The rules are simple:

1. The performance is under the control of the "puppet master" -- the only person who can pull the players out of character. (This can be good for cerebral types like engineers -- it'll force us to think through the role.)
2. Players can (and will, if there's time) have varying characters in the same performance.
3. Starting simple can get both the players and the audience warmed up. A commonly-used example is the job interview: one person plays the job-hunter, the other the interviewer. Before long they switch roles. Since nearly everyone hunts for a job at some point, new players can readily relate.
4. Advanced players can add complexity to improv through props, extras, and tough questions from the "puppet master."

I was surprised to find, when the Mixed Signals improv group (pictured) visited my classes, how readily improv principles instruct the budding entrepreneur. Not the least of the ideas to come out of the two classes was that students with a healthy exposure to improv are well-prepared to work as facilitators and corporate trainers after graduation -- for a healthy salary.

So I'm prepared to give the troupe, including Honor Friberg (pictured) an "A" for effort.

Among several uses of improv is training us to think on our feet. Mixed Signals correctly reminded us that "in real life, we're not fed any lines." And furthermore, "you can't take back what you say." So we practice feeding one another lines, and covering one another in the event that one says something that ought to be taken back. (Note for future reference: I should never encourage small companies to send one representative to talk to money people -- or maybe even vendors -- alone. They should be trained to work in teams instead -- to prevent a single point of failure caused by one rep delivering a bad line.)

Mixed Signals addressed the groups through games, some of which allowed for audience participation. Here is a list of some of the games:

• "Making an Impression" -- the presenter has 15 seconds to convince the audience to hear more about what he's selling -- for another 15 seconds.
• "Yes, And" -- two presenters have a conversation where each in turn develops what the other said, starting her turn with "yes, and." (Note: this one doesn't support asking questions.)
• "Interview Question" (I may have gotten the name of this one wrong) -- two presenters act as a worker and a manager. The first makes a request of the second. We learn easily how to do this wrong:
  • concentrate on yourself
  • show no deference to the other's rank
  • ignore details not just about the other, but about everyone else around you
  • present limited or even no supporting info to back up the request
  (Of course, they also try to do this "right.")
• "Functional Fixedness" -- an exercise to define new uses for products that only do one thing (e.g. the Popeil Pocket Fisherman, pictured).
• "Contingency Planning" -- an exercise to respond to obstacles thrown into a business situation by the audience, through frequent strategic interruptions.
• "Columns" -- a participant from the audience adds a single word or phrase to a conversation when called upon.
• "Three-Headed Person" -- three participants, including one from the audience, act as one, completing sentences one word at a time, in turn.
• "Half Life" -- present a sales pitch in two minutes. Then one minute. Then 30 seconds. Then 15 seconds. Then... ummm... seven seconds.
• "First Line, Last Line" -- the audience chooses the first line and the last line of a conversation. Two participants on stage must connect the two smoothly. (Our lines? "Fourscore and seven years ago" and "which way is the gift shop?")

Recommended sources:

• Fuzzy's Games List
• Learn Improv
• Improv Encyclopedia
• Yesand
• Improvland

Lessons Learned from Pro Wrestling

The experienced professional wrestler knows as well as anyone the importance of creating a role and staying in it for the fans' benefit. Wrestlers also realize that most of their stunts depend on timing -- the more well-loved (or hated) wrestlers tend to be the ones who make the best use both of role and timing.

In this picture (courtesy Cleveland All-Pro Wrestling), J. T. Lightning is "throwing a fireball" in the face of Steve Nixon. This move is (from the wrestlers' perspective, and the referee's, since he usually plays a role as well) relatively simple, yet draws a great deal of excitement from the audience -- and with little risk of actual pain. (Nixon didn't get hurt here.) The rewards are great: Lightning solidifies his reputation as a "heel" (bad guy) and generates a huge crowd reaction; Nixon is awarded the match and receives the sympathy due a "face" (good guy) from the crowd. The lesson? Choose the simplest compelling scene you can, then practice it until you have the timing down.

Lessons Learned from Role-Playing Games

A good role-playing game (RPG) comes with a guidebook that sets up a substantial background. This background can have five (or more!) levels:

1. director/"game master"
2. overall setting
3. specific scenario(s)
4. individual characters
5. specific character action(s)

Once a background is in place, you can use the same roles in multiple scenarios.

RPGs require a "game master." This suggests that a role-playing strategy needs someone to remain outside the setting, governing the players and keeping everyone on task.

RPGs typically have multiple characters, each having some degree of "free will" (or, randomness), leading to a large number of possible outcomes. If you want to minimize the number of outcomes, you have to start by minimizing randomness -- constrain the characters' actions and choices.

Assignments

1. Describe how you would become the most famous engineer in the history of the world.
2. Consider the scenarios outlined in "A Modest Proposal" or "How I'll Become an American," the addresses of which are given below. With partners from among your classmates, act out the scenario, improvising a script of your own.
3. Create a role as the President of the United States, and declare engineers as the most important members of American society.
4. In a small group, act out (with props and extras as available) the doomed Air Florida Flight 90 -- see if you can write a better ending.
5. Kehoe says that "if you're given material [to work with], stick to it as much as possible. We tend to get in trouble when we stray." So it can be useful for you to practice improv in groups -- you're given the material, and you just have to try to make it yours. Kehoe will have audiences submit characteristics (e.g. a job -- real or imagined; a memorable book title; a location), then have volunteers draw one of each at random and discuss it in a "talk show."

References

Bolte, A. "J. T. Lightning Strikes the Wrestling World as a Bad Guy!" Wrestling World, no date available.
Crow, S. and C. Mortika. Pawns of Time. Niles, IL: Mayfair Games, 1986. ISBN 0-912771-69-0
Swift, J. "A Modest Proposal." This popular American essay is in many Rhetoric texts and all over the Internet, including HERE.
Vamos, M. "How I'll Become an American." This article by an Hungarian writer is in many Rhetoric texts and all over the Internet, including HERE.
Odyssey of the Mind is a movement that fosters creativity in young people from elementary school age through college. Through "performance," the goal for participating teams is:

teams present performances that revolve around a specific theme and incorporate required elements. Past themes include "morphing" objects, animals that express human emotions, and originating folktales.