Powerful benefits from the Nativity play for confident communication skills

It’s coming up for Christmas and so it’s that time of year: The school nativity play.

Now, there are the favourite parts that everyone wants, aren’t there? And when you’re a 7-year-old girl, being an angel is pretty much the top of that list.

With dreams of floating about a stage in a delicate, white dress.

Except I didn’t get to be an angel.

Instead, my costume made me feel like I’d been fast forwarded. About seven decades.

I was wearing a long, thick cloak and a serious looking, scarlet, velvet flat cap with gold coins hanging from it.

It wasn’t so much angelic as it was very sensible.

And whenever I was on stage I was holding open a large book, the size of an encyclopedia.

What was I?

I was the narrator.

The person telling the story.

Introducing people, filling in the details, pointing out important stuff.

Except I didn’t know what a narrator did at that age.

I was a bit confused as to the role and its significance.

Quite disappointed, too (no wings for me!)

But here’s what I learned from acting the role of narrator.

1)     It was important training for my own communication skills that I would later use as a teacher, trainer, and coach. As a narrator I explained things, asked questions, engaged with an audience, shared information, and moved things along.

2)     When the spotlight is on you it means that you can disappear. Now, I don’t mean disappear in the “now you see me now you don’t” way. But when there’s a bright light shining on just you and the audience is in total darkness, well, that’s quite comforting. It means that you can focus on sharing your message and delivering your words and not get spooked with public speaking nerves or by the sheer number of eyes on you.

3)     I was told that I got the part of being a narrator because I had a nice speaking voice. And that was the first time someone told me that. So, although I wasn’t able to flounce about as an angel with wings, I literally used my voice to bring some magic to the story and develop my public speaking skills. And I felt quite proud to do that.

4)     Practice makes perfect. We performed the play a few times. And each time allowed me to get more comfortable and more familiar with my role and how I used my voice, my pauses, and my expression. And yes, I even came to kind of like that hat.

5)     Disappointment can lead to joy. I didn’t get the part I wanted. But by the end of the run, I wanted the part I did get. And could see that by standing alone on the stage on my own it had taught me how to manage my nerves and my composure in a way that being part of a group of angels wouldn’t have. And so, it made me step out of my comfort zone and develop my communication skills in a way I’d not previously had the chance to at the age of 7.

Now chances are you’re not 7.

You might be closer to 27 or 57.

Or maybe 75.

But one thing that all of these ages and life stages have in common is that opportunities are all around us to develop our own voices, how we communicate with others and the impact our words have.

What can you do that can take you out of your comfort zone and communicate?

And what’s your version of being in the spotlight and using your voice?