Your Audience

Breaking Down the Fourth Wall Between You and Your Elder Client

Any good speaker or actor will attest to the fact that you must know your audience if you hope to connect. Without the ability to read your audience, you may as well talk to an empty room.

If the topic and elected method of communication does not necessitate interaction with your audience, then leaving the fourth wall up is indeed appropriate and useful. However, if you wish to engage your audience, elicit active participation, input, and overall involvement, the fourth wall must come down.

The fourth wall, within the acting or speaking arena, might be described as the ‘curtain’ or the ‘stage’ that separates you from ‘them’. Of course, the actual stage and or curtain are not necessary at all to accomplish this definitive separation. It is simply, the state of mind of the one facilitating the activity. It is the difference between playing to and playing with your audience.

In the role of physical or occupational therapy, a social worker, discharge planner, physician, nurse, and activity director, it is you that controls the environment, you that controls the series of events, and it is you, that chooses to play to the audience (in this case, usually an audience of one), or finds a way to ‘play with’ this elderly person.

All modalities of service caring for the elderly approach the task at hand with an outcome objective. If your objective is to elicit cooperation, understanding, participation, communication and trust with your elderly client, you will be much more successful if you learn to remove the fourth wall.

Picture this. You are standing above your client, which in many cases occurs simply because you are standing and he or she is in bed, in a wheel chair, or sitting. You are costumed in your crisp uniform with the official name tag and you begin to speak to your audience of one.

Immediately, your audience sees you in a position of authority and this inadvertently sends the message – “I am more powerful then you and therefore you better pay attention.” In some cases, this might work. But if you are not getting the response you were originally after, you will do well to remove that fourth wall mentality.

Breaking Down the Fourth Wall

1. Create rapport. Know who you’re speaking with. Share something about yourself that will resonate on a personal level with your audience.

2. Eye contact is imperative. Sit or stand in a manner that allows your face to be as even in height as the one you are speaking with.

3. Pause in between the important points you are relaying. Wait to be certain your audience understood.

4. Keep the tempo of your voice similar to the tempo of your audience. If he or she speaks slowly, then slow your words down a bit.

5. Grounding is so important. A small light touch to his or her shoulder, thigh, hand, or arm says, “I’m right here with you” among other subtle messages relayed by touch.

6. Elicit a response and quietly, patiently, allow the response to come from your audience. If it doesn’t come back to you as hoped for, re-phrase your statement. Assume you are at fault for the lack of understanding – never put that pressure on your audience.

7. Share a laugh. It is scientifically proven in a variety of studies that sharing a laugh bridges intimacy, relaxes (on mental, emotional, and physical levels) both the speaker and the listener.

8. Stay on topic. If you have many issues to cover, you may want to consider several short conversations as opposed to one long one with varying points.

9. Help your audience see you as being the one willing to risk being made a fool of, as opposed to the other energy, you always being the ‘right’ one, and he or she, by default, is not.

10. Be willing to compromise. If you have a specific goal in mind that you want your audience to comply with, and you find him or her resistant, back off. Engage this person to offer their suggestion. Yes, you are in charge, but there is always more then one way to accomplish a goal.

Your elderly clients are full of the wisdom acquired while living life. Respect the fact that you, in your 20’s, 30’s, 40’s, 50’s have not yet lived long enough to know the heart desires of one in their 80’s or 90’s.

Respect that even if he or she finds it difficult to speak, to think clearly, to move fluidly, that this person still wants to feel as though he or she has the right to participate in the decisions being made concerning their life.

If you’re truly dedicated to developing a relationship with your elderly clients then I highly recommend the skillful training offered by Robert Kreidler through the The Ohio College of Clowning Arts

Don’t laugh, well, yes go on ahead, laugh. But the curriculum offered in this course will indeed help you to develop a caring, engaging, persona that you will tap in to while working with the elderly. You will use what you’ve learned, even if you never elect to show up to work in brightly colored costume with a big red nose.

audience