We were lucky to catch up with Sharyl Sutton-troiani recently and have shared our conversation below.
Sharyl, so great to have you on the platform and excited to have you share your wisdom with our community today. Communication skills often play a powerful role in our ability to be effective and so we’d love to hear about how you developed your communication skills.
Communications is a fine art. These three exercises can improve your conversation: writing, listening and observing.
Write like you speak. Speak like you write. Speech that follows the linear writing process – subject, verb, object – is easier to follow. When I wrote news copy this way, our ratings increased. I produced four hours of news a weekend. Within five months, the ratings tripled. That’s a big improvement in audience involvement. Conversing this way makes your message concise. Your audience will understand you quicker and more completely.
Listen. Of course you’re listening but are you immersing their situation? The best communicators give empathy. It’s easy to think of self interest comments while someone is still talking. But if the speaker hasn’t completed their thought, it’s not ideal communications. There is an etiquette to dialogue and public speaking. People who are not patient and considerate are often perceived as poor communicators.
Observing your listener’s responses offer you feedback to adjust your next replies. I watch gestures, facial expressions, body language to gauge my answers to their comments. When I spoke to civic groups about voter education for the Georgia Office of Secretary of State, I discerned the audience. I was looking for cues that people could hear me, understood me and followed me. If I need to adjust to keep the audience engaged, I did it. The job of communications to keep listeners, staffers, and audience engaged.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
Family Friendly Fun at Drama Kids Charleston South Studio Stage on River Road, Johns Island
DKCS Second Annual Halloween Party is October 26 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. This year, we’re hosting a talent show, costume competition, backyard candy dig, cake walk and mummy wrap. We’re inviting kids ages 8-15 to join us. Tickets are $15 at https://app.promotix.com/event/event-organizer/Drama-Kids-Charleston-South?referrer=The-Most-Epic-Birthday-Party-Ever-tickets
The Improvians Comedy Club is performing in our studio Thursday, October 17 from 6:45 to 7:30. Everyone is welcome to walk-in for this free show. We love audience members who are courageous enough to join us on stage for improv games, or at play along in their seats. The laughs are clean, old-school and fun. We hope to see you.
The Acting Academy will perform December 6 & 7 at our Johns Island studio. “A Slice of Life” follows the lives of a park manager and a homeless soul who lives there. Our oldest actors explore social inequality, community and kindness. We know you’re entire family will enjoy this message during the holiday season. This show is our gift to Johns Island, it’s on the house. Please arrive 10 minutes before showtime for a seat. Friday 12/6 at 7pm, Saturday 12/7 at 2pm & 7pm.
Our Take 2 Musical Theater Academy cast is in rehearsals for “A Christmas Carol.” See some of our most seasoned performers in this holiday musical play by Kathryn Schultz Miller and ArtsReach. You’ll delight in watching our youngest performers, only five years old, as they immerse you in a storytelling event with a meaning. Performances are Friday, December 13 at 7pm & Saturday, December 14 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Tickets are $15 for this 90 minute musical. https://app.promotix.com/event/event-organizer/Drama-Kids-Charleston-South
Drama Kids Charleston South never auditions children, instead, directors lead them in classes of speech, creative movement and theater lessons to assign parts according to students ability. Enrolling now for our Spring Musicals, Plays and Showcases at https://dramakids.com/johns-island-james-island-charleston-kiawah-island/classes-by-age/
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Sutton’s Best Advice for Success
1. Stay humble. Learning is a lifelong process. We’re all learning.
2. Always give your best. Small projects build habits that create epic opportunities.
3. Kindness. The workforce is competitive. People would rather work with a pleasant person than a grumpy one.
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
Drama Kids Charleston South loves to collaborate with schools, civic and community groups. Our award-winning, curriculum based lessons build a foundation for a life of communications. These unique classes build on the art oc communications, creative thinking and problem solving.
We’d love to work with more preschools, private schools and churches. Our lessons are charming, disarming and old-school fun. There’s a return on investment to locations that provide space for classes.
Drama Kids International is across the U.S. in more than 60 cities, and globally in more than 30 countries. We started in 1979. We are the largest acting school in the world!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://dramakids.com/johns-island-james-island-charleston-kiawah-island/classes-by-age/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dramakidscharlestonsouth/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DramaKidsCharleston/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharylmueller
Image Credits
Pictures provided by Drama Kids Charleston South
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
