Revolutionising Leadership Development with Real Play: The Dramatic Difference Approach
May 14
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Dramatic Difference
Welcome to our latest discussion on the cutting edge of leadership development. Today, we’re diving deep into an innovative approach that’s reshaping the landscape for senior leadership teams across the board: The use of Real Play and the integration of “Rehearsing for Real Life” over traditional simulations, and an exploration of how we do things differently at Dramatic Difference.
Creating a Dramatic Difference in Leadership Development Training
In an era where traditional training methods fall short of addressing complex leadership challenges, Dramatic Difference is often cited as being “refreshing in not just about what we learn but how we learn” by clients. We transition from traditional role plays to Dialogue Intensives and Communication/Dialogue Intervention Coaching, effectively bridging the gap between theoretical concepts and their real-world application in the corporate sphere.
Role Play Re-imagined: Dialogue Intensives
Forget the stale scripts and imagined situations of old. At Dramatic Difference, we revitalise the concept, transforming it into a vibrant rehearsal space for navigating real-world complexities. Envision a scenario that reflects the nuanced dynamics of your workplace, allowing leaders to explore, innovate, and refine their skills in a risk-free environment.
Real Play: Authenticity in Action
Now, imagine elevating this experience with Real Play. This is where Dramatic Difference truly stands apart. Real Play involves tackling actual challenges that leaders face in their professional environment. This method not only ensures the relevancy of the training but also heightens leaders’ emotional and intellectual engagement. The result? Learning that sticks, insights that resonate, and strategies that can be immediately applied to real-life challenges.
Integrating approaches for success
The integration of Dialogue Intensives and Real Play illustrates our comprehensive development pathway. By blending the explorative freedom of simulated scenarios with the solid focus of Real Play, we facilitate a journey of continuous improvement, inspiring leaders to venture beyond their comfort zones while anchored in their authentic workplace scenarios.
The Environment Matters
Central to this innovative approach is the creation of a safe and trusting learning environment. Dramatic Difference champions an atmosphere where leaders can be open and vulnerable, a space where transformational learning flourishes. The emphasis on reflective practice post-exercises ensures that insights gained translate into actionable strategies, propelling leaders and organisations forward.
Integrating Dialogue Intensives and Real Play in Executive Coaching
Top-tier executive coaching programs blend the strengths of both Dialogue Intensives and Real Play, creating a dynamic and adaptable learning atmosphere. Here’s our approach:
Customisation
Tailoring scenarios to mirror the individual or team’s unique challenges and objectives, mixing elements of Real Play (actual issues) with Dialogue Intensives (theoretical scenarios), caters to diverse learning needs.
Feedback and Reflection
Post-exercise reflection is vital. We advocate for specific, constructive feedback designed to stimulate growth and development.
Safety and Trust
Establishing a coaching space where participants feel secure to express and explore is crucial for the effectiveness of both Dialogue Intensives and Real Play.
Application and Follow-up
Ensuring actionable plans and subsequent sessions post-exercises solidifies learning and the application of new skills in the workplace.
Real Play and Dialogue Intensives, when viewed alongside conventional leadership training methods, underscore the limitations of passive learning. Our experiential approach, in contrast, immerses leaders in practical scenarios, transcending traditional methods to foster deeper, more lasting change through active involvement and comprehensive engagement. This hands-on approach leads to deeper learning and more enduring change because it engages the leader not just intellectually but emotionally and physically as well.
Examples of Real-Play in action
There have been a number of examples where real-play has worked well in executive coaching sessions with our clients. We thought we’d share a few stories with you (These have been anonymised to protect identities)
Example One
The CTO of a growing tech firm faced challenges in effective communication and conflict resolution within the engineering team. The disconnect led to delayed projects and a tense work environment. During executive coaching, the CTO engaged in Real Play scenarios directly based on recent team conflicts and communication breakdowns. Guided by a coach, the CTO practiced new communication strategies and conflict resolution techniques tailored to their personal leadership style and team dynamics. Post-coaching, the CTO reported significant improvements in team interactions, leading to a more collaborative and efficient working environment. Projects were completed ahead of schedule, and team satisfaction scores increased.
Example Two
A finance director at a multinational corporation was struggling with strategic decision-making, impacting the company’s ability to adapt to market changes. The executive coaching incorporated Real Play sessions focusing on recent critical decisions the director faced. Through these sessions, the director explored different decision-making frameworks and their outcomes, receiving real-time feedback from the coach. The finance director gained confidence in making strategic decisions, leading to more agile and proactive financial planning. The improved decision-making process was reflected in better financial performance and increased stakeholder trust.
Example Three
The executive director of a large organisation felt overwhelmed by leadership demands, impacting team morale and performance. Real Play sessions during the executive coaching focused on specific leadership challenges the director faced, such as staff management and customer engagement. The sessions provided safe, practical opportunities for exploring different leadership approaches and techniques. The director emerged from the coaching with renewed energy and clarity, leading to improved staff engagement and a significant uptick in success, enhancing the organisation’s impact in its industry.
Why Real Play in executive coaching matters for your organisation
In today’s fast-paced and ever-evolving business landscape, adaptive and effective leadership is paramount. Integrating Dramatic Difference’s Dialogue Intensives and Real Play into your executive development initiatives promises to not only enhance leadership skills but also to foster a more adaptable, resilient, and forward-thinking executive team.
Evidence and data
Studies show that experiential learning, which includes methods like Real Play and Role Play, leads to a higher retention rate of approximately 90%, compared to traditional learning methods (National Training Laboratories).
Moreover, a survey by the Corporate Executive Board indicates that companies employing active development techniques, including Real Play, report a 65% improvement in team performance and a 55% increase in leadership effectiveness.
Dive deeper: Further reading
For those hungry for more information, check out these links to related articles and research papers on leadership development:
How is Dramatic Difference different in its execution of real play for leaders during executive coaching sessions?
Our clients often tell us that Dramatic Difference stands out in its application of Real Play in executive coaching by deeply integrating personal experiences and challenges into the learning environment and they appreciate both our strong presence and deep understanding of cultural nuances across the Asia-Pacific region.
The team is dedicated to developing high-performance individuals and cultures within organisations. We offer a unique blend of services including leadership development, team building, and diversity and inclusion training, amongst others.
Our approach, particularly the use of Real Play, is also underpinned by our proprietary C4 Dialogue Navigator® model which emphasises Connection, Curiosity, Courage, and Clarity.
This model guides the Real Play process, ensuring that participants can explore their personal and professional challenges in a structured yet flexible manner, promoting deeper understanding and actionable insights.
We also often employ a range of experiential and theatre-led learning methods. This combination facilitates a creative and impactful learning experience, enabling leaders and teams to thrive in complex and ambiguous environments.
We understand that leadership is not one-size-fits-all. That’s why we offer extensive personalisation, shaping our Real Play and Role Play scenarios to fit the unique leadership styles, industries, and specific challenges of each executive. Whether you’re in finance, healthcare, technology, or non-profit, our scenarios are crafted to mirror the nuanced realities of your sector.
For leaders facing specific challenges—be it team dynamics, change management, or strategic decision-making—our approach adapts to address these unique needs, ensuring relevance and impact. We take pride in tailoring our services to meet the unique needs of our clients, ensuring that each coaching and learning experience is as relevant and effective as possible.
By focusing on building wisdom, reflection, gravitas, presence, and mindfulness through the use of real play, we aim to empower leaders not just to excel in their current roles but to embrace change, disruption, and innovation with confidence and resilience
Personalisation Options: Tailoring the Dramatic Difference Approach
The Dramatic Difference approach shines in its capacity for personalisation, which is crucial for effective leadership development and can tailor our real play methods to fit various leadership styles, industries, or challenges, providing actionable insights that can often be implemented immediately.
Leadership Styles: Understanding that every leader is unique, the Dramatic Difference approach can be tailored to complement and challenge different leadership styles. For a transformational leader, Real Play scenarios may focus on fostering deeper emotional intelligence and empathy. For a more transactional leader, the focus could be on developing flexibility and innovation. By aligning the training with the leader’s inherent style, the impact is maximised, ensuring that growth is both natural and potent.
Industry-Specific Scenarios
The challenges a leader faces can vary dramatically from one industry to another. That’s why Dramatic Difference curates Real Play scenarios specific to different sectors. For example, in healthcare, scenarios may revolve around crisis management and sensitive communication, while in tech, they might focus on rapid decision-making and fostering innovation. This bespoke approach ensures that leaders find the exercises directly relevant and immediately applicable to their daily challenges.
Addressing Specific Challenges
The approach is also adaptable to specific organisational challenges. Suppose a company is going through a merger. In that case, Real Play can simulate the complex dynamics involved, helping leaders navigate the changes with more confidence and less friction. Alternatively, if a business is aiming to shift its culture towards more inclusivity, Real Play can help leaders understand and dismantle unconscious biases, fostering a more inclusive environment.
Feedback and Reflective Practice
Customisation extends to feedback mechanisms and reflective practices. Depending on the leader’s learning style and the coaching objectives, feedback can range from direct and data-driven to more reflective and narrative-based. This ensures that leaders not only receive insights in a format that resonates with them but are also able to integrate and apply these insights effectively.
Follow-Up and Integration
The personalisation encompasses the follow-up and application phase. Depending on the leader’s goals, follow-up sessions can focus on reinforcing specific skills, exploring new areas of development, or integrating learning into strategic planning. This tailored support ensures that leaders can translate their insights into actionable change within their teams and organisations.
By offering these personalisation options, the Dramatic Difference approach ensures that executive coaching is not just a standard package but a deeply individualised journey.
This ensures that every leader can derive the maximum benefit from their experience, tailored precisely to their needs, style, and situation.
In embracing this tailored approach, organisations and leaders can unlock new levels of success, innovation, and satisfaction within their teams.
Leadership Development Framework development
We invite you to contemplate the transformative potential of these strategies within your own leadership development framework. Embracing the Dramatic Difference approach could mark the beginning of a new chapter in your organisation’s journey towards excellence in leadership development!
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Feel intrigued?
Let’s start a conversation about revolutionising your leadership development strategy and explore more about how these strategies can be customised to fit your unique needs and unlock new levels of success and innovation within your leadership team. Together, we can create a legacy of dynamic, effective, and inclusive leaders.
Vipul Maholtra, Hong Kong
Vipul is a Leadership Facilitator, Executive Coach, and Actor. His passion is to work specifically in areas of Individual Leadership and Organizational Development with expertise in Executive Presence, Storytelling with Presence, Situational Leadership, Managing Team Dynamics, and Emotional Intelligence.
Harry Marshall - Singapore
As a facilitator and coach, Harry specialises in leadership transitions and career coaching. He works supporting leadership and functional teams across APAC, drawing on his operational and commercial background developing and servicing complex client accounts. Since 1995, he has lived & worked in Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines and has extensive commercial experience across the region. His passion is helping clients to to understand, leverage and refine their leadership style, develop skills in presentation, communication and dialogue, and build psychological safety in teams for high performance.
Sally Dellow - Hong Kong
Sally is an executive coach and facilitator (and an actor, playwright and published poet) with over 30 years global experience. A specialist in leadership coaching and team development, Sally is an active thought partner with thousands of hours of coaching up to C-suite/Board level. She coaches for London Business School and IMD and is a member of the global leadership and coaching faculties for Barclays, BP and Nestlé. A third-culture adult herself, she specialises in intercultural leadership and teams.
Katherine Sum - Hong Kong
Katherine is both a skilled facilitator and a specialist in L&D support and business operations. Formerly Director of Marketing and Communications for the International Association of Facilitators (IAF) Hong Kong, she specialises in Process Facilitation, Facilitation Training and Lego® Serious Play®. Whether facilitating a group or supporting clients behind the scenes with administration, logistics and account management, Kat brings a highly exploratory and engaging style to every encounter. She values her reputation for connecting deeply in the service of excellent client outcomes.
Eric Sampson - Hong Kong
Eric is a specialist in Leadership Development, Executive and Business Coaching, Cross Cultural Communication and Diversity & Inclusion. He has been working as a communications training consultant and executive coach since 2008 and regularly works with senior executives up to ‘C’ suite level, in both small groups and individually.
Alex Park - Korea
Alex is an accredited executive coach, facilitator and business consultant based in Seoul. After working as a banker for more than 30 years in New York, Zurich, London and Seoul, he left the financial industry to pursue his dual passions: the development of his clients’ businesses/lives, and improvisational theatre. He works extensively on executive presence, presenting and communication skills. He is a familiar name in Korean media and theatre and was selected as one of the twenty-one individuals who will lead Korea in the 21st century.
Alistair Scott - UK
Alistair specialises in senior client relationship management, presentations, pitching, personal impact and public speaking. Clients benefit from his unique combination of professional training as a stage and screen actor, combined with the insights from a 25-year career as a senior investment banker in the UK, Europe and Asia. Working with executives (up to and including Chairman and CEO), Alistair helps to improve communication and relationship development skills with both clients and colleagues. He advises on personal brand and franchise building within the corporate world, and supports executives to maximise their impact in high-level presentations and pitches.
Babara Lee Draminsky - Singapore
Currently based in Singapore, Babara has over 25 years of working experiences in retail, hospitality, food & beverage, marketing and advertising, public relations, conferences and events management, coaching and training industries. She has worked and lived in Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, Denmark, Spain, and Los Angeles, and is fluent in English, Mandarin, Cantonese, and conversational Danish and Spanish.
Edward Choy - Singapore
Edward graduated with a Master’s Degree in Theatre and lectures at the National University of Singapore in the fields of Acting Theory and Performance Studies. He is an experienced communication and management skills trainer, combining a strong grasp of management theory and a dynamic sense of enthusiasm with 17 years of experience in corporate training, as well as work experience in retail banking as a wealth manager. He also regularly conducts financial literacy talks and hosts public forums and panel discussions with renowned financial experts for The Singapore Exchange (SGX), in addition to a host of other financial institutions and organisations.
Elizabeth Redfern - Australia
Now based in Melbourne Elizabeth previously spent more than twenty years in Hong Kong and APAC working with international law firms, corporations, media groups and consultancies. She is a specialist in marketing, communications and business development, and has wide experience with maternity/ parental coaching. As a coach, Elizabeth brings an understanding of demanding commercial environments, and a keen interest in high performance, personal brand building and fostering female talent. Elizabeth’s coaches both face-to-face and virtually, and her style fuses business acumen with empathy and creativity.
Charlie Whalley - Thailand
Charlie is an Executive Coach and Mentor for middle and senior managers who want to increase their impact and fast track their growth. She is a highly experienced ICF Professional Certified Coach (PCC) and Firework Career Transition Coach.
She has over 20years’ experience in senior roles in the UK and overseas. She has worked in both start-up environments and large complex matric organizations. Her industry experience spans across many sectors, including F&B, healthcare, energy & resources, education, travel and sports & leisure. As a result, she has a deep understanding of how to successfully navigate career transitions, senior leadership challenges and team dynamics.
Crystal Chu - Philippines
Crystal has been a passionate disciple of acting for over 20 years, giving notable performance in theatre, film, television and household-name commercials, both in Hong Kong and overseas.
Crystal is an experienced coach and facilitator who combines her acting expertise with positive psychology to help individuals and teams unlock their potential. Her approach integrates theatrical techniques with practical tools for overcoming challenges and fostering growth.
Natasha Jain - USA
Natasha is a British-born actor and facilitator, who recently relocated from Hong Kong to New York. Natasha began her career working for leading global law firms. Over the subsequent decade she extended her career into HR, Human Rights, and Marketing and Sustainability, working with leading financial institutions, several start-ups and boutique consultancies. Skilled in navigating the complexities of the corporate matrix, Natasha now brings her skills in stakeholder relations to bear in the leadership learning space. An impactful and influential communicator, she is a leader in Theatre-Led Learning design and delivery.
Piny Ly - Thailand
Piny is a transformation coach and business consultant who works with clients internationally. She helps executives, entrepreneurs and professionals break through the feeling stuck in their careers or business, gain clarity and confidence in their decision-making, and unlock their full potential. A lawyer by training, Piny had a successful career both in private practice and in-house in Sydney and Hong Kong, before moving to Cambodia in 2020 to reconnect with her Cambodian roots. Committed and creative, Piny has served as a non-profit board member, volunteered with a children’s education NGO, mentored young entrepreneurs, and launched a women’s talk show.
Tony Wang - Shanghai
Tony focuses on strengths-based leadership for senior management roles, plus team coaching and facilitation around high- performance team dynamics. On top of his solid 16 years’ corporate work experience, he has dedicated more than ten years to personal growth and team development work.
Yvonne Yam - Japan
For more than 20 years, Yvonne has been coaching MNC and NGO leaders. She is also a master facilitator known for her passionate, insightful and creative style. Yvonne has studied and worked in the USA, Hong Kong, and Japan. A constant learner, she is continually equipping herself with new skills and methodologies, including Integral Change theory, and she brings each new-found approach to her client practice. Yvonne engages and empowers her clients to develop holistic and sustainable habits to support their goals and aspirations. Now resident in Japan, Yvonne coaches in Cantonese, Mandarin, and English.
Sonali Edwards - Dubai
Sonali is an experienced Executive Coach working at EXCO level and with senior business professionals to amplify their leadership capability.
Sonali also serves as an Executive Coach with IMD Business School on programs including High Performance Leadership (HPL) and Inspirational Leadership (IL) with distinguished Professor of Leadership and Organizational Behaviour, George Kohlrieser. Based in the UAE, Sonali has worked internationally for 22 years.
Jo Tan - Singapore
Jo is a multi-awarded actor and writer, as well as a qualified lawyer who was called to the Singapore bar in 2005 before electing to focus on writing and performing. As a journalist, her articles have been commissioned by Today newspaper, Time Out Singapore, the arts magazine The A-List, and The Singapore Airlines’ inflight magazine SilverKris. Her scripting and performance work been seen on stages and screens in various cities, including New York, Yeosu, London, Beijing, and Cannes for its famed film festival, as well as Singapore, where she won the Best Original Script category in the Life! Theatre Awards 2022, as well as the Best Actress title for the recent two editions in a row.
Emery Fung - Hong Kong
Emery is a DEI consultant based in Hong Kong. He helps value-driven businesses turn difficult conversations into powerful connections through an intersectional, culturally relevant lens.
Formerly the Diversity & Inclusion Director for Gay Games Hong Kong 2023, he introduced their Gender Inclusive Policy. Emery came out as a transgender man on LinkedIn, a pivotal moment in his DEI journey. His lived experience—navigating ADHD, dyslexia, and anxiety—fuels his work. Fluent in Cantonese and English, he supports leaders with localised strategies that drive inclusive impact across teams and cultures.
Formerly the Diversity & Inclusion Director for Gay Games Hong Kong 2023, he introduced their Gender Inclusive Policy. Emery came out as a transgender man on LinkedIn, a pivotal moment in his DEI journey. His lived experience—navigating ADHD, dyslexia, and anxiety—fuels his work. Fluent in Cantonese and English, he supports leaders with localised strategies that drive inclusive impact across teams and cultures.
Matangi Gowrishankar - India
Matangi is a seasoned executive coach and facilitator with over three decades of global experience working in large organisations Indian by passport, Matangi has travelled extensively, and has global leadership experience in the UK and Singapore working on a broad geographic remit across APAC, India, Middle East, Turkey, Southern Africa, UK, and the USA. A specialist in organizational development, change management, leadership development and team dynamics, Matangi has a keen interest in international business and intercultural leadership. She works with clients worldwide, both virtually and face-to-face.
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