Post by The Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth

Why does Tuck offer a course taught by an actor and based on actor-training techniques? "My answer starts here: Theater is heightened communication, and communication is essential to business," says Tuck's James Goodwin Rice, who teaches the elective Communicating with Presence. In the five-week, fifteen-hour "communication boot camp," students explore a deceptively simple question: Who are you? And: How do you communicate who you are—the beliefs, values and goals that power your passion and purpose? "The task of an actor is to be present, and with that unique ability, to capture the eyes, ears, hearts, and minds of the audience through galvanizing communication and action," Rice says. "The same can be said of the leader whose responsibility it is to persuade, inspire, and motivate." Rice challenges students to move beyond their comfort zone and overcome self-imposed limitations. And it’s precisely that vulnerability that unlocks connection. As Rice puts it, "to genuinely connect with others we must have the courage to allow ourselves to be truly seen—and known."