Playing a social role

Who is the boss and who is the subordinate?

Not long ago, I came across an interesting note on the improv wiki . It described how stage actors most effectively play a “high” and “low” social role. In short, the easiest way to make it clear to the viewer is who the boss is and who is the subordinate. I liked this list of recommendations, because in life we ​​often have to either play one role or another, or reveal the play of others.

I decided to do a partial translation of these recommendations. I tried to isolate those behaviors that I came across more often than others in real life. However, once again I will note that the definitions and recommendations below are intended for stage actors of small genres.

Status of interlocutors

The status is determined by the behavior of the interlocutors. The interlocutor who is ready to adjust to everything else, the one who avoids responsibility, has a low status. He who by his behavior makes the other adapt to himself, has a high status. The status is played by one person to another for each moment of conversation. In other words, the interlocutors convince each other in their status.
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High-status Game Techniques

1. When walking, expect others to give way [to give way to all]
2. When talking, look at the person you are talking to [look away]
3. Do not follow the interlocutor's reaction to his own words [briefly glance at the interlocutor's eyes, guessing the positive reaction]
4. Do not respond to the words of the interlocutor. As Clint Eastwood: the interlocutor expects at least some reaction, but does not receive anything
5. Speak complete sentences [talk with pauses, change sentences along the way, do not finish sentences]
6. Take a comfortable position, take up as much space as possible [sit or stand in an uncomfortable position, try to let the other person take up as much as possible, if the actor is tall, you should tilt your head to make it clear that no height is used “against” the other person]
7. Look at the interlocutor from top to bottom. Sometimes it is worth to throw a little head to create the impression of a conversation between an adult and a child [to look at the interlocutor from the bottom up, sometimes it is necessary to tilt your head a little]
8. Talk about things that the other person finds unpleasant or insulting [to juggle with words when talking about something that might offend the other person]
9. Take a “vulnerable” posture: open the neck or torso [posture “protect” your face, neck or torso]
10. To speak cautiously, with confidence [to scream, as if intimidating the interlocutor. This asserts a low status, since the screaming person is protected from possible resistance, as it were]
11. Move smoothly and smoothly [move jerky, make useless movements]
12. Do not hold hands to face [touch head or face]
13. It is difficult to speak, without simplifying the speech for the interlocutor. For example, to say “Ruler line”, without giving the interlocutor an explanation of his words [to explain his words, to simplify speech. For example, to say "I do not have a summary on linear algebra"]

Behavior of high status as it says: "do not come, bite!". The behavior of low status - "do not bite, I'm not worth it."

Receptions to increase the status of the interlocutor

1. Ask permission to do something.
2. Ask for opinions about your work
3. Ask for help or advice
4. Thank for something
5. Apologize for something
6. Agree that the interviewee was right, and you - no
7. Agree with the interlocutor's judgment without requiring proof.
8. Contact the interlocutor on "You", use the name and patronymic
9. Diminish your merits in comparison with the merits of the interlocutor ("Your poppy beech is much whiter than mine")
10. Tell about your failure (“I was late for work today, but how I got, I learned that I was fired anyway”)
11. Pull back, worship, make yourself lower compared to the interlocutor
12. Lose a buddy in the game
13. To wait for the interlocutor

Note: If someone enters the stage from the audience, raise their status. Never lower his status as a volunteer.

Receptions lowering the status of the interlocutor

1. Criticize the work of the interlocutor
2. Correct interlocutor
3. Approve or disapprove of something belonging to the other person. For example, “You have 30 followers on Twitter. This is perfectly acceptable. ” Anything that puts you in the position of a judge, lowers the status of the interlocutor
4. Tell the other person what to do.
5. Do not respond to the words, especially the questions of the interlocutor. For example, “Have you already committed your changes?” “The theme again hung a ridiculous post.”
6. For each story of the interlocutor to answer the story in the style of "this is what." For example, that you had problems and more difficult, that you met a more eminent star, earned more money, achieved more, and so on.
7. Keep yourself waiting
8. Speak sarcastically
9. Do not listen to the interlocutor
10. To strike the interlocutor. To hit the other person in front of his girlfriend, wife, children, especially lowers the status
11. If the other person is behind, do not wait for him, keep moving. It can be difficult to play due to the limited scene.
12. Neglect the opinion of the interlocutor

The methods of lowering the status are reduced to ridiculing the interlocutor. Boost techniques allow the other person to laugh at you, or allow you both to laugh at something together.

Whole life is a game

Once again, I note that these techniques are designed to help actors quickly convey to the viewer who is in charge of the scene. However, it seems to me that these techniques are a very complete set of stereotypes.

I hope this post will help the reader to recognize the game of the interlocutors. Or competently build your own.