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Sidecoaching is real-time coaching that happens while playing scenes in training or rehearsal. It helps players make adjustments while maintaining the momentum of the scene. Sidecoaching reminds players about useful tools at opportune moments. It also helps players break old habits and establish new ones.
When you’re caught in brain lock or operating in mental overdrive—slow down, breathe, and soak in the present moment. Behave as though you had all the time in the world. Put your focus on what’s going on around you. Then, respond to that.
It’s possible to speak without knowing what you’re going to say. You don’t know what will show up until the words have been spoken.
When you’re trying to accomplish something in a scene, there’s a tendency to speed up. You might be establishing the context, answering a question, or pursuing a scene goal. When you feel your gears start to rev up, breathe deep and take your time. It’s not a race. If you appear rushed, spects become nervous. When you take your time, it’s easier to be present and sense impulses as they arise. Your relaxed presence makes it easier for spects to be relaxed and present as well.
If there’s something to be done, let the spect be the one to do it. This puts the spect in the driver’s seat instead of making them a passenger along for the ride.
When a player does something that seems wrong, think, “That’s right!” Assume that it’s a great choice and then figure out why. If you see it as a bad choice, it only makes your work harder because you’re starting from the assumption that it’s wrong. When you assume that a choice is right, it’s easier to figure out how to make it work.
When you allow room for spects to contribute, sometimes you need to wait. How you wait can affect whether or not they respond. Just waiting is flat and lifeless, and less likely to elicit a response. On the other hand, waiting with expectation helps draw out spects’ responses. Assume that they have a contribution to make, and wait with anticipation for it to show up. Sometimes it just takes a little longer than you expect. Expectation, coupled with good eye contact, turns dead air into a pregnant pause before spects put their ideas into play.