The Production Manager's Toolkit

Chapter 1

Communication

Good communication skills are a necessity for any production manager. Day in and day out, we are communicating with all sorts of people and using every possible channel. This chapter provides techniques for communicating face-to-face, by phone and in writing. It will also explore the important role of non-verbal communication. Last, this chapter will discuss three very important points that production managers deal with all the time—saying yes, saying no and how to manage a difficult conversation.

In her book, The Stage Manager’s Toolkit, Laurie Kincman offers three words as “key elements of successful communication”—tactful, timely and specific.

• To be tactful is to pay attention to what you are saying and doing and how ...