THE ART OF BUSINESS

An innovative Irish company, provides a unique form of business training through theatre-based learning.

Specialising in theatre-based learning and development Jikijela brings new life into people development in all types of businesses. Jikijela’s extraordinary take on training has already gained a significant foothold in particular in the Irish hospitality and pharmaceutical sectors. The impact of this new and challenging form of development training is beginning to be felt in other business areas too, and this young dynamic company already cites major industry players like AOL, Fáilte Ireland, Clonmel Pharmaceuticals and the Clarion Hotel Group amongst its clients. The Irish service industries are ripe for Jikijela’s intelligent, perceptive and demanding form of training.

Passion and Innovation

For founder and director, Annette Tierney, Jikijela is an opportunity to combine all her passions and talents into one role. Growing up in Dublin she studied communications and marketing and then went on to spend 10 years in the pharmaceutical industry, winning awards and gaining a reputation for innovation. Not content to stop there and with a desire to fulfil a life-long ambition, Tierney trained as an actor with the Gaiety School in Dublin. This training allowed her to explore her instinctive fascination with the performing arts, and enabled her to work in both theatre and television in Ireland.

Unconventional Approach

Combining her business background with her natural flair for and dedication to the dramatic arts, Tierney saw the need and the potential for a more creative approach in corporate training. In forming Jikijela, her goal was to push boundaries while setting new standards and changing attitudes to the use of theatre-based techniques in people development.

The unconventional approach provides a unique experience for the participants. Using elements from the theatre; equal parts engaging and discomfiting, but designed to empower and instil confidence, are incorporated into the training techniques. Each participant is forced to confront dilemmas and meet challenges, exploring new ways to deal with everyday tasks. Because the participants are confronted with original material, the training programme has the power to bring out true responses and provoke real reactions.

Renewed Energy

Using actors and writers to bring scenarios to life, the experience develops people in a way that shakes up their thinking and sharpens their instincts. Clients emerge from the process not just with knowledge, but also with a new sense of confidence in themselves and their abilities. Thrown off balance and pushed outside their comfort zone, participants are challenged to dig deep and trust their instincts.

Theatre-based methods like storytelling, forum theatre and experiential games and challenges can be daunting. Once experienced, however, they can be fascinating, revealing and empowering. Clients emerge on the far side of the workshops with an enhanced understanding of their own and others’ roles, as well as a real appetite and renewed energy for their jobs.

Partnership

Jikijela’s other half is Jethro Murphy. He began by being the creative writer, and his success as a scriptwriter ensured that a dynamic relationship developed and he now brings his valuable experience in training and management. To augment their knowledge and to ensure that the content of everything done is cutting edge, the company works with a pool of consultants in many aspects of communications, learning and production. Bringing the psychology of learning, cognitive and behavioural applications and processes to bear on individuals and groups exploring their personal development, Jikijela ensures that the content is totally relevant to each audience. While making the most of their theatrical abilities to bring each element to life, Jikijela combines skills from a talented selection of writers and actors, producing works that range from comedy to high drama, from business to brands. They commission original scripts to illustrate business scenarios and tell company stories, creating bespoke workshops for companies and their staff, individually designed to specifically challenge them.

Resourceful And Versatile

With acting talent from all around the country, from every age group and style, and a number of whom are also qualified teachers, Jikijela’s energy and versatility gives them the freedom to create challenging productions while taking great pleasure in witnessing transformations in participants during every workshop.

Contact: Jethro Murphy T: +353 (01) 822 4716
M: +353 (0) 87 279 9822
E: jethro@jikijela.com
W: www.jikijela.com