Changing the #1 Reason for Resignation from 'Interpersonal Relationships' to 'Challenging One's Dreams': Aiming to Realize a Society Where People Can Work and Live Authentically Through the Power of Communication

Our association supports 'April Dream,' an initiative that encourages people to share their dreams on April 1st. This press release represents the dream of the 'Expression Communication Development Association.'

The Expression Communication Development Association was founded to improve the communication skills of all Japanese people by popularizing experiential workshops that use theatrical methods—incorporating elements of play and drama—to enable people to intentionally connect with others on an emotional level.

In modern society, the number one 'true reason' for resignation is 'poor interpersonal relationships.' Fundamentally, poor relationships are caused by a lack of mutual communication. We use a theatrical approach to 'improve communication skills.'

A Society Where Lack of Communication Hides True Feelings In recent years, with the increasing complexity and diversity of society, the importance of communication skills—the ability to convey individual opinions and emotions smoothly and effectively—has grown. However, school education and traditional training have tended to focus on the uniform transmission of knowledge, failing to sufficiently cultivate the expressive power that wells up from within the individual.

In particular, the spread of remote work and the increase in online communication have made it difficult to convey non-verbal information, becoming a factor that creates misunderstandings and communication breakdowns.

In a 2024 survey conducted by en-japan inc. regarding 'true reasons for resignation,' 46% of respondents cited 'poor interpersonal relationships' as the 'true reason for resignation that was not communicated to the company.' https://corp.en-japan.com/newsrelease/2024/38267.html

'Poor interpersonal relationships' refers not only to relationships with colleagues, superiors, or subordinates, but also indicates that the relationship between the company and the employee is not optimal, as evidenced by the fact that the 'true reason' was not shared with the company.

We believe these issues are caused by a decline in the 'communication skills' that humans should naturally possess.

Given this background, we have developed a unique program that incorporates theatrical techniques, allowing participants to proactively face themselves and blossom their intrinsic expressive power. This enables individuals to express themselves with confidence while fostering the ability to understand others through imagination.

Bridging Social Divides with the 'Imagination for Others' Found in Theater Having spent over a decade in the world of theater as actors and directors, we have pursued the ability to accurately convey intentions and generate empathy through rigorous communication training.

As we stepped off the stage and began living as employees and business owners, we noticed that many adults feel stress caused by poor communication in their work, home, and personal relationships. Based on this experience, we are convinced that theatrical workshops are an effective solution to the communication challenges of modern society, particularly issues like generational gaps, harassment, and the dilution of human relationships due to the prevalence of text-based communication.

An Experience Where Communication Becomes 'Visible' Currently, our association conducts communication workshops using theatrical techniques. We have held these sessions at venues such as the Osaka Industrial Creation Hall and employment support facilities, providing spaces where participants can experience their own changes on the spot.

The greatest feature of this workshop is not scripts or acting, but a 'physical approach.' Through exercises using tools like rubber balls, we physically 'visualize' the communication that we usually perform unconsciously. This makes it possible for people meeting for the first time, even with different backgrounds, to build high-level mutual understanding and cooperative relationships in a short period.

The Trinity of Expressive Skills Necessary for Leaders We who live and work in human society unconsciously use a combination of 'logic, body, and language.' However, it is often difficult to understand what we are using and how. Ideally, one should be able to express these three in a balanced way depending on the situation.

Stage actors train to balance these three elements, which allows them to give persuasive power even to assigned lines and move the hearts of the audience.

* Logic + Language only (Lack of body): What is said is correct, but for some reason, it is unbelievable. No heat is felt. 'A critic of pure theory.' * Body + Language only (Lack of logic): There is momentum, but no specificity, and nothing remains when looking back. 'A hot-blooded person with no substance.' * Logic + Body only (Lack of language): The direction is understood, but the resolution is low. It is not conveyed what specifically needs to be done, so it cannot be put into action. 'A leader who cannot verbalize' (= subordinates cannot move).

To acquire this trinity of expressive skills—logic, body, and language—it goes smoothly if you incorporate 'a certain perspective.'

An Objective Perspective: The 'Director's Eye' is Necessary Have you ever finished a communication seminar and left it at that? Even if you acquire knowledge and try to practice it, an objective perspective is necessary to determine whether it 'looks that way.'

Therefore, just as professional actors receive feedback from directors to make adjustments, our association's communication training uses an 'evaluation sheet' to look at things objectively, allowing you to notice habits you were performing unconsciously.

### Challenging the 'Quantification of Communication' Through Unique Metrics In general communication training and sales skill improvement, most evaluation metrics have remained at superficial, easily measurable numbers such as 'ratio of speaking time' or 'number of exchanges.'

However, our association has established unique evaluation metrics based on theatrical approaches to visualize more essential interpersonal skills. We have succeeded in quantifying the following six items:

1. Ability to blend into the space (Adaptability to the environment and presence) 2. Ability to reach the other party (Directed engagement) 3. Ability to connect collaboration (Starting point for team building) 4. Ability to construct logic (Understanding and composition of context) 5. Ability to grasp intent (Catching non-verbal information) 6. Ability to execute objectives (Drive toward the goal)

Precisely because text communication has become mainstream, we provide opportunities to look back on 'behavior' during face-to-face interactions with objective scores, supporting 'heart-to-heart exchanges' in the workplace and at home.

Toward a Future Freed from Interpersonal Worries We want to make communication education using theatrical techniques a social infrastructure that goes beyond the framework of mere 'training.'

* Creation of an extraordinary learning environment: By using 'theater space,' the domain of expression professionals, as a training venue, participants are freed from their daily roles, enabling experiential learning that encourages bold self-expression. * Strengthening cooperation with local communities: By effectively utilizing local cultural facilities and bringing new vitality and revenue to those facilities through training, we create social significance by playing a part in regional cultural promotion.

Our dream is for 'all Japanese people to possess words and bodies that reach the hearts of others, and to be freed from the worries of interpersonal relationships.'

We envision a future where it becomes natural for everyone, in school classes, company entrance ceremonies, or local gatherings, to visualize their hearts and enjoy dialogue as lightly and seriously as throwing rubber balls to each other. A society where the anxiety of 'what I want to say isn't getting across' or 'I'm afraid of what others think of me' turns into the creative curiosity of 'how can I express myself to resonate with others?'

A world where everyone, as the protagonist of their own life's stage, can vividly play an ensemble with those around them. To raise the curtain on that world, the Expression Communication Development Association will continue to sow the seeds of 'dialogue through the body.'

Our mission is to 'eliminate interpersonal relationship worries from the world.' Through the power of communication, we aim to realize a society where each individual can work vividly and live and work in their own way.