Competency

What is a Competency?

A Competency is the combination of knowledge, skills, abilities, behaviors, and experience that enable someone to be authentic and effective in a wide variety of situations. It’s broader than just having a skill — it includes knowing when and how to apply that skill appropriately in real situations.

A “skill” is a specific learned ability (like using Excel or writing code) and is measurable. A “competency” encompasses the skill plus the judgment, motivation, and situational awareness to use it effectively. For example, “communication” as a competency includes not just the skills of speaking or writing clearly, but also knowing when to listen, how to adapt a message to different audiences, and enough context awareness to recognize what is happening or required in any situation and appropriately respond. Competent responses may vary by the individual.

The distinction between “competency” and “skill” in hiring practices emerged in the 1970s, largely through the work of psychologist David McClelland at Harvard. In 1973, McClelland published “Testing for Competence Rather Than for Intelligence,” arguing that traditional measures like IQ tests and academic credentials were poor predictors of job performance.

The Five DT:FC Competencies

Five Developmental Theatre: Fearless Creativity Competencies enable individuals, teams, and organizations to provide creative approaches to what’s needed in the current situation. These five competencies are explored in the Theatre Games, and are mentioned throughout the information on the website. Some competencies have focused subset categories.

• Physical Expression — Entry, Movement, Mime, Rhythm
• Vocal Expression — Expression, Articulation, Finding a Voice, Storytelling
• Context Awareness — Exploration of where each person is, what is going on there, and how to act inside that situation.
• Risk Assessment and Management — how to assess risk and then manage it. Fearless Creativity is born here; it’s not Foolish Creativity.
• Resilience — the ability to replace “failure” with “learning,” to get up and do it again or explore a different direction.