Dancer Archive
Thread: Help me with tact? How to educate people without making them feel like morons
As I mentioned in a prior post, I will never be a contender for the title 'Ms. Tact'. After an experience on Lok where a group of fairly wounded people watched really lowbie dancers instead of someone who would heal them quickly and get them out of there, it struck me that maybe some people don't know that healing rates differ.
What do you do when you need to educate people? I myself cannot think of a way to do so tactfully. I had honestly gone with the intent of helping out those combat types, but I ended up leaving after a very short time since it seemed like they didn't want to take advantage of speedy healing. (Given the choice, would you choose to have your half-black bars healed by a novice medic who just got the skill, or by a master doctor?)
Sure, if I need to be out in a few minutes, I'll watch one of the skilled types, but it's very rare that time is n issue for me, I mostly like to just sit around and chat.
I am currently going through the entertainer tree witha secondary character, and know how frustrating it can be to have a master dancer about, if they aren't grouped with you. -shrug-
-Kyn
Velvet, were you grouped with the lower level dancers?
If one performer in the group is being watched, the customer should get the benefit of the healing power of the group. At least, I've always assumed it worked that way. Be pretty strange if it didn't. Certainly, I've seen people who watch groups get healed so fast they're amazed at how fast it goes.
If you weren't grouped, then why weren't you? There's no downside to grouping that I'm aware of. Did they just prefer to solo?
You're correct that many people don't realize the benefit that an accomplished dancer/musician gives. Those folks on Lok may have known the other dancers and given them preference or, more likely, they just watched the first ones they saw.
There's no tactful way to "educate" the melees in that situation. What you're doing is turning the dance from an exercise in art to an exercise in economic competition. If you accept that, then you can simply advertise and tell them (discreetly in /tells if you like) "If you watch me you'll get healed twice as fast". If you don't like the idea of overt competition then you have to accept that some folks won't watch you despite your superior abilities or you have to group up with the other dancers.
Okay, Velvet, you left the really pertinent details out of this thread and put them into Sinda's thread. hehe.
So, some melee group came in and two of those melee's stood up and started dancing basic. It seems safe to assume that they'd acquired this skill as a survival tactic so they could be self-sufficient.
In this case, I'd say screw tact. These guys obviously have no idea what entertaining is about. If they did, they'd have probably bought slitherhorns and be playing music rather than dancing. (It's a guy thing. The dances are all very feminine and the part-timers hardly ever choose dance when they could choose music instead.)
Regardless of WHY they're dancing, they obviously don't have a clue about the value of a master dancer. In THAT situation, I would tell them flat out "Y'know, this dancer tag over my head means that you'll get healed five times as fast if you watch me dance." Now, I'd be prepared for such folks to be cheapskates as well, but anyone hunting Lok should be flush enough to tip well. In any case, I'd go for in-your-face education with this particular group. Teach them by example that a professional is more valuable than an amateur.
Yeah, sorry about that Slick. I should know better than to post pre-coffee, and I didn't want to be overly spammy or repetitive lol
I had tried to invite the lower skilled people but they were already grouped. What actually really galled me about the situation was the doctor was just pumping heals like mad into the 2 brawlers, while I was sitting down regaining my action-he might have needed the exp badly, but he'd have saved stims for the field if he'd given me one heal and they'd have been ready to go a lot faster. To be fair, I wasn't master dancer yet and I don't recall if I was wearing one of the more obvious titles that shout 'dancer here!' but dancing lyrical and exotic with a lightshow should have been a bit of a tipoff. I was also already in a high state of irritation, so I didn't even make an attempt at education because I didn't want to be overly snappish at people. And since I wasn't concerned with tips, it was just the impression of 'you're no more use to us than these noobs' that I suppose kind of hurt my feelings a bit!
If I go back, I think I'll use /tells to get those who do wish to advance their entertainer skills grouped with me, and then the whole situation won't matter and use /say to let people know they'll heal faster. Of course, having a master dancer title to display now may help out as well. Which reminds me, I need to change my signature. 
Dance doesn't take any inventory slots. Music does. If the guy didn't start out as entertainer, he probably has never had a slitherhorn. If they are for 100% pure combat/powergaming, then they were being most efficient in what they did.
However, you need to consider that maybe they are there to increase the guys Healing xp fastest, and watching you wouldn't accomplish that.
Try a /tell to explain that it'll work better if all the entertainers are grouped - to the entertainer, don't bother with the watchers. If their smart, in a couple of seconds you should be able to /invite them. They shouldn't feel like morons cause it's very likely they are newbies at entertaining. Tell them they can leave the band once their friends are healed if they want. Heck, maybe even give them a small tip to join. I've pulled that a couple of times.
Keep in mind, some of those who come combat grouped really don't *care* if they are getting good xp, or if it takes a bit longer. Perhaps in their mind, saving the tip is worth it.
That being said, I DO have one issue with such groups, and that is when they come plop themselves front and center, or mingle with the already existing group.
As for more general as to who people watch, and whether they heal more quickly, I DO believe group XP is higher based on if there are high level healers dancing or playing, but I do NOT think that the person heals as quickly if they choose someone of lower level to /watch or /listen to.
Personally, I don't care who they watch. For the most part, the lower level dancers can use the tips more than I can, as I have regulars who will tip me regardless of what I do, so if they're being watched and tipped for it, more power to them. I WILL speak up if I am alone or in a small group, and ask someone with black bars if they'd prefer that I dance, as I can heal them more quickly that way. By doing so, they'll then come in at other times and ask me specifically to dance if I'm playing, or make a point of including me in the people they are /watching or /listening to.
Still, despite what they take from me, when one of them asked me to teach him Entertainment Healing I, I told him to break his group, I'd teach him. He switched out to my group, i taught him. After he left the cantina he was still close to an outside wall when he said "(Disgruntled) had to leave the group to get trained". Don't think he realized that in SWG, walls don't block sound, only distance does.
Adaral Edulin
Patron of the Arts
Woah, hold on here! They did not take anything from you. Nothing. Be careful with this line of thinking... its totally wrong.
Edulin wrote:
Still, despite what they take from me, ...
Adaral Edulin
Patron of the Arts
Yajedi wrote:
Woah, hold on here! They did not take anything from you. Nothing. Be careful with this line of thinking... its totally wrong.
Though I am inclined to think of XP as something, I can understand the thinking that I was in no way entitled to anything from that combat group. However, they were also in no way entitled to anything from me.
However, when you think about the cost involved for either of us:
I teach Entertainment Healing I - cost to me is I gain 20 Apprentice Points - better than free
He joins our group at the Cantina - cost to him is he gains extra Dancing and Entertainment Healing XP from the customers watching us.
From a personal opinion stand point, not giving something to someone when the action alone benefits you directly with no cost is taking from them. You have no reason to not do it except laziness or spite. This isn't even as costly as a tip. So, in my opinion, he has taken something. I accept that you don't share that opinion Yajedi, but I don't believe it is flawed thinking.
Adaral Edulin
Patron of the Arts
1. A dozen role play reasons for not grouping with someone you do not know.
2. Group chat going on within that group. If the entertain has to leave to join the other group, now group chat within their group is "broken" as they cannot talk to everyone at once. Advanced strategic planning is put on hold until fully healed.
3. The group leader might not be therein the cantina, or even around the city. Disbanding and there is no simple way of getting back in the group. (Not likely, no, but it's possible.) You assumed the entire group walked in, but you really have no way of knowing that for sure, it coulda just been the 2 that happened to have a minute of free time while someone else was busy.
These are just 3 of the reasons right off the top of my head I can think of not to want to disband and join another group.