Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Welcome!

"I pretended to be somebody I wanted to be and finally, I became that person. Or he became me."
Cary Grant


People tend to have a fairly limited sense of who they are. With this blog, we're setting out to change that.

As actors, acting teachers and presentation coaches, we spend a lot of our time helping people to expand their sense of who they are - or who they can be - and to use that expanded sense of self to communicate more effectively, whether onstage or in "the real world."

There's a widespread misimpression that the habitual you is the real you. If you tend to speak softly, you probably think it will be difficult if not impossible for you ever to command a room with your voice. If you get nervous in public speaking situations, you probably think there's nothing you can do about that, which can lead to avoidance of advancement opportunities, or just hesitancy to say what's really on your mind. If you tend to make people uncomfortable, you may assume that's just the way it is. And conversely, if you tend to be well liked, it may be easy to rest on that impression and refuse to believe in and respond to the negative signals that probably do occasionally come your way.

But thinking like an actor can unlock behaviors and skills and powers that you never knew you had. We're not talking about being "fake," but about being authentic in new or non-habitual ways. We're talking about opening yourself up to new perspectives on how you could see yourself, so that others can see you in new ways, too.

In the current economic climate, a lot of people are out there looking for jobs, or working to present themselves at their absolute best to stay on top of the game. Whatever your own situation, flexibility is key at a time like this. Our hope is that these blog entries, based on our many years of both research and practical experience, will help you maximize your flexibility, improve your relationships, and fulfill your potential in directions you may not even have thought about yet.

We'll explore:
  • What it means to play "roles" - why roles are not a bad thing; how they help both the role-player and the people in his or her life; what roles to play in life and at work; how to play them effectively
  • Self-motivation - how actors commit to a "need," clarify objectives, and adapt their behavior to get what they want
  • Creating "chemistry" with the people in your life - what it really means to affect another person positively, act as an ensemble, take your cues
  • Improvisation - thinking on your feet, staying open to possibility
  • Imagination and visualization - how we limit ourselves to too small a "reality," and how to break out of that trap and discover new potential
  • Relaxation - how to become more comfortable in life, both physically and emotionally; silencing your inner critic; conquering stage fright
  • Concentration - what it means to be "centered"; focusing on what matters; honing powers of observation
  • And the many other crossovers between acting and life

Thanks for reading. Please click the links at the right to learn more about our presentation consulting services and our not-for-profit actor training studio. And subscribe to this blog or check back often for tips on acting the role of you at your best.

1 comment:

  1. hi, i just want to say thanks for taking the time to post these blog entries. as a beginner actress, i can use all the advice i can get. thank you!

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