Actor Tips for Entrepreneurs
FEELING CONFIDENT & USING IT
One of the most important jobs as an entrepreneur or presenter is to make people feel confident in you so that they listen to you, believe you, and invest in you.
And that starts with the confidence you have in yourself.
There are some great physical, vocal, and emotional skills that actors use all the time that can help you really stand in your power.
One thing to help you physically before a meeting, interview, or presentation is actually pretty simple. Think of a time when you felt really confident. The more specific you make it, the better. You can also use your imagination and imagine yourself “acting confidently” in a specific moment.
How do you remember or imagine yourself?
You can even look at tv series, movies, and your favorite actors. Think of an actor who you love to watch. Someone who you think looks or acts really confident.
Watch them. Really watch them. What are they doing? How do they stand? Walk? Talk? What are their bodies doing? What does “confident body posture” look like.
A lot of this seems super basic, but a lot of us forget these things.
Our confidence increases when we feel physically confident.
There was an experience I had when I was performing in the Shakespeare play Othello. I was playing the villain of the story, and in one particular scene I had to convince my boss that a horrible rumor about his wife was true. In reality it was all made up for my character's own personal gain.
The actor in the scene with me was a really tall guy with a loud booming voice. He was like a tower when I stood next to him. He was also one of the nicest actors I have worked with, and it was really hard to lie to him.
It was my job to convince his character of this horrible lie… but I got intimidated. And it showed! I shrunk. I became so small. I remember leaning away from him and letting him control the scene, when I was the one supposed to be in control of the scene. My voice became quiet and lost underneath his. Why would his character believe one word that I was saying? Why would the audience?
My words did not line up with my body. Everyone could see and feel my nervous energy instantly. I didn't do my job. And that is not what I would call good story telling. I’d call it a 100% mixed message!
If you don’t feel confident in yourself, we won’t either.
Let's go back and think about that specific time where you felt really confident or proud. Or a moment when someone else was really proud of you.
Take a second. Get specific.
How did it feel?
It felt good, right?
And it probably feels good right now!
Hold on to that feeling for a little bit. Is it starting to change your mood? That emotion is continuing to grow, right? Look at what is happening to your body.
Your feet are firmly underneath you, connected to the ground.Your shoulders move back, and relax. You hold your head up high.
When we allow ourselves to identify moments of confidence or pride, and combine it with techniques of voice and emotions, it starts to pour out of our bodies and into the world.
It can be seen. It can be heard. It can be felt.
It doesn’t matter if you are sitting across the table from someone at a restaurant, or you are stuck in your house in quarantine on a Zoom meeting. It is felt because you are allowing yourself to skillfully and authentically experience and share this moment.
And that’s when you make the real impact. That’s when people listen to you in a new way, and won’t want to stop listening to you!
There are already way too many distractions in this world, and there are so many ways we can lose a connection with someone. Literally. Connecting with yourself and others in these new ways keeps that connection with others, and allows that connection to stay with them for a long time.