There is one thing any presenter, speaker, entertainer, actor MUST NOT BE, my American Academy of Dramatic Arts Acting coach told us, and that is BORING. 

Here are the ways I have been coaching people over the last 28 years to be INTERESTING.

1. You make sure the central thought is of importance to the audience and to you (if you are NOT excited about the information, the gift you have to give your audience or you do NOT fight for your character, the audience will leave you.)  Let me elaborate.  If you do not believe in what you are saying, the audience won’t trust, listen or believe you.  You might as well go home.  They want to be excited by you and your ideas.
    
2. You must make sure you are PRESENT.  This means ALL your attention, focus, interest, listening, awareness is about the audience members.  This is the HARDEST ONE TO do and it requires practice and more practice.
   (article continues below)

   ---

   GREAT SPEAKERS USE ACTING SKILLS Workshop

   Saturday, March 4, 2017

   Great Speakers and great actors both know that authenticity, storytelling, enthusiasm, clarity of speech, and audience connections, are key to successful communication.

   The next all day Great Speakers Workshop on MARCH 4th will be held at:

   2538 NE Broadway Street, Portland, Oregon.
   DETAIL INFORMATION HERE

   READ MORE about what Barbara Kite has to saying about speaking and acting skills
    

   ---

3. You must realize that IT IS NOT ABOUT YOU.  The audience is not interested in you.  They want to see through you to themselves, doing what you are talking about or being the character that is dealing with similar situations or thoughts that they have.
    
4. Your energy, commitment, and passion level have to be above that of ordinary human beings so it can migrate to the audience and their heart.  You have to practice MAGIC.  You have to envelope the audience with your energy, embracing them with it.  You have to be BIGGER THAN LIFE so they can too.
    
5. You make sure your instrument (your body and your voice) work together to create the magic needed to reveal your gift to the audience.  You do that by training both to be sensitive to the audience and to your message.  You get coaches to help you with this – vocal, acting, movement, speaking coaches.  You only grow when you learn and practice.
    
6. You must work on your voice – pauses, pitch, pace, power and most importantly that which most ignore,  giving value to every word that comes from you and lands on the minds and hearts of the audience.
    
7. AND most important – you have to ask yourself what blocks you from being connected, open, available, listening, caring, in tune with an audience.
    
8. TAKE CARE OF WHAT BLOCKS* YOU.

 
ONE FOR-SURE WAY TO CREATE AND KEEP THE IMPORTANT TOOLS is to find the right COACH.  Someone who is honest, supportive, and a mirror, someone who makes you feel as though you have finally discovered the secret to expressing your wonderful gifts in ways you didn’t know were remotely possible, someone who reveals the amazing part of you to yourself.
 

     I had a client yesterday and we talked about what was in her way.  She had a hard time articulating it but once she went up to speak in front of me about her favorite vacation (a minute or two) I saw her eyes shifting and her speech quickening as well as using a monotone voice.  I asked her what she thought was in her way.  She didn’t know.

     I suggested it was that she didn’t want to be seen.  I have seen it many times in actors who quickly read the lines with a soft, monotone voice (making no commitment to the lines) and looking everywhere except at their fellow actor.  They didn’t want to be exposed because all they could think about was what was wrong with them and that everyone else would see it and shun them.

 
It’s true of almost all speakers and actors, especially when they start.  It takes, practice and dedication to move out of that mind frame into offering the valuable gift you have that will help those listening.  And that is NEVER BORING.  We are always looking to be reminded we are not alone, and there are ways of accomplishing our dreams. And if you don’t believe you have that to give, don’t speak.
 
 

*WHAT BLOCKS YOU - SIMPLE – the sentences in your head that say you’re not good enough, you are boring, you will lose your place, and the audience doesn’t like you.  These are lies.  Learn the truth about your strengths, your magic  and use them to build on.  You cannot build on the negative.