Shy......not.....

His name is Shy.  Well, not birth certificate type of name of course.  We gave him that name.  We were so sure it was him.... shy, that he was... or so we thought - until it was his turn to get on stage.  I didn't recognize him, but yet I did.  It was Shy sure enough, but a larger Shy, a more entrancing Shy...yes, still Shy.  I could not tear my eyes away and I told myself then and there...I've got to find out how he does it.  You see, Shy is a speaker, trainer and actor all rolled into one cute individual.  I want to learn how you build a brand like that.  You don't have to be extra colourful, super loud or even move around much on stage to be remembered and to have the audience entranced.  What a brand!  I tracked Shy down and here it is :

Branding yourself Amazing as speakers and presenters with Acting Techniques

I asked him a few questions I received from facebook friends eager to learn :

Me :  How does a speaker/presenter/trainer brand themselves using acting skills?

Shy : One of the acting skills that I have learnt is about the need to have self-belief. An actor needs to believe in himself so that he can bring out the character he his playing. And by knowing the character's clothing/ wardrobe and personality, the character can be identified on stage as a unique character.

 Similarly, a speaker/presenter/trainer, needs to believe in himself/herself and in his own ability, skills and talent. Together with his personality style and personal appearance, the speaker/presenter/trainer can then bring out his own brand. Once the brand has been established, the next step is to get people to see the name and the benefit or knowledge that the speaker/presenter/trainer is offering.

happy days.....

Me : Is it possible to make an audience feel emotional and cry through acting?  How ?

Shy : Yes. It is possible. However, before we are able to make anyone cry or feel emotional, the actor has to have that emotional "feeling" first. The actor must "be" that character and not just act it out.

In acting training we have something called the "hot seat". The actor would share with his team members some real-life "dialogues" that the actor has experienced, that made him feel sad or cry.

When an actor takes the hot-seat the others move around him, saying the words that have been shared. These words are repeated over and over again, accompanied by background music.  Usually the actor in the hot seat breaks down.

Once the actor knows this technique, he can use it to make his character emotional. Once the character is emotional, it becomes "infectious" and can thus make the audience feel the same way.

with friends and fellow trainers....

Me : Some people feel that if we act during a presentation, it may come across as less authentic… what can we do about this?

Shy :  Have you watched a show/ drama, that portrayed a character that was so evil, that you wanted to strangle him yourself? Or a character that was so pitiful that you cry and bleed for it?

Why is this so? More often than not, the actors portraying the characters are not those characters in real-life. They manage to play the characters convincingly because they believe in the character and are honest and genuine in making the character stand out.

Similarly, to me, presenting is like putting on a show.  The presenter must immerse himself in his character during the presentation.  To make the character stand out, this must be done honestly, authentically. 

Remember, it is not about acting, but about using proper acting techniques. 

Well said!  Very useful tips that I am going to try out, although I'll shoot for making people laugh rather than cry hehe.  Shy is conducting a talk Ignite The Stage at SIM Singapore, on August 20 2011.  Interested guys and gals can register with patricialee@sim.edu.sg or hanisah@sim.edu.sg

In my sessions many people ask about eye wear.  Next week I'll be talking to an optometrist who owns an eyewear shop for some insight into what is available and trendy right now.

Cheers to a great weekend ahead!!