Acting for business knowledge – how to use your body, mind and emotions to make an impact
In a reality where we are inundated with information, it is difficult to stand out as a personality and be remembered as a speaker. I have just experienced this again at various trade fairs. And here’s a tip that I’d like to recommend to you:
Modern acting techniques & storytelling
Modern acting techniques and storytelling will help you stand out from the crowd and inspire your audience. Acting techniques are communication tools that allow you as a speaker to appear lively and captivating. Messages with emotions and intentions can be conveyed through the targeted use of posture, gestures and voice. This means that they reach your audience much more successfully than simply conveying factual content.
Storytelling helps to present complex topics in an understandable and entertaining way and to build a deeper connection with the audience. Especially if your topic is complex in terms of content, a good story can make all the difference in immediately conveying what is special about your idea or product.
100 years ago – how Michael Chekhov harnessed the mind-body bridge
Michael Chekhov’s method is an acting technique that is particularly suitable for speakers to radiate charisma and gravitas. Chekhov founded an acting school in the 1920s. There he developed a unique method to help actors increase their presence on stage and to help them reliably develop their emotional creativity and make it applicable at all times.
The acting technique developed by Michael Chekhov is based on the idea that body, mind and emotions are interconnected and influence each other. Through targeted breathing and physical exercises, speakers can learn to consciously control their posture and body movements in order to make emotions tangible and increase their presence.
An important aspect of the Chekhov technique is the use of body anchors to modulate and reinforce emotions. A body anchor is a certain body movement or posture that is associated with a certain emotion. By performing this movement or posture, you can put yourself in an emotional state and reinforce it. And this can be called up reliably and deliberately in order to consciously modulate your own appearance.
An example of the use of body anchors in the Chekhov technique
To deal with an unexpected accusation or attack, you can work with an imaginary anchor. In this case, for example, with a body anchor that allows you to let the attack roll off you unimpressed. Simply by adopting a strong and self-confident stance. For example, you can imagine how you let this reproach pass you by (not accepting the “ass card”). By adopting this posture and making this movement, you can experience the feeling of strength and independence and actually appear calm and relaxed to observers.
The Chekhov technique is a very body-centered method for modulating and intensifying emotions. By using body anchors in a targeted way, you can increase your presence on stage or in front of the audience and convey the message on a deeper level.
This technique allows us to improve our voice, body language and charisma in a natural and intuitive way.
A few more examples of how technology can help us:
- Voice: By using images and sensations, we can make our voice more variable and improve our ability to express ourselves.
- Body language: The Chekhov technique focuses strongly on body work and helps us to strengthen our presence on stage and express our emotions through movements and gestures.
- Improvisation: The technique places a lot of emphasis on improvisation and spontaneous action, which helps us to be more flexible and spontaneous and to be able to react better in unforeseen situations.
This puts me in an even better position to convey my message in an authentic and effective way. The method can help me to develop my full potential as a speaker and inspire the audience with my message.
If you would like to learn more about the Chekhov technique, you should consult a teacher/coach who specializes in it. My personal recommendation (the person I study with, the person I book for this) is Dominique Chiout.
If you want to find out more about the Chekhov Method, you can also find the Michael Chekhov Association here on LinkedIn.
