The best way to overcome fear and to be confident is through “Acting”

Cover photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

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Body, voice, and imagination

Actors develop certain abilities when they work on a film production: Public speaking, memorisation, spontaneity, teamwork, vocal presence, and communication.

Some of the aforementioned abilities are strongly related to the business world: public speaking, giving presentations, holding conferences, motivating workforce and increasing morale, dealing with clients, and having sales meetings. 

Speaking in public, in particular, although needed by thousands, is feared by many others. 

By depicting a character, playing a role, you can overcome your fears and learn a new set of skills. 

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Let’s move on to public speaking 

Imagine a wild day at your office when you’ve got to present a long business report not only for your boss, but for at least twenty people in the same place.  

If you are afraid of expressing yourself in public, this unpleasant situation might bring about anxiety and self-doubt. 

Get a grip – It’s Show Time

You will do fine by just pretending – for yourself – you are an actor performing a character, that you are an exponent of the arts whose job in that opportunity is to give a striking business plan inside an office. 

“All the world’s a stage.” Shakespeare.

• Actor: you. 

• Stage: the office. 

• Audience: your boss and colleagues. 

You can captivate everybody’s attention by presenting a proposal to boost sales with lively illustrations, a confident voice, and a determined attitude.

Bear in mind that your performance and your Alter Ego are shields against imagined criticism and fictional attacks from your audience.

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Rehearse as the initial step 

Rehearsal and repetition are the bedrocks of learning. That’s a fact. Before anything else, you’ve got to practice, whether it’s a speech or a business call. 

After knowing your material, prepare yourself to act. 

To start with, Google “Movie scripts.” You can find many scripts online, famous and not so prominent, from films you love or hate. Still, the important point here is to choose any script and read it out loud, keeping in mind that you are one of the characters.

You will have fun with this. 

Picture yourself as the actor. Live the character, feel what they feel, whether it is sorrow, pain, joy, or anger. 

Along the way, direct your spotlight to the physical emotion in a particular scene and identify it. Focus on that sensation, the deep sentiment. 

Take the case of ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’. As DiCaprio is giving his bold-spirited speech, people get crazy, electrified, passionate. 

If, for instance, you need something akin, read the script or watch that part of the film and transcribe the dialogues. 

Now, it’s your turn. Play that scene by yourself and focus on the reaction in your body and mind. Remember it.

Try to recall such sensation in your body multiple times; learn the effect it produces inside yourself. 

This is key because if you evoke that feeling, you can give a motivational speech with boundless energy. Which is why you must practice.

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Tip to connect body and mind

Make a list of the emotions you perceive from certain scenes in several movies. 

‘The Wolf of Wall Street’ with its intense excitement, might be suitable for inspirational speeches, while Rocky running up the stairs is helpful for training or sprinting. 

With a song, you can also awaken those strong emotions – for instance Eye of the Tiger, if you like that song of course. 

Smell is another powerful sense to arouse sentiments and scenes, and to remember specific reactions. 

As an illustration, practice your scene and associate it with a physical emotion. Once you identify the emotion, spray a perfume of your preference, thereby attaching such fragrance to that feeling and the scene. 

To summon it, dab the perfume on your wrists. All at once, the scent will kindle all the memories, from the image of the scene to the face of the actor, hands, legs and gestures, the visceral emotion. 

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Alter Ego

All in all, acting and Alter Egos are devised to tackle problems caused by fear, not to mention learning new skills. 

They are roles played with a special purpose. Have them as a trick up your sleeve. 

It is all a game.

Take advantage of everything to make whatever goal come to fruition. You are entitled to great things – the power is within you.

Do not listen to your inner voices telling you that you are not an actor and acting while working is stupid. It certainly works. 

Try and see it for yourself.