At The London LAMDA Tutor we know that when our students study the craft of acting, they become masterful communicators. Whichever LAMDA exam our students’ study, whether it’s Acting, Speaking Verse and Prose or Speaking in Public, all exams require students to use acting skills if they are to effectively communicate their message to an audience.
Some of our parents have said that they’re concerned that studying acting will not help their child improve their public speaking. However, once they understand more about the craft of acting, they soon realise that acting is much more than just memorising lines and delivering them. Acting skills give communicators a powerful presence which, when aligned with a powerful story or message, can change the world.
The craft of acting asks actors, or anyone else in the business of spoken communication, to:
Be heard
The first duty of the actor is to be heard. In order to hear and engage with story or message, audiences need their actors to speak with total clarity. Actors enunciate clearly and use the full weight of their words.
Think about the other person
Acting is about the other person, not ourselves. Whether that’s our scene partner or the audience, the craft of acting asks us to ‘get away’ from ourselves and focus on an action which will create change in someone else. Powerful public speakers know this too well – their sole focus isn’t on themselves but on calling their audiences to take action.
Create the appearance that their words are being said for the first time
Novice actors and public speakers will always present a run through of what they’ve rehearsed. When they speak, it sounds like they’ve said these words a hundred times before. A masterful actor and public speaker will give the illusion that the words they are using are unplanned and are spoken ‘in the moment’. This has the effect of gripping an audience’s attention so that they hang on the actor’s every word.
Have complete control over their physicality and voice
Great actors and communicators ensure that all of their movement is purposeful because an audience will read meaning into every movement on stage. If our limbs are flailing around as we speak, this will send a message to the audience. We can only achieve control over our bodies if we are comfortable within them. Acting teaches us to develop a ‘neutral’ body. Mastering this frees up our physical expression so we can begin to make choices in how we physically communicate. The craft of acting recognises the human voice as a powerful instrument. Actors develop their vocal resonance so that their voices can effortlessly fill a room and become a voice that people want to listen to.
Create change in the world
Actors and communicators are storytellers. Stories not only change the way human beings think, but most importantly, how they feel. These feelings can inspire audiences to take action, and small individual changes cause monumental changes in the world.
Do you want your child to gain important lifelong skills which will enable them to create
change in the world? Get in touch or call +44 (0)20 8064 0549.
