MAIN IDEA
To "steal the show" in your life or career means to perform well in all the important spotlight moments which arise in your life and career – when giving a public speech, making a business or sales presentation, having a job interview, negotiating a business deal and so on. To shine in those moments, you've got to know what to do in high-pressure situations.
The fact is great performances are always developed and then won from the inside out. Professional actors know this and they use three techniques which you should pick up and apply yourself:
The Actor's Toolkit
They have a performer's mindset – actors know how to find their voice and authentically play the right role in any situation. By doing that, they crush their roles.
Actors excel in applying powerful performance principles – they have an "operating system" which they use for each performance and which enables them to perform well and steal the show.
Actors have very solid delivery strategies and techniques – they master the technical and practical aspects of performing in a public setting exceptionally well so they can take center stage and stay there.
The surest way to steal the show is to apply the Actor's Toolkit. The best actors, marketers, business managers and entrepreneurs all know their success is powered by their mindset, the principles they apply and their delivery strategies. To step out of the wings and steal the show, follow their example.
MICHAEL PORT is a successful actor and professional speaking coach. He has written six books including Book Yourself Solid, The Contrarian Effect and The New York Times bestseller The Think Big Manifesto. He is a top ranked public speaker and provides public speaking workshops to many CEOs and other business professionals. Michael Port has blogged for the Huffington Post, featured as a guest speaker on network television several times and written monthly columns for Entrepreneur Magazine and American Express Open Forum. He is a graduate of New York University and Tulane University.
The Web site for this book is at www.stealtheshow.com.
This is a summary and not a critique or a review of the book. It does not offer judgment or opinion on the content of the book. This summary may not be organized chapter-wise but is an overview of the main ideas, view points and arguments from the book as a whole. This means that the organization of this summary is not a representation of the book.
Actors know they can't just walk in off the street and expect to star without doing their homework first. Specifically, they have the mindset great performances are built on three essential mental building blocks:
Find your voice
Play the right role
Silence the critics
The first step in standing out as a presenter is to find your voice. The most common missing element in bland presentations and performances is the speaker's true voice and a sense of authenticity about what they are saying.
Finding your voice means to let go of your inner critic and to express what you truly believe and value. You play the right role in the right situation and present material you believe in rather than something you do not.
Finding your voice and being authentic really comes down to one question:
Do you have the courage to talk about who you really are, not just who you want others to think you are?