Insight on Coaching

Inside the Actor's Coaching Session

Season 5, Episode 6 - Air Date: March 10th, 2008, 11:00 am PST

Audio File - Length 52:50, File Size - 24.1 MB

With Academy Award winning actors acknowledging the key people who made their success possible, the acting coach is perhaps one of the most familiar professional coaches in the business world today.

Aspiring stars always ask how to make it in the business, but how do acting coaches make it?

Who are the top acting coaches and how do they work?

What methods do the best acting coaches employ, and what draws big-name talent to them?

How can these lessons translate from on-screen success to business or personal success?

This show will feature some of the entertainment industry’s top talent and look at some of their biggest names and best practices.

Guests

• Daniel Henning, Acting Coach and Artistic Director, The Blank Theatre Company
• Lynette McNeill, Acting Coach and Director, Lynette McNeill Studios
• Jerry Weissman, Executive Coach and President, Power Presentations, Ltd.
• Adrian Zmed, Actor and Acting Coach, Stella Adler Conservatory, LA

Summary

According to the February 17th, 2005 issue of USA Today in an article titled “Even A-list Actors Need a Coach,” Larry Moss, who is largely considered the modern-day Vince Lombardi of acting coaches was quoted as saying:  “I know some very big stars who don't do a movie without a coach.” 

In another article from the January 25th 1991 issue of the Austin American Statesman, writer Michael Barnes points out that “To succeed, actors need daily, directed practice and technical exploration, that is best possible through an acting coach.  Once the basics of acting are conquered however, these tools must be kept ever sharp and ready to use.”

How do acting coaches prepare, guide, and develop actors for starring roles?  And can the work these coaching greats do be applied to the business world?

According to the Wall Street Journal – it can. An article in its April 21st, 1998 issue notes “the growing demand for speaking skills has now drawn consulting giants such as Microsoft and Deloitte & Touche into the business of utilizing acting coaches.”

Our panel of guests address these topics and more, providing a behind-the-scenes look at the role acting coaches play in Hollywood and Corporate America.

Highlights of the show include:

• An overview of the acting coach field.
• A discussion about the challenges actors experience that coaches can address.
• What draws big name talent to the best acting coaches.
• The skills a good acting coach must posses.
• Why it’s important for executives to not become actors during conferences, presentations, and meetings.
• Lessons from the acting world that can be applied to the business world.

This podcast is part of the Insight on Coaching series. For additional information, visit the Insight on Coaching Home Page.