- Paperback: 272 pages
- Publisher: Da Capo Press (Oct 1 2002)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1569245541
- ISBN-13: 978-1569245545
- Product Dimensions: 20.9 x 14.1 x 2.1 cm
- Shipping Weight: 345 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #331,685 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
Anyone who has ever endured an attack of nerves before participating in events such as a job interview, an important social function, or any form of public speaking will benefit from many of the strategies outlined in this self-help manual. A professional actress and teacher, Robbins shares a variety of acting techniques that performers use to relax themselves emotionally, mentally and spiritually. While not everyone will want to adopt the vocal exercises, which seem more specific to actors, other suggestions, including muscle warm-ups, meditation and sensory visualization, are useful for reducing stress. Drawing on the experiences of colleagues and students, Robbins explains how adopting the movements of an animal like a gorilla, as Marlon Brando did in preparation for his role in A Streetcar Named Desire, is a tool that liberates body movement. Although the author's organization of material is somewhat haphazard, there are many practical ideas for taking the tension out of stressful situations by preparing in advance. Her own favorite preparation ritual is "the inner walnut." A walnut, representing the heart, houses a personal symbol appropriate to the situation. For example, when Robbins wants to be amusing, she uses an image of Bugs Bunny as her symbol. Someone apprehensive about speaking in public may hold the image of a beloved friend in the walnut. In all, this book offers a creative slant on relaxation and preparation techniques.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Book Description
Most people can name at least one situation—a business presentation, a job interview, a cocktail party, or a blind date—in which they felt uncomfortable, nervous, or simply self-conscious. Jane Marla Robbins, a successful stage and film actress and teacher for almost forty years, found that she could use the same acting techniques she employed to look and feel confident on stage and screen to make herself feel more comfortable in "real-life" situations. In clear and accessible language, Robbins describes acting techniques that actors having been using for centuries and explains—using real-life examples and easy-to-follow exercises—how each can be used by ordinary people to make difficult everyday situations easier to handle. Acting Techniques for Everyday Life will teach readers how to create a sense of well-being and self-confidence at will, giving them the tools they need to be as confident, strong, witty, authentic, relaxed, and happy as they want to be in any given situation.
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Finally something true to the title!,
By A Customer
This review is from: Acting Techniques for Everyday Life: Look and Feel Self-Confident in Difficult, Real-Life Situations (Paperback)
This book encompasses multiple techniques that anyone can use in situationswhere they may feel uncomfortable or insecure. It is cleverly written and fun to read. As I was reading "Acting Techniques" I started applying the authoršs techniques
3.0 out of 5 stars
Poor Jane...,
By Mark in Maryland "mark-in-maryland" (Metro DC) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Acting Techniques for Everyday Life: Look and Feel Self-Confident in Difficult, Real-Life Situations (Paperback)
My first reaction about the author when I started reading the book was "this chick is from California". My second reaction was "my God, what a miserable life this poor woman must have had!" Overall, I think the book has some good techniques. I do sales presentations for a living, and I bought this book to share with my presentation team. While many of the techniques are valuable, including some of the spiritual aspects, the author assumes that anyone reading the book has a lot to overcome because of the oppressive, abusive childhoods we all had. Unfortunately, the book is peppered with such comments and examples. I feel sorry for anyone who feels like they have to look at life that way. Granted, everyone has "traumatic" memories, more out of our immature perception of things, rather than because of the way our parents treated us. Even people with warm, loving, caring parents still suffer from stage fright and anxiety from time to time. I think this is probably where your focus should be when reading these points. For those of you who aren't into spirituality and/or metaphysics, some of the exercises might seem a little strange - "breathing white light into the spaces between your vertebrae", etc. But they really do help. You just need a little imagination. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trashing the book, just the way some of the ideas are presented. Even if you only read the last few chapters (chapter 24 to the end), you will still get the essence of the book, and a lot of value. Of course, at the amazon.com price, it's even better!
3.0 out of 5 stars
Will these methods work for you? Try and see.,
By
This review is from: Acting Techniques for Everyday Life: Look and Feel Self-Confident in Difficult, Real-Life Situations (Paperback)
This book covers acting methods to help overcome self conciousness, social phobia and other difficulties. Actors' physical preparation is covered in addition to imagination exercises or sense memory drills. For example, imagine the taste of Coca Cola. You are using sense memory when you imagine the taste and it makes your taste buds salivate. Many different methods are shown for using sense memory and imagination to handle difficult situations such as interviews and public speaking. I have tried one of the techniques for dealing with self conciousness and it worked when I tried it. The more one practices, the better one should get, in theory. Since I haven't consistently applied the techniques in this book, I cannot endorse them. I am not saying that the methods work, nor am I saying that they don't work. You would have to try them for yourself and see.
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