How to Use Your Acting Skills On and Off Stage - by Robert Curtiss

Many years ago, a restaurant where I worked as a waiter hired a consultant to help train the wait staff in “upselling” techniques—that is, the ability to get people to buy more things—in order to increase revenues for the restaurant, and as a result, increase the tips earned by the staff.

I was really impressed by this consultant, Bob Brown. He had been a waiter himself and had learned through his own trial and error—as well as guidance from mentors along the way—how to increase his income and do it in a way that was not pushy or fake. I learned how my acting skills could be put to work to make money both on and off stage.

I recently had the pleasure of watching Bob in action as he conducted a day-long seminar, and I was struck at how universal his message is and I wanted to pass some of this message on to you.

Bob Brown uses an acronym to describe what he calls “star qualities” in successful people, and these qualities I find particularly suited for actors.

The acronym is KEEPER. Here is what it stands for:

1. Knowledge. We all continue to gather knowledge throughout our lives. Make sure you acquire the knowledge you need to accomplish a desired task or goal—whether that is in show business or your support job.

2. Enthusiasm. It is vital! Why do anything half-heartedly? Others pick up on your enthusiasm, and it gets them excited about what you are doing.

3. Empathy. Be aware of others, and try to understand where they are coming from. A little human kindness goes a long way. This will help you in all areas of your life, and you can tailor your approach to how your "audience" might be feeling.

4. Presentation. How do you present yourself? Ask yourself, “Would I buy from me? Would I cast me?” How neat and clean is your "uniform" or "costume"? How loudly and clearly do you speak? Always take care to present yourself as you want to be seen and heard. First impressions—and especially repeated impressions—can be lasting impressions!

5. Execution. How do you put your knowledge and skills into action? How are your technical skills? This is where rehearsal comes in—and I mean more than just your acting scenes. The more you practice how you speak, sell, greet people, interview, etc., the more you will feel prepared and relaxed, and the more your skills become ingrained into your natural behavior.

6. Reading Cues. We all communicate loudly even when we don't speak a word. Become a master at observing body language and behavioral cues. In his book "Emotional Intelligence," Bob Brown says that there are more than 20,000 gestures in our body language vocabulary. Watch and learn them. This skill is vital in everyday life, but it will also help you in the art of acting, where listening and observing are essential.

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Like What You Do - by Robert Curtiss

"Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out."

Someone sent me that saying in an email; I liked it so much I put it up on the bulletin board by my desk. People who find ways to view their circumstances positively tend to be happier than those who complain about the way things are. We are human, of course, and it is natural to dislike when we have to do things that are unpleasant. We all must work to earn an income, however, and we all have the power to choose how we view whatever we have to do in our lives.

How you live your life is a choice. When you look for a job, make sure the work is something you enjoy. You don't have to love every aspect of a job, but certainly you can find some things to like about practically anything. After all, this is your life, and if you are totally miserable, well, what is the point of that?

Let's look at the job of a waiter as an example. Some of the obvious drawbacks of this kind of job are that you get covered with food, customers can sometimes be rude or otherwise unpleasant, and sometimes those rude customers don't leave a tip. All those things may be true, but there are also things to enjoy from this same job: the flexibility of a waiter's job means you are free to pursue your acting, you can make good money in tips if you are good at the job, and you can meet so many people, which may appeal to those of you who excel at hospitality skills. Waiters who like what they do end up making more tips than those who whine and complain and just do the bare minimum.

Beware of the "I don't care about this job because I'm really an actor" syndrome. I was guilty of this when I was just starting out. I thought my waiter job was so unimportant, and I barely could contain my contempt for it. As I continued to complain about every little thing I had to do, I started to notice that the waiters who came to work smiling at everyone and enthusiastically going about their duties were the people whom everyone - fellow workers and customers alike - enjoyed being around, and they seemed happier in general, and made better tips than I was making while I was waiting for my "real life" to begin. I figured out quickly that this WAS my real life, and I made a point to become one of those happier people I admired.

As Stephen Sondheim so aptly wrote in a lyric from "Sunday in the Park with George", "It's not 'Do as You Like' as it is that you ‘Like What You Do’". Try to like what you do. It really is your choice!

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