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Centre Stage

Centre Stage

Lessons from Actors on the Art of Charisma

Summary

'The theatre stars' voice guru' Daily Mail

Every time you deliver a speech, give a presentation, or simply tell a good story, you are taking centre stage. Here, one of the world’s leading voice coaches introduces the simple exercises that great actors use to hold people’s attention – and reveals how anyone speaking in public can use them.

Drawing on 25 years working at the National Theatre in London, Jeannette Nelson explains:
  • How to warm up your voice and body before a big speech.
  • How learning to breathe deeply can improve your clarity and pace.
  • How to divide a script into individual ‘thoughts’ so it flows more naturally.
  • How to adapt your delivery to suit any environment, be it a 1,000-seater auditorium or an intimate Zoom meeting.
Along the way, she recounts stories from leading actors that pull back the curtain on how they learnt to own the room, and how you can too. If all the world’s a stage, this book will turn you into its lead actor.

Reviews

  • I owe Jeannette a huge debt of thanks. She was recommended as the best in the business, and has worked with me for years on my one-man shows. Her knowledge is astonishing and her approach so gentle and effective.
    Derren Brown

About the author

Jeannette Nelson

Jeannette Nelson is one of the world’s leading voice coaches. In the course of over a decade as Head of Voice at the National Theatre, she was responsible for ensuring that everyone who took the stage at Britain’s leading theatre was communicating clearly and charismatically. Along the way, she worked with some of the greatest actors of our time – from Al Pacino to Benedict Cumberbatch to Juliette Binoche – on some of their most notable roles across stage, film and TV. Nelson's first book, The Voice Exercise Book (2015), has become the go-to guide for actors looking for exercises to help improve their vocal clarity.

'Jeannette's knowledge is astonishing and her approach so gentle and effective' Derren Brown
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