When was the last time you performed? Was it in a college play? A middle school talent show? Karaoke with your coworkers? Or was it the time you met with your supervisor to negotiate a salary increase?

While that last question may not seem to belong with the others, it does to Michael and Amy Port, two trained actors turned speaking coaches. Most of us need to perform all the time, even if we don’t see ourselves as performers, they say in a TEDxCambridge talk. “In our personal and professional lives, we’re called upon to make toasts, give eulogies, nail a job interview, or win a negotiation, and they’re all high-stakes situations,” says Michael.

One way that we can help ourselves excel in these high-stakes situations is by thinking like a professional performer — i.e., an actor. “Just as actors use techniques on the stage to create a believable reality, non-actors can use the same techniques off the stage to create a reality of their choosing,” says Michael.

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More on: How to excel at the moments that matter in life: Think like an actor (ideas.ted.com, 8. julij 2019).