Acting "As If": How Acting Can Help You Increase Your Well-Being

Research shows that changing your posture makes you more confident and more successful in high stress situations. In this taped webinar from the MAPP (Masters in Applied Positive Psychology) Alumni Association, leadership development facilitator, coach, and playright Shannon Polly teaches how to focus on the external aspects of well-being and presence: posture (standing and seated), breathing, voice, eye contact, gestures, and movement. To focus on the internal aspects of presence she takes participants through a process to discover their “super-objective.” In acting, this is the overriding urge or drive or need that motivates every one of a character’s actions. To affect other people, and thus to effect change in your own life, you need verbs — action words — to lead to change. Shannon also shares parts of the book she co-edited, Character Strengths Matter: How to Live a Full Life, explaining how to use these techniques to increase your well-being in this challenging time