Self-Coaching Before & After Auditions

We've all heard that talking to yourself is a sign that you might be going cray-cray. Not so anymore!

The High Performance Institute by Brendon Burchard now has the research to back the idea of coaching yourself in the second person to increase your high performance, as mentioned in his interview with Marie Forleo.

Remember, this blog post is the follow-up to the Technique to Let Go of an Audition, but we'll sandwich that technique between two self-coaching sessions before and after each of your auditions.

So here's the high-level overview:

1. Self-coach before the audition
2. Use the release technique after the audition
3. Self-coach after the release technique

I'll give you an actor specific step-by-step breakdown in this post. 

1. SELF-COACHING BEFORE AN AUDITION

Talk to yourself in the second person. Pretend that you've sat yourself down and hired yourself to be your own personal coach.

For example, I would say, "Spurgeon, when you do this audition, you want to be...."

Ok now the fun can begin. You'll need to personalize this based on your goals, but I'll give you an example of my self-coaching so you have somewhere to start.

I might say, "Spurgeon, you've done the work already. You know your lines, you've broken down the script, and you left in plenty of time to be there early. Now you can focus on your objective. The casting directors are for you. They're looking for someone to serve their need of booking this role. They picked you out of a pile of headshots, so be thankful for that. Remember to have fun and be intentional with everyone you speak to. You love practicing your craft, and you have the opportunity to do so right now."

So how do you personalize this method?

5 questions to create your self-coaching breakdown:

• Am I stressed right now, and if so why? Coach your way out of it by stating the facts. For example, "Traffic is stressful, but I left on time to be early."
• How do I feel about the casting director? Find something positive to say about them to create a feeling of connection.
• Am I thankful for this audition? Express gratitude that you got it in the first place. You never know what one booking may lead to.
• How do I want to feel? State the exact feelings or emotions you want to have when you enter the room or start the self-tape.
• Why am I doing this? Remind yourself of why you're an actor in the first place. Side note: if you're answer is "to be famous," then it's time to reconsider your why.

2. RELEASE TECHNIQUE POST AUDITION

If you haven't seen the actor's guide to using this technique, pop over to this blog post. You'll find a link back to this post for step three.

3. SELF-COACHING AFTER RELEASE TECHNIQUE

At this point, you need to self-coach using the second person POV once again.

I might say to myself, "Spurgeon, you did your best in the moment. You're thankful for this opportunity. The one takeaway you can apply to your next audition is to ask a more specific question if you're confused about a note because it never hurts to ask. You can leave this audition behind you now because you no longer have control over what happens. Now it's time to listen to a podcast and transition into learning mode." 

5 prompts to formulate your second session:

• Complement yourself. Find something, anything, to be happy about from your audition.
• Express gratitude. Remember that not everyone in the world has the freedom to chase after their dream of being an actor. 
• Give yourself a director's note. What one constructive tip can you take action on next time?
• Tell yourself to let it go. Remind yourself that it's over.
• Transition to the next thing. Have a podcast or music playlist ready to go for the ride home, and remind yourself to appreciate the opportunity to have either at your disposal. 

TAKE ACTION

If you need to, write down your self-coaching statements to read aloud to yourself until you know what to say. You can also record these prompts and replay them in the car.

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