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⇱ Acting Skills for Business Communication and Leadership | Coursera

Acting Skills for Business Communication and Leadership

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Acting Skills for Business Communication and Leadership

Included with

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
Beginner level

Recommended experience

6 hours to complete
Flexible schedule
Learn at your own pace
Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
Beginner level

Recommended experience

6 hours to complete
Flexible schedule
Learn at your own pace

What you'll learn

  • Physical Presence: Identify and release tension to develop kinesthetic awareness and reclaim a grounded, natural presence in professional settings.

  • Vocal Authority: Optimize breath support and tonal range to enhance vocal resonance, ensuring maximum rhetorical impact and clarity.

  • Professional Intentionality: Use actor-based imaginative preparation to shift from self-consciousness to goal-oriented action in business.

  • Relational Communication: Master real-time responsiveness and read non-verbal cues through active listening and empathetic curiosity.

Details to know

Shareable certificate

Add to your LinkedIn profile

Assessments

12 assignments¹

AI Graded see disclaimer
Taught in English

There are 4 modules in this course

This course establishes a foundation in practical acting techniques designed to enhance communication efficacy and confidence within professional and global business environments. By utilizing physical, vocal, and imaginative exercises from professional actor training, the curriculum provides a structured approach to managing the "performance" aspects of leadership and professional engagement.

Participants investigate methodologies to refine empathetic listening, optimize vocal resonance, and master non-verbal communication. The program focuses on developing curious, creative, and authoritative communicators capable of navigating diverse professional interactions with executive presence and emotional intelligence.

This module focuses on the physical mechanics of professional presence. Participants explore actor-based alignment and relaxation techniques to manage physical tension and project confidence. The curriculum establishes a foundation for using the body as a primary tool for authoritative communication in high-stakes business environments.

What's included

4 videos8 readings4 assignments

4 videos•Total 8 minutes
  • Introduction To Acting As Practical Psychology •2 minutes
  • Empathy•1 minute
  • Summary: Is Your Workplace Communication Style as Effective as it Could Be?•3 minutes
  • Critique Technique•2 minutes
8 readings•Total 41 minutes
  • What to Expect•2 minutes
  • About CalArts•5 minutes
  • Acting Terminology •2 minutes
  • Activity: Reflection•5 minutes
  • Engaging in Empathetic Curiosity•5 minutes
  • Activity: Imagining Someone Else’s Experience•15 minutes
  • Replacing Value Judgements with Observations•2 minutes
  • Activity: Effective feedback for subjective work•5 minutes
4 assignments•Total 34 minutes
  • Quiz Yourself: Acting Terms •5 minutes
  • Quiz Yourself: Engaging Empathy in Business Practices•2 minutes
  • Quiz Yourself: Subjective or Objective?•7 minutes
  • Defining your ‘Leader Self’•20 minutes

This section applies the "Objective and Action" framework of professional acting to business strategy. Participants learn to utilize imaginative preparation to define clear intentions for meetings and presentations. By shifting focus from self-consciousness to goal-oriented action, learners improve their ability to drive specific outcomes in professional interactions.

What's included

8 videos9 readings2 assignments

8 videos•Total 25 minutes
  • Objectives•2 minutes
  • Performance by August Gray Gall •3 minutes
  • Performance by Symone Holmes•4 minutes
  • Tactics•1 minute
  • Interview With Dr. Cindy Molloy (Part 1)•7 minutes
  • Interview With Dr. Cindy Molloy (Part 2)•3 minutes
  • Interview With Dr. Cindy Molloy (Part 3)•4 minutes
  • Obstacles•1 minute
9 readings•Total 61 minutes
  • Introduction: Guest Actor Performance by August Gray Gall •1 minute
  • Analysis of Performance by August Gray Gall •10 minutes
  • Excerpt from “Audition" by Michael Shurtleff•20 minutes
  • Guest Actor Performance by Symone Holmes•1 minute
  • Analysis of Performance by Symone Holmes•10 minutes
  • Tactics as Verbs•2 minutes
  • Introduction: Guest Interview With Dr. Cindy Molloy•2 minutes
  • Anticipating Obstacles to Your Business Goal •10 minutes
  • Review: Tactics + Objectives•5 minutes
2 assignments•Total 25 minutes
  • Activity: Setting a Business Goal •10 minutes
  • Test Yourself: Tactics + Objectives•15 minutes

An investigation into the mechanics of the human voice, focusing on breath support, projection, and articulation. Learners apply vocal exercises to enhance clarity and tonal variety, ensuring their spoken communication is both audible and persuasive. This section bridges the gap between technical vocal health and professional rhetorical influence.

What's included

11 videos4 readings3 assignments

11 videos•Total 30 minutes
  • Breathing Exercises•4 minutes
  • Summary: The Breathing Technique that Can Make You a Better Leader•1 minute
  • Body Posture•4 minutes
  • Physical Postures for Stress Relief and Improved Communication•4 minutes
  • Summary: Effective Communication in the Workplace - Navigating the Nuances of Language•1 minute
  • Active Listening•1 minute
  • The Intent to Understand•1 minute
  • Performance by Fiona Rose Dryer•1 minute
  • Interview with Hannah Keeney (Part 1)•3 minutes
  • Interview with Hannah Keeney (Part 2)•4 minutes
  • Interview with Hannah Keeney (Part 3)•5 minutes
4 readings•Total 22 minutes
  • Activity: Set an Exercise Schedule•5 minutes
  • Nuance of Language•1 minute
  • Excerpt from CYRANO DE BERGERAC•15 minutes
  • Introduction: Guest Interview with Hannah Keeney•1 minute
3 assignments•Total 21 minutes
  • Quiz Yourself: Listening and Understanding•1 minute
  • Test Yourself: Breath Placement•10 minutes
  • Test Yourself: Mirroring Exercise •10 minutes

A deep dive into active listening and the relational nature of communication. This module utilizes improvisation-based exercises to cultivate "empathetic curiosity" and responsiveness. Learners develop the ability to read non-verbal cues and adapt their communication style in real-time to build stronger professional partnerships.

What's included

5 videos6 readings3 assignments

5 videos•Total 7 minutes
  • Preparing for Risk•1 minute
  • Hold on Tightly, Let Go Lightly •1 minute
  • Yes, and•2 minutes
  • Summary: What Improv Can Teach Next-Gen Leaders•2 minutes
  • Action!•1 minute
6 readings•Total 53 minutes
  • Fail and Share•5 minutes
  • Team Success•5 minutes
  • Relaxed Confidence•5 minutes
  • Respect for Acting•15 minutes
  • Supplemental Activity: Perform a Monologue•20 minutes
  • Course Summary•3 minutes
3 assignments•Total 47 minutes
  • Quiz: "Fail and Share" or "Hold on Tightly, Let Go Lightly?"•2 minutes
  • Quiz Yourself: 'Yes, and...' Improv•15 minutes
  • Test Yourself: Preparing for a Presentation or Pitch •30 minutes

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Frequently asked questions

While traditional classes focus on theater craft and character performance for the stage, this course adapts professional actor training into a toolkit for the workplace. The emphasis is on "Performance Psychology"—using physical, vocal, and imaginative exercises to build a "Leader Self" rather than a fictional character. 

Yes. This program is specifically designed for professionals, entrepreneurs, and leaders who may never step on a stage but must "perform" in high-stakes meetings, presentations, and interviews. It translates creative techniques into actionable soft skills like executive presence and empathetic listening. 

Most public speaking courses focus on rhetoric and slide decks. This course focuses on the "Instrument"—your body and voice. By mastering breath, alignment, and emotional intelligence, you develop the ability to adapt your communication style in real-time, which is essential for leadership and interpersonal influence. 

CalArtians can access all of the content in the course and earn a certificate at no additional cost by joining through the Coursera for CalArts program and then using their CalArts email address when registering for a Coursera account.

The California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) is a world-renowned laboratory for the performing arts, founded by Walt Disney to foster a "total arts" environment where creativity and technical mastery intersect. While a traditional business school teaches the theory of management, the CalArts pedagogy in this course focuses on the "mechanics" of human connection. By studying leadership through this professional acting lens, you aren't just learning "public speaking tips"—you are training your "instrument" (voice, body, and presence) to command a room, navigate high-stakes conflict, and lead with the same authenticity and psychological depth required for a professional stage performance.

To access the course materials, assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience when you enroll in a course. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid. The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.

When you purchase a Certificate you get access to all course materials, including graded assignments. Upon completing the course, your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile.

Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.

Financial aid available,

¹ Some assignments in this course are AI-graded. For these assignments, your data will be used in accordance with Coursera's Privacy Notice.