How the world’s best actors communicate with gravitas – and how you can, too.

‘The theatre stars’ voice guru’ Daily Mail

Acting is all about charisma. Whether you’re an A-list star or an extra, when you’re on stage you need to perform in a way that makes your audience listen.

That stage presence is something we can all learn from. Every time you speak up in a meeting, recount an anecdote, or tell a joke, it’s essential to communicate with gravitas.

Jeannette Nelson knows a thing or two about gravitas. As Head of Voice at the National Theatre, she has spent three decades working with the world’s leading actors – from Al Pacino to Benedict Cumberbatch to Juliette Binoche – teaching them to speak clearly and move confidently.

Now, Nelson pulls back the curtain on the tricks that professional performers use to own the room. Starting with clear speech and good posture, before moving on to the art of rhetoric and overcoming stage fright, she outlines a holistic three-stage method to communicating with authority, authenticity and eloquence. Throughout, she peppers the book with stories of how world-renowned actors learnt to make themselves heard – and how you can, too.

The result is a fascinating and eminently practical guide to the art of performance. If all the world’s a stage, then this book will turn you into its lead actor.

"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

"Jeannette makes the world of voice production endlessly fascinating and endlessly fun. It’s not just her encyclopaedic knowledge of the mechanics – it’s the clarity with which she expresses her ideas and the simplicity and ease with which she gets results. There is no one better." - Rory Kinnear

"Jeannette taught me so much . . . By the time I came to perform I felt I had enormous flexibility in my voice and could persuade anyone to do anything!" - Sophie Okonedo

"I have been lucky enough to work with Jeannette Nelson – and have felt hugely enabled as an actor by her precise insight into the infinite challenge of communicating a text on stage." - Ralph Fiennes

"Jeannette Nelson’s revelatory relationship to language is, quite simply, life-changing . . . Her meticulous, empowering approach is irresistible and inspiring." - Simon Godwin