Stars Rehearse - why don't you?

Actors will typically rehearse a full-length play for 4-6 weeks before starting performances. That's a minimum of 40 hours per week or more with overtime working in a rehearsal room with their fellow actors. That doesn't include time memorizing lines, working on pieces of business, and doing research. All of this effort is necessary to enable the actor to look like he or she is playing the role for the first time, no matter how many times they have played the role.

If trained actors -- STARS -- need rehearsal to perform their best, what about the rest of us? Of course, we need rehearsal, too. But do we rehearse before important important moments in our lives? Most people do not -- yet even a little rehearsal can make a big difference.

So if you want to look like a star at your next meeting, rehearse! Practice coming into the meeting room and looking everyone in the eye and giving them a firm handshake. Find out as much as you can about the meeting topic beforehand, and research the topic. Know what your colleagues in the company are doing, and more importantly, how your competition is handling this issue. Be ready to suggest solutions to the problem -- and to volunteer to implement the solutions yourself.

Stars don't go on stage or on to a movie set and "wing it." Why should you? Rehearse as much as you can.