Improvise!

Alimzhan Baurzhanov is a person who makes others happy. As a professional actor, he has long felt the desire to share his unique knowledge with others. He has been teaching people acting and public speaking for many years. He also hosts events. In a conversation with the Museofnomad team, Alimzhan revealed some of the secrets behind his magic.

I don't want to give a lengthy definition of "acting." It seems to me that it can be summarized in two phrases: "I believe" and "I don't believe." It's not about pretense; it's about sincerity: if you say something, you should be as involved in it. It is vital in everyday life as an applied skill. Unfortunately, 80 percent of the population of our country does not possess this skill. More precisely, not even that they do not have acting skills, but they do not know how to speak or how to formulate their ideas in a message effectively. But if you work with people, this skill is necessary.

I do not believe that someone cannot master it. It's just that some don't want to learn to speak, to learn to express themselves. Yes, it might seem that some do not need the skills of an orator at all. Let's say I'm an engineer or a programmer. Why should I waste my time learning it? In the meantime, you may encounter a situation where you need to tell your boss about your idea. It goes without saying in business - there is no way to conduct it without this skill effectively. For example, the whole empire of Elon Musk rests solely on his charisma, on his personality.

Sometimes I see how my fellow trainers say they will turn you into Cicero in 5, 10, or 20 days. It doesn't work like that. It is constant work, like going to the gym. You can't just work out with a trainer for a month and then go and eat pastries again and lie on the couch. You need to practice constantly, constantly work to overcome your insecurities, to open up. Be sure to never stop reading fiction, and out loud! By the way, it has helped me become an event host.

Another essential exercise is speaking to the camera. You must constantly record something, improvise, and record it at most from the second take! What should you film precisely? It doesn't matter at all!

In addition to teaching people how to act, I run events. Three pillars make an event host successful: voice, diction, and love for people. The latter may sound trite, but people are very different, and it can be oh-so challenging to love them. But it is necessary! The host should have one main objective - to make the holiday unforgettable and to convince this client to work with them in the future. Just automatically going through the motions of the standard program to make some quick cash is the way to the abyss.

People often ask me if there were unforeseen situations at the events. God, of course, there were! Once, it so happened that the written script just fell apart. You may have planned some outdoor activities, but it started to rain. Another time I was hosting a New Year's corporate party, and the electricity went out in the restaurant. Then the guests and I started singing New Year's songs by candlelight, which was very meaningful. You need to be able to improvise, but at the same time clearly understand that improvisation is always based on prepared scripts. Always.

Hosting events also has its taboos. There are two of them - mumbling diction and an uncaring attitude toward the client. You can not constantly roll with one program and the same script for years. People are susceptible to such negligence. You should feel the temperature in the room. For example, if one guest communicates to you with his eyes: "do not even try to touch me with your even contests!". So I don't approach him. Paradoxically, however, he thanked me for everything after the event and said it went swell! By the way, when I am a guest, I am precisely this kind of guest. Do not bother me.

I've got a hoot and a half of stories to tell. Once I held a wedding at my friends' place on December 26th. On its own, this is unusual because this period is packed with New Year's corporate parties. But they agreed with me much in advance. They were two snowboarding fans, and the wedding was reminiscent of Snow Dogs. They were both 23, and they organized everything themselves without the help of their parents, which is a rare thing in Kazakhstan.

And once, as a presenter, I had to portray ... Yuri Levitan, the famous Soviet announcer! There was intense casting for the role, and I was chosen from seven candidates. I stood on the podium and announced everything in that very voice: "...from the Soviet Information Bureau"! And after the event, I was presented with one criticism. You'll never guess what it was. The problem was that I said one phrase in my voice, not Levitan's!

Improvisation can be learned. There are schools of improvisational skill, I also have this discipline in my course. Everything can be leveled up, and everything can be taught.

In general, 70 percent of my clients (especially women!) come with one request - I need to loosen up. For example, a woman becomes the head of a department. Still, she needs to communicate appropriately with more charismatic and energetic subordinates. I can help her with this. Men, by the way, come less often simply because it is more difficult to admit they have a problem.

There is a systematic approach - leaving the comfort zone. I always start with this, but I do it carefully, delicately, in an atmosphere of love and care. We identify the problem. Then we talk it out. And finally, we move on to liberation through acting.

I had a female client who had to be taken out of there quite aggressively. She was holding a very high position but needed help to learn how to present herself and speak freely. I made her go to the park and dance in front of other people, work on her Instagram account (it was torture for her), and laugh at the flaws in her appearance. She hated me, but in the end, she reached the goal and now talks very confidently.

Once upon a time, I, too, started by stepping out of my comfort zone. I was hosting an event at a family restaurant and was asked to help direct a children's musical. Working with children is very difficult! But with the help of consultants and experts, I succeeded. And then, one of the center's managers that produced the musical invited me to his place and said that I had to share my knowledge. This is how my coaching journey began.

Naturally, my activities include more than coaching and wedding hosting. A movie I helped create will soon be released - it is called "Ili Don Quixote." It's about a man who guards the Ili River against poachers. In addition, I host creative evenings where I read poems by Kazakh poets.

An important thing I would like to say. Extreme shyness comes from childhood—unorthodox relationships with parents and bullying at school. You should seek a professional psychologist to overcome them, but I can help a lot. I love to help very much.