One of many headlines that reported on Kate Winslet’s  Golden Globe Awards “acceptance speech of painfully histrionic proportions”. “There were tears, there was hyperventilation (Hhhuuuuh! Hhhuuuuuh! My God!)…it was memorable but it wasn’t pretty” (Times). “Could someone please pass the sick bag”.(Express).

For a great actress this was not a great performance! It was a lousy pitch.  So, what lessons can we, non actors, take from it? 

We accept that a pitch does call for performance.  It does call for content that is prepared in advance, that has an opening , a clear storyline with typically three scenes, and an ending.

 It calls for rehearsal so that the ‘actors’ are at ease with their material and each other.  It calls for, if not a director, an objective observer to check that intended and recieved communication are the same.

Perhaps, if Kate Winslet had studied the Pitchcoach Best Practice guides she would not have “joined the cast of Hollywood Howlers!”