What Business Leaders Can Learn From Actors About Authenticity and Influence

Jan de Vries · 2026-07-28

This exclusive interview with Matt Zina was conducted by Tabish Ali of the Motivational Speakers Agency. Matt Zina is an award-winning acting coach, talent agent, and peak performance speaker who applies the discipline of screen acting to leadership, communication, and business. With more than two decades of industry experience, he is the Founder and CEO of Matt Zina Acting and creator of the internationally used Trinity Acting Method. A former professional actor with credits including Heartbeat, A Touch of Frost, and Emmerdale, Matt has built his career around helping people perform confidently under pressure. His work with actors and senior leaders gives him a distinct perspective on authentic communication, camera presence, and the growing commercial value of a strong personal brand. In this interview, Matt explains why emotion drives action, what leaders can learn from actors, and how authenticity helps speakers earn attention, build trust, and change how audiences think. ### Why Authenticity Creates Authority Matt Zina: "In 2026, authenticity is everything. Let's break down what authenticity actually looks like. "It looks like people slipping over their words and then going, 'Oh, I need to put my teeth in,' laughing about it and getting on with it, rather than starting again if it was a video production. "Most people would be too scared to do that. I wouldn't, because it shows authenticity. Authenticity over perfection. "What else does it look like? It looks like when you're given a presentation, all you do is look at the back of the room, go through your slides, and expect everybody to listen from beginning to end. "Communication has changed, and we need to adapt to that. We need to work harder on being authentic. It genuinely connects more deeply with the person you're presenting to. "If they feel there's a sense of authenticity, they'll lean in more. Why are we speaking to people? Why are we presenting whatever it is we're presenting? It's because we want to create change. "Unless people lean into you and have an emotional experience, they will never change anything or come away from that presentation having changed anything about themselves. "One of the things I say constantly in my acting classes, in my other guise as an acting coach, is: emotions drive actions. You've got to get people to feel something first. "Stanislavski was probably the grandfather of acting technique. He was Russian, and he was the first to really study what we would call truthful, real acting techniques, where you watch a performance and believe in what the actors are doing. "He realized very quickly that when performers were existing within these characters and being as authentic as possible, the audience would have much more of an emotional experience when watching theatre. "When we go back to 'emotions drive actions,' that's why authenticity works. It helps you achieve your overall aim of getting people to change." ### Skills From Acting That Strengthen Presence Matt Zina: "Actors are business leaders. I'm an agent as well, so I have to tell actors constantly, 'Look, you are a business. You're a business leader.' "The ones who understand that quickly do very well in the acting world. They connect, market themselves, and make sure they have a constant presence on social media. They communicate well. "Influence in 2026 has a very strange meaning. Actors often want to stay away from social media because they see themselves as something else. I think many business leaders do the same. They don't see themselves as a personal brand or somebody who should be on social media. They see themselves as above it. "The biggest source of influence at the minute, whether we like it or not, is social media." ### Key Takeaways for Business Leaders - **Embrace imperfection:** Slipping up and laughing it off builds trust more than a polished performance. - **Focus on emotion:** People need to feel something before they'll change their behavior or decisions. - **Treat yourself as a brand:** Whether you like it or not, your personal brand is your biggest asset in building influence. - **Adapt to modern communication:** Audiences today expect connection, not a scripted presentation. ### How to Apply These Lessons Start by recording a short video of yourself speaking naturally about a topic you care about. Don't rehearse it. Let yourself stumble a bit. Then watch it back and notice how much more engaging it feels compared to a scripted version. Next, practice active listening in your next one-on-one meeting. Mirror the other person's energy and respond authentically rather than sticking to a prepared agenda. That's where real connection happens. Finally, commit to posting one piece of content per week on LinkedIn or another platform. Share a lesson you learned, a mistake you made, or a insight from your work. Consistency builds trust faster than perfection ever will.