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 exclusive interview with the London Keynote Speakers Agency, 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.
Question 1: How does authentic communication create authority and inspire an audience to act?
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 realised 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.”
Question 2: Which skills from acting can business leaders apply to strengthen their presence, visibility and influence?
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.
“Marketing is, in many ways, very simple. We go to where our customers are. It used to be the town square, where we would hand out pieces of paper. We go to where the people are, tell them what we do and convert customers.
“Now it’s very different. Where is everyone? They’re not on the high street or walking down the main road. They are online.
“To reach our customers and the people we need to effect change in, we need to be on social media.
“I feel for CEOs, directors and senior leaders because they reached that level using a very different skill set. One of the things I have coached many people at that level on is speaking and presenting to camera. That skill set is missing in many people.
“When people start using social media and making content, they can get it wrong. They can over-project and make the mistakes everybody makes when they first start.
“Actors already have the skill set. They’re comfortable around cameras and present to camera regularly. It’s a big part of auditioning.
“Every audition requires an actor to do what’s called a slate, where they say to the camera, “Hi, I’m Matt Zena. I’m 42. I’m from Bradford.” They do that for every audition, so they’re comfortable with it.
“For many people outside the industry, these are new skills, and it’s an ever-changing landscape. You’ve got to be committed when you become a personal brand or start using social media. You must create content and remain visible.
“You realise there’s a new skill set that you’ve got to learn. That’s when people like me come in because many of the skills I teach actors are transferable.
“My book, The Trinity Acting Method, is about teaching actors to give the most authentic performance they can.
“When I coach somebody on how to present to camera or give a talk, I’m teaching them to give the most authentic “performance” they can.
“The reason it has to be authentic is that when you are authentic, the people listening lean in. They take down their guard and feel more emotion.
“Emotions drive actions, and you want those actions to create change.”
Question 3: How has personal branding become a commercial asset for business leaders?
Matt Zina: “We’ve gone through quite a change. In the ’50s, ’60s, ’70s and ’80s, we thought about big brands such as Coca-Cola and Pepsi, and we were impressed by them.
“Brands were clever in portraying a positive image, but the options were limited. You could do it with colours, the way you portrayed or curated your adverts, and your images.
“With social media, the changing world and the way people have decided to consume content, the focus suddenly shifted from the brand to the CEO being the brand. Elon Musk, Steve Jobs and, probably the first person to do it, Richard Branson. The CEO became the face of the brand.
“Now, lower down the scale, you have florists realising that the strength of their business is the person.
“People have always wanted to buy from people. It creates trust, a relationship and a sense of comfort.
“It has gone full circle. These brands became so big that, when deciding whether we trusted or had a connection with them, we could only rely on the brand and what they curated for us. We didn’t have the communication devices we have now.
“In 2026, the CEO can communicate with us directly on a livestream. Owners and founders can be interviewed, and we can see clips instantly.
“Our focus has shifted from the overall brand to wanting to see a person. That’s why it’s called a personal brand and why it’s so important.
“It has gone full circle. In Victorian times, if you needed a new jacket and wanted it tailored well, you wanted to know who was tailoring it.
“You would go to the town square and meet somebody offering their wares and services. They might appear trustworthy, honest or interesting. They would show you their wares, you would trust them and then buy from them.
“The same principle has returned because of the communication devices we now have.
“In modern times, brands and companies following the personal-brand route are achieving huge success.
“What does that mean for the CEO who has never thought about having to do this? What does it mean for the marketing director who has been told they have to do it?
“They have to learn that authenticity is their best friend.”
