WORDS can LIE, BEHAVIOR doesn’t.
The Meisner Technique does not work off the words, it works off the behavior behind the words, so when working with text, what we are looking for is “why” an Actor is saying what they are saying and how they “feel” about what they are saying.
If you can’t listen, you cannot ACT, it doesn’t matter how talented you are.
Life happens in the moment, the only true moment is what is happening right now between you and me. Do you hear with your eyes?
An ounce of behavior is worth a pound of words
Means that behavior happens first and then propels the words based on your feeling or emotional impulse, the words or text are then carried on this emotion/feeling/impulse that you personally have. We as humans feel something, then emotionally process it and then we verbally express what we felt, fueled by that emotion.

The Meisner Technique is an interdependent series of exercises that build upon one another, committed to freeing the actor of and from habits which prevent them from behaving directly from the impulses of their true nature and imagination.

The technique asserts that by emphasizing "moment-to-moment" spontaneity through communion with other actors, behaviour that is truthful under imaginary circumstances is generated.

The technique is incredibly intensive, and demands that each actor be serious, committed, and passionate.

Repetition
The Repetition Exercise is the cornerstone of this work, at the beginning learned by rote; two actors face each other and "repeat" their observations about one another's behavior back and forth. An example of such an exchange might be:

"You're smiling."..."I'm smiling."..."You're smiling!"..."Yes, I'm smiling."

From there it builds, transcends into shifting the concentration from yourself onto your partner. When you are able to "pick up the emotional subtext of this repeated exchange and then respond from your "emotional impulse" created from this repetition, then the work evolves spontaneously from how each persons "moment to moment" behavior affects them, this leads to truthful interaction in the work.

From start to finish these principles of "listen and respond" and "stay in the moment" are fundamental to any role portrayed in any professional medium.

Independent Activity
An Independent Activity is an exercise that involves a person engaged in a concentrated task of difficulty when their partner comes into the room. In the early stages of class, choose something that is truthful to you, difficult, but not impossible to accomplish, and must be completed within a limited amount of time. Later on, the activity can be less difficult, but still has to have an emotional need in it's execution.

You must have a simple, specific reason for doing what you're doing, this will be the source of your concentration. If the reason were true, would you do everything you could to get the activity done?

Knock on the Door
In this exercise one person is outside the door and after a certain amount of time knocks on the door based on an emotional need. The person inside the room is engaged in the Independent Activity.

The first moment of the the exercise is the KNOCK, the second moment is the OPENING of the door, the third moment is the MEANING the knock has for you, verbalized by you as you open the door. Then you go back to your Independent Activity and continue the Repetition based on the emotional state you are in.

The Actor outside the door;
This knock should be certain, precise and be grounded in an emotional need for a response to the knock.

The Actor Inside the room;
Is fully emotionally engaged in completing the Independent Activity they are involved in. Do you answer the door? Does it intrude on you completing the Independent Activity? Do you even believe that you need to respond to the knock?

Emotional Preparation
"Emotional preparation" is the name given to a set of exercises in which the Actor are required to enter a room in a state of heightened emotion. "Emotional preparation" is built atop the structure that students get from knocks and activities, it is the trigger an actor needs to be emotionally prepared to begin the "take", make an entrance to "the stage" or begin an audition piece.

This exercise is used solely as a catapult to launch you into the given circumstances of the required work at hand.