Timing is Everything
Beside being true for love and business in general, this is especially the case for any calling where you stand in front of an audience. Regardless of whether you are a motivational speaker, keynoter, or breakout speaker, your timing is critical. Unfortunately, timing can not be learned, as it falls into that area of things you are born with – either you have it or you don’t. I do believe, however, that timing can be improved – not just through a process or a series of steps, but through a state of mind. Aside from learning some basic tricks (like slowing down, counting, not stepping on your laughs, etc.) you can also learn to see your performance in new ways. Today, we are going to view it as a dance – a dance between you, the performer, and your partner, the audience.
You’re the Lead
As a performer, you have spent years crafting your art – sharpening your dance moves. In this dance, you take the lead. For arts like dancing or acting, the audience is on the outside looking in. There is no parternship. For the sake of our discussion, I’m talking about performance arts like speaking, comedy, storytelling, etc. – arts where you are building a relationship with your audience. Sure, you take the lead, but your audience still plays an important part. So how do we relate an audience to a dance partner?
All Dance Partners are Different
Every audience you have will be different no matter what the variables. Surprisingly, the mood of the audience will be different at the end of the show than at the beginning. An audience is a unique being composed of different people with different assumptions and experiences and backgrounds combined with their shared experiences and setting. There is a distinct feeling or mood with each audience. Quite often performers will warn each other of the temperament of the audience. I’ve heard performers warn me: “They’re in a bad mood today. They’ve been touring all day, the boats were late getting back, some missed dinner, and they want to go to bed.” On other occasions, I gotten: “Great crowd. They just want to laugh.” Or, “The guy with the foul content has got them riled up.” You get different partners on your dance card. Each one has its own rhythm, moods, likes and dislikes. An audience can collectively change moods based on what happens in the performance. Comedy clubs are a good example, especially in how the comedian handles a heckler. The audience will be on the side of the comedian until the comedian delivers a blow they consider unfair in which case the audience as a whole will turn on the comedian. It’s not something planned, it just happens.
You Must Be Tuned in to Your Partner
Since every audience is unique, you must be ready to adjust and change up your performance. Sometimes you get information about your audience in advance. But most of what you will find out will happen while you are on the platform. As a performer you not only have the responsibility of engaging your audience, you must also read them - their expressions, their laughter, their posture, and even those subtle nuances that you just feel as a seasoned performer. There is no way that you can read your audience if you are too busy worrying about getting your lines right or forcing material on a group that obviously isn’t enjoying the journey. You must stay in the moment. You must be able to pick up on the attitude of the audience. If they are laughing at the right times, your jokes are working. If they are looking at you with expressions of bewilderment, you aren’t hitting the mark. If they are sleeping or throwing tomatoes, you’d better resort to your backup plan. Be flexible enough to change depending on your partner. Don’t forget – you job is to connect. Getting through every word in your planned presentation is not the objective. You’re up there to entertain the audience – to give them an enjoyable experience. That is your obligation, not theirs. You’re not on the stage dancing by yourself. Your audience is up there dancing with you.
At times your partner might get distracted, and you’ll have to get them back.Things occur that are beyond your control. A waiter drops a tray. The microphone can die suddenly. A cell phone goes off. Just be ready. You can’t get rid of all distractions. Don’t be afraid of them and don’t ignore them. Face the distractions head on and address them if necessary. Remember, you’re leading in this dance. Your partner need to know that you have the situation under control and that everything will be alright. And then utilize whatever tricks you have to demand their attention again. For example, if you are coming up on a critical part of your story when a distraction occurs, then delay it until you have control again.
You’re in the Lead, You Better Know the Steps
You owe it to your audience to perfect your performance. The platform is not the place to develop your presentation. It is not the place to wing it. Whether you’re making the big bucks, or getting paid a chicken sandwich, you owe your audience the best you have. The best advice I have for marketing yourself as a speaker is to be darned good at what you do. There is no room for mediocrity.
Not Every Partner is a Good Fit – Find Another
No one can please every audience. Get over it. Try for eighty percent. Understand that not every audience is right for you, and it takes time to nail down where you belong. Sometimes the process can be gut wrenching. But there is room for everybody. So keep working and keep looking. Don’t force yourself where you don’t belong. And don’t assume that anybody in their right mind should be totally captivated by you.
Remember, a Dance Should Be Fun
Remember why you do what you – because you love the dance. Of course, you get pre-performance jitters. You may have just run from the worst performance of your life. Maybe the entire front row was asleep. Perhaps you’re sinuses are killing you and the airline food left you queasy. Welcome to the club. We’ve all had days when our passion becomes more work than fun. That’s just the way it is sometimes. That’s normal. The important thing is to find the balance. Stay in touch with your reasons for doing this. To hang on to the part of you that is passionate. Don’t get so swept up in what you think you’re supposed to do that you forget what you want to do, or you’ll soon find that you’ve stopped enjoying the dance.