Braced for Comedy
- Paul Speirs
- Sep 6, 2024
- 4 min read
Updated: Dec 9, 2024
How do you find the fortitude, in spite of the vulnerability, to do stand-up comedy ?
Someone asked us this the other day. It’s a good question.
Public speaking is a big fear for almost all of us. And trying to make people laugh at the same time….
“Are you mad?”
“That takes courage.”
“You won’t get me doing that”
We hear people say these things all the time. And for the most part, these viewpoints are true.
Attempting comedy in front of a live audience is a truly vulnerable space to put oneself in….. Or is it?
Here’s the thing…. yes, it can be vulnerable.
Here’s the good thing…. yes, you can control that vulnerability.
In answering the original question it we found that our top three tips to combat that vulnerability feeling not only work for stand-up comedy, they also work for general public speaking.
Tip 1: Don’t get flustered !
Imagine that moment when your joke doesn’t land. No laughs. The dreaded tumbleweed. This can bring a routine crashing down. It can wreck your mind and stop your flow.
Now, know this…. your vibes are mirrored by your audience. If they see you falter, the mood of the room will fill with sympathy and perhaps some empathy. There is no solace in this. There is also likely to be a sprinkling of doubt in you and your ability to deliver. In the public speaking arena this could deposition you as an expert. It’s a hard place to come back from as you die-on-stage. Trust me… We know. We’d be lying if we said otherwise.
“Tell us, how do you combat this?” we hear you shout.
In simple terms, be prepared for zero laughs at your jokes, puns, jester moments. And if they do laugh - take it as a win. Remember also, the collective audience needs permission to laugh. Nobody really likes laughing alone, even if deep down inside they are entertained. Remember this and ride on through the tumbleweeds. Keep on flowing, don’t falter.
There are other diversionary tactics such as calling out your rubbish jokes yourself, saying things like “oh, that was funny when I wrote it last night”, or muttering to yourself “I’ll cross that one off the list for next time”. These self-defamatory comments often get a bigger laugh than the original joke intended to get. We’ve even seen some acts purposefully knock-out a bad joke so they can use the vulnerable follow-up line to better effect.
Tip 2: Look them in the eyes !
Your connection to the audience is paramount.
Comedy…. public speaking…. it’s story telling and stories are so much more powerful when you connect with your audience. The simplest way to do this is make eye contact. And be sure to make eye contact long enough to make the connection stick. Scattergun spraying your eyes around the room won’t cut it.
Eye contact is personal and it puts you in control. For the audience member, it makes them feel a part of the performance. It also keeps them more alert because they won’t want to be caught out not paying attention. That would be embarrassing for them and you never know, it might even get them a little flustered.
It may feel uncomfortable at first, yet with practice you’ll see it’s a natural thing to do. As obvious as it sounds, try to smile when using eye contact. Death stares don’t work so well, don’t you know.
Here’s a thought… you may have noticed many a presenter staring at everything except their audience. The floor, their shoes, their notes, the ceiling. All the while the audience is silently screaming “hey, look at me, why don’t you!”
They are your audience. Show them you know they are there, at least.
Last thought on this…. you know those moments when the audience are invited to ask questions after the presentation and the room falls silent? When it comes to eliciting questions, and therefore interest, from the audience, they are much more forthcoming if you’ve made that human connection !
Tip 3: Go all in !
Once you begin…. just commit to it. Don’t let-up. Don’t let the audience see you let-up. Your energy is their energy. And do not be afraid to give it energy. You will be more memorable and more engaging, whatever your content, if you commit to the performance.
Finding what energy works for you is a different question. What I can tell you, is that within all of us is a hidden persona that can thrive in the environment. We will touch on this in more detail in future posts.
IMPROV Inc. run a free to attend IMPROV Connection webinar that introduces the concept of applied improvisation and how this works for you in the workplace.
We invite you to check out when the next sessions are and register to learn more.
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