Audience Management 101
I always enjoy seeing what is going on in the Facebook magic pages. I like to check what new problems are popping up to rile and polarize the online community. Sadly, there are very few new problems, just the same old ones being recycled more frequently than plots at a “Storytelling Magic” session. On the very positive side, I often get some good ideas for my columns and that’s the case for this month’s article.
I was reading one of Facebook’s many magic pages and my attention was drawn to a question that stopped me in my tracks. It said, as I best remember, “What is the big deal about audience management? Isn’t it just about being kind to your audience and choreography?” I looked at my computer screen and screamed, “NO!” There were many online comments; The Good, The Bad, and The Stupid. After I digress a little, I’ll give you my thoughts on audience management.
You always receive a smorgasbord of answers to a query on social media. If you post a question, “Is it better to start at the beginning of my show or the end?”Then you will be rewarded with a series of responses that allow you to choose the one you like best. I sometimes joke that the Internet has birthed a generation of “Askholes,” people who ask online questions but never focus on any single answer long enough to put it into application. When you go online there is no reason to check your critical thinking at the door.
Now, let’s return to our topic of audience management! In response to the “being kind & choreography” definition of audience management let me begin by saying it is not the entertainer’s goal to be kind to an audience. You should be polite and considerate, but being kind is another matter. The important issue is control, when an entertainer knows how to control an audience then he is succeeding in managing them. What you are looking for is the iron fist in the velvet glove scenario.
The concept of choreography assisting in audience management is only useful if you are talking about everyone knowing where they should be and when. This isn’t a matter of audience management but should be part of your rehearsal process. It is certainly vital to plan out any onstage interaction with a spectator. However, making sure that your volunteer assistant does it is audience management.
The answer that came up most frequently in reply to that audience management question on Facebook was that you need to prepare for any potential problem, or mistake, that might happen during your performance. Yes, you certainly need to consider every possibility for disaster, but again this is part of the rehearsal process. You need to collect all that mental data and store it in the back of your mind for when you need it. It isn’t audience management until you apply it.
Here we have defined the key difficulty in “learning” audience management. The only way to achieve it is in front of a live audience. All that rehearsal and planning before you perform a routine is about being sure you know what to do when things go wrong. You must diagnose a problem and identify the solution instantly. With this kind of skill set the magician can solve potential problems before they become actual problems. Like almost everything relating to performance, the secret is all about STAGE TIME.
I frequently spread the gospel of stage time, but I fully understand that getting that precious stage time is not always easy. However, nothing replaces getting to perform for real audiences, and by that, I don’t mean other magicians. The difference between an amateur and a pro magician is not just the salary, it is the stage time. Since I can’t assist in acquiring stage time for you, let me give you a few simple tips and techniques that might help you in mastering the art and science of audience management.
Earlier in this piece I gave my one-word solution to the pesky problem of administrating audience management. It is ALL about control. If you do not control the audience, then the audience controls the show. Read that again, if you do not control the audience, then the audience controls the show. Let’s take a brief look at how to establish that control. While I am describing these techniques applied to a stage performer, almost all these ideas apply to any kind of performance.
Even before you walk out onstage the control process begins. Have a good introduction printed out on a card for your host or MC to read. Keep it short, simple, and direct. I avoid any humorous or put-down introductions, such as the“DIRECT FROM THE INTERNATIONAL…. HOUSE OF PANCAKES” kind of thing. Work out what the best introduction is to set you up exactly as you want to be regarded. Don’t leave it to chance.
The next item on the agenda is making sure that the walk on music is exactly right for as it will set the mood for your entire show. All this is before the performer has even set foot on stage. From the second your audience sets eyes on him the real work of controlling the audience begins in earnest. One of the most important parts of assuming your role as boss (yes, I said, that and I meant it) is winning your audience’s respect. That is where your clothing/costume comes into play. Dress as well or better than your audience and you are going to find it easier to manage that audience.
Start your show with a strong trick that you are 100% confident in performing. Make sure it is a trick that you don’t need to think about. Also, choose an effect that allows you to make continuous eye contact with the audience as you perform it. Make sure that you engage every sector of the showroom. Establishing this bond with the audience makes it much easier to manage them.
I am not a big fan of the constant self-deprecation that has become a major factor with magicians, I think we inherited this trait from jugglers. These kind of “Thank you for the applause…. both of you” jokes can be repetitious and mechanical. I use three of these kind of jokes, back-to-back, at the top of my show and leave it at that. If you keep telling the audience, you aren’t getting enough applause they might just believe you. What do Rodney Dangerfield and gangsters have in common? They want respect. Go forth and do likewise.
I usually use a “sucker trick” for my first effect. The Color Change Silk or Spotcard have been my “go-to” openers for many years. Why? Because I get to stop, start, and control the audience’s attention and reaction. Of course, I am being warm and funny while I do this. When you take charge, it doesn’t leave a vacuum in the leadership role. It is imperative to capture an audience in the first few minutes of your show or you probably never will.
Another seldom mentioned aspect of successful audience management is tone.Establish the right tone for your performance, one that is within the confines of your stage persona, but a tone that contains a quiet authority. The tone of your show should also be reflected in your tone of voice. If you are having a “volunteer” (never actually let anyone volunteer, always select your assistant) assist you with a routine, make sure you give them very clear instructions about what you want them to do. Many magicians forget to script their dialogue with the assistant, this is something that should be written during your rehearsal phase. If they don’t know exactly what to do, then they probably won’t do it.
There is one situation that is very troublesome to deal with and that is how to deal with a noisy or inattentive audience. Resolving this issue requires careful audience management. One tip widely used by experienced pros is to employ a little performing judo. If the crowd is being noisy then the performer can slow down and speak very quietly. The audience will quickly realize they are not hearing what is happening and will notice that things have slowed down almost to a pause. That is when you reassert yourself as the leader of the pack. As soon as the silence due to your actions becomes palpable, you start to talk again and resume the mantle of authority.
If the “they are noisy, so you go quiet“ tactic sounds scary, don’t worry, just try it! The first time you make it work for you will give you more of an understanding of audience management than a dozen books or articles. If you want to up your game as a magician work on your audience management skills. And, no it has almost nothing to do with kindness or choreography!
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