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Close-Minded

I've heard a lot of discussion on audience management. I've read an ample amount on how to treat audiences, and I've digested plenty of information regarding how to communicate with attentive people. This is great stuff; wonderful in fact. Still, the one burning question in my mind has never really been answered from all of this research.

What does an audience want from a magician?

First, perhaps the most obvious answer is that the audience wants to get to know YOU - after all the main reason they are watching you is likely to be due to the fact that what you do interests them. Of course, magic is interesting, but there is nothing more interesting than the magician. That's important, so I'll say it again - nothing is more interesting than you, and as Al Goshman used to say, you are the magic. The moment you walk on stage the audience becomes a part of your life, but more importantly, you become a part of their life.

A small exception to this rule is restaurant magic. Most of the time the restaurant patrons are aware that there is a magician present, but there are always a few who haven't noticed your posters or table-tents and so aren't aware of your presence. If this is the case, if you're going in cold, the moment you approach the table you must automatically generate interest in yourself. Simply walking up to the table and saying, "Has anyone lost a white penknife," normally doesn't create the desired response. Instead, walk to the table with confidence; smile at the diners and among other things let them know that you're a magician. It's highly unlikely that they have ever met a magician before; so let them interact with you. In fact (and many will disagree with me here), I feel that as long as I have time, it is perfectly fine to talk to the table about what I do for half a minute during my performance. This time spent allowing the audience to befriend me will do more good for my reputation as a magician than any card location. Of course, there is a strict limit to the amount of time I can spend with the audience, and I don't mean to make out that I'm not working... I'm still performing, I'm definitely not slacking and I'm still being 'the magician.' However, I'm being much more personal - if the audience has a question and as long as it's convenient, I will stop and answer it before I move on or I'll make a joke as I leave the table... I'll do anything, as long as it seems personal.

Perhaps I talk as if I believe I am above my audience, as if I am someone overly special. Please don't interpret what I say in this manner, but instead understand that working as a magician is extremely interesting and some people will no doubt want to be a part of it. I continue generating this interest throughout my performance, by basically feeding the spectators little pieces of information about myself and my work as a magician so that they start to ask themselves questions, which will of course generate more interest in my magic and me.

It probably doesn't need to be said, but the fact that the audience have this newfound interest in you means that you must not try to be someone that you're not. Around a year ago I stopped enjoying performing. I'd much rather have sat at home practicing my latest routine than I would performing it for real audiences. The reason was because I was playing a somewhat undeveloped character and wasn't getting the response I was hoping for. So I stopped being this character and starting being me. Almost in days I received fantastic reactions as I noticed that the audience felt as if they had made a new friend and I actually made a heck of a lot of new friends myself.

All of this somehow boils down to the audience wanting to interact.
Magicians have always used audience participation to satisfy this, but I personally don't feel that this is enough. It's close, but in my opinion, not perfect. When I have a spectator help me out I immediately do everything in my power to befriend them, I guess you could say that I build a rapport with them. I treat them as people; as individuals and ensure that they understand that I'm the same - they could meet me in the supermarket, and they'd still be talking to the same person and not an actor playing the part of the magician. The magic is you.

This perhaps illustrates an important rule - we should treat our audience just like anyone else we would meet in real life. If we were to suddenly change personality (assuming, as this essay is that you are not performing a 'character act') they would probably be able to notice it immediately. They want to hear and see the truth about you so don't lie, be proud of yourself and give them all that you've got - and nothing more. The moment we do this, and stop living in the footsteps of the magicians of yesteryear, the quicker we will build the respect that we need.

To immediately and successfully interact with someone I tend to adapt to their style and be like them (but not mimic), so if they're soft and gentle, I try to be soft and gentle in my approach. Likewise, if they're loud and eccentric I'm the same. It's perhaps the best approach to an audience I have ever found and it immediately works to capture the attention of the audience. I'm kind of lucky that for some strange reason I can be extremely quiet one minute and within seconds change to be almost hyperactive; I don't know why, but it's probably got something to do with the amount of sugar I eat! So if I need to make such a drastic change it almost feels natural for me, and hopefully for the audience. Notice that because I'm the intruder, it is me that needs to fit in with them, and not visa versa. This may be different for audiences that have paid specifically to see you - but whenever you have a spectator help you on stage, you must respect their personality and adapt to them. All of this, of course relies on the fact that what you do isn't out of character, as anything else will simply loose the wealth of respect that you should have already gained.

By creating this rapport with a spectator, or in fact group of spectators you should start to make them feel comfortable in your hands. There's nothing worse than spending time with someone and always being on edge waiting for something bad to happen, and in the case of magic, I'm sure that ninety percent of people feel as if the magician may make a fool out of them.

As a quick side note, a few weeks ago I performed for a club DJ and a small group of his friends. I immediately noticed that they were a lively group so introduced myself in a lively, excited manner (which is the one that suits me best). Then, last week I went to a club that he works at and from a large dance floor packed full of around five hundred people he noticed me and called my name out over the microphone. This is solid evidence for me that the approach works wonders!

My friend, close-up magic guru and fellow Visions columnist Scott Guinn tells me that this approach is called Mirroring in the world of sales and that it is used incredibly often. In fact, as my good buddy Jim Maloney pointed out, people use it without even realizing it. The example Jim used is a great one - teenagers act very different when they're at home with their parents than they do when they're out partying with their friends.

Of course, this approach also brings up another question - are there any other ways to make an audience feel comfortable with you? We have a great quote by Al Koran that sometimes pops up on the front page of this site, "When you work with people, you must be in control. If you cannot control, you do not belong on the stage." An audience can sense when you are in control of a situation and the moment they see you this control must be evident. However, becoming in control of the wrong things will lose you your reputation faster than a children's entertainer who expects his audience to know quantum physics.

What are the wrong things to control? Trying to control the audience into liking you is one very important factor. What? Surely that's contradictory to this whole essay? Not at all - this essay is about giving the audience what they want and you are letting them get to know you; from that they can decide whether or not they like you. However hard you work, sometimes you will come across a negative person that doesn't like what you do. This is human nature and I could not name one person in this world that everyone likes. So when you come across this negative person, treat him with respect and move on - don't dwell on it by trying to change his mind, as you have more chance in doing that by ignoring the sometimes-obvious fact that he doesn't like you or what you do. Just get on with being you.

This whole article boils down to one sentence - let the audience feel that they have gained something from the performance. If that's entertainment, great - if it's a newfound friend, even better, but if it's that they have gotten to know you and part of your life - perfect.

That's a heck of a lot of work to do when you first encounter an audience, but every second you spend being you is worth ten minutes of coin vanishes - I promise! Drop me a line at the usual address (andi@andigladwin.co.uk) if you have any thoughts, and because it worked so well last month (thank-you the 107 people who did!) - click on this link to mine/Andy's website.

Andi Gladwin