Stand-Up for Confidence!

by

Martin Levinson

Shy? Awkward? Lacking in confidence? Dread public speaking and talking to people you don’t know? Then do the only sensible, logical thing any human being can do – grab the mike at your nearest Open Mike Night (many comedy clubs and pubs do this on a regular basis), get on stage and give it your all!

Before you write me off as completely doo-lalley, as a comedy newboy myself (at the tender age of 49 and three quarters) and having just performed my third “set” (in a very raucous pub, complete with a large crowd of tired and emotional women back from an all-day hen party at Ascot), I can honestly vouch for stand-up’s confidence-building capabilities.

OK, I don’t yet have a stream of sexually liberated comedy groupies hanging on to my every watsit (think I’m more Jo Brand than Russell Brand), but, and it’s quite a big but, the more outings I do, the more I feel my confidence grow.

Working as an advertising and marketing consultant and a professional voiceover artist for tv and radio commercials, tv continuity, video games and the like, I am no stranger to dealing with a roomful of people I’ve only just met.

That said, whilst I can write commercials (some even raise the odd laugh) and I am more than happy to go into the highly pressurised, clock-watching world of a commercial recording studio and voice a script that requires all of my versatility to sound like a 1970’s cheesy Radio 1 DJ, nothing quite compares to performing stand-up.

It’s just you, the mike and the audience. Nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide. If someone heckles, be ready with a put-down. If a bottle gets thrown, then on your head be it.

Of course, having taken the decison to give it a go, there are steps you can take to, hopefully, mitigate distaster and a literal death on stage; first, write a script. Then bore family and friends with it, and edit/change/chuck out/include material where appropriate. Then learn it. And perform it. In front of a mirror. Again and again. And then again.

Then, obvoious this, check out the venue you’ve got your sights on. Go initially as a member of the audience and get a feel for the place, the other people in the audience and the overall calibre of the performers. So if the audience is largely made up of students, doing your version of early Jim Davidson will, arguably not be your best way to kick things off and win fans.

And when you do perform for the very first time, ensure to “rent a crowd” – friends, family – anyone who knows you (and preferably likes you!) to come along and give their support. Prior to going on, try and relax and make the effort to say hello to your well-wishers. Oh, and save the booze until AFTER your performance – as a novice, to be funny you have to be sober. And anyway, no matter how well or otherwise you do, you can guarantee that one of your mates would have lined up a big fat drink for when you come off stage.

Now plotting my next routine, I can honestly say the process is addictive and hugely beneficial to my confidence.

Heaven knows what will happen if the audience actuallly laughs!

www.martinlevinsonvoiceover.com

Article Source:

ArticleRich.com