Presentation, Presentation, Presentation
Presentation, Presentation, Presentation
By Jeff Stone
Just the other night, at a hometown football game, my wife and I ran into my old high-school flame…. Oh sorry… wrong story.
A few nights ago, my family and I were invited to a dinner party, and the host asked if I’d perform a “few tricks.” So I did. I performed:
- A speed solve of the Rubik’s Cube (1 minute-ish)
- Phil Goldstein’s B’wave
- Jay Sankey’s Director’s Cut
- Jay Sankey’s Third Eye
- Card on Ceiling (pretty much the Ammar routine)
Everyone had a good time. I thought the show went well. The audience response was good. From my perspective, it was a success… another notch on my magic wand. What I didn’t know was the real reactions didn’t happen until I left. A couple days later, the host of the party (also a friend of mine) came up to me and began to rant and rave about how “Awesome” the show was or how “Amazing” and “Incredible” it was.
He then proceeded to tell me story after story about what people were saying after I left. He told me of all the amazing recounts to people who came over after the show as to how the “card got on the ceiling.” So on and so on. I tell you all this not to brag, but to demonstrate a point.
The point is that what the audience perceives is usually vastly different from what the magician perceives. I thought it was a good show, but they thought it was an amazing show. Often, we dismiss the impact on a spectator when that card hits the ceiling or when we tell them what card they were thinking of or when the coin jumps from one hand to the next.
Roots:
Let’s remember our roots. While you and I have seen a million coins “magically” leap from one hand to another, the audience has likely NEVER seen that EVER! That is critical to remember. How many people do you know that are not magicians who have seen a selected signed card stick to the ceiling of their house? Probably none, unless you’ve shown it to them. But before you, the answer is that hardly anyone has experienced what you can offer… assuming you are a good magician.
So what is the “root” we are to learn about our art? It’s simple. What you do is amazing. Let’s keep our egos in check, but let’s not forget that people have NEVER seen what we are about to show them.
Branches:
Let’s build our branches. This article, as you are about to discover, is very short. This is because the lesson is very simple. How are you going to branch out from your roots and become a better performer? The next time you are about to open your hand to reveal that the coin has traveled there, don’t quickly move on to the next coin or the next trick. Pause. Take a minute. Let the moment sink in. Remember last month’s lesson on The Art of Astonishment. Allow your spectators to feel for the first time, what you stopped feeling a long time ago. Don’t squash the moment.
I’ve always loved what Jay Sankey said about magic. He said that he used to think that magic happened in his hands. Then he thought that magic happened in his hands and the spectator’s head. Now he knows that magic happens in his hands, the spectator’s head and his own head.
That’s brilliant. The magic happens in our head. Our attitude and behavior need to be that what the audience is about to see is the most incredible thing in the world, because it is.
Final Thoughts:
The most important thing to understand when implementing this concept, the goal isn’t to cop an attitude with the spectators or tell them how incredible you are. You’re not shoving in the their faces your awesome-ness. You are helping them to properly experience something they never have experienced. That takes a loving and caring person who wants to share a moment, not steal the moment. Now go study the classics, and go discover your true magical self.
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