You Really Love Me!
Are you after that ever elusive standing ovation? Do you want your audience to love you, remember you, talk about you, etc.? Who doesn’t? Well, I won’t guarantee a Standing “O” but take a few minutes to watch the following video of Benji Bruce performing. Watch the whole thing to the end. You won’t regret it. Before you do, however, if you’re not familiar with “Slam Poetry”, take a quick moment to read this short article. When you’re done, come back and watch this video in its entirety – it’s only 5 minutes.
Root:
Let’s remember our roots. This month’s root: share yourself with your audience. BAM! Did Benji Bruce ever do that. If you really caught the vision of what he was doing and saying, he poured his heart out to the audience. Forget about the magic square, the mind reading, etc. What was the message? The message was this is me, Benji; this is who I am; this is what I’ve been through. This is where I’m headed. This is me! Who ever heard of a magic square getting a standing ovation . . . you still haven’t heard of such a thing because the magic square did not get the standing ovation, Benji Bruce did.
The more of yourself you put into your performance and presentation and magic, the more the audience will love you. The audience, literally, laughed and cried and shouted with joy. They gave back. He gave them himself, and they give him themselves. It was beautiful. That’s magic folks.
Branch:
Let’s build our branches. Your challenge: give yourself to your audience. Let them in. This is a perfect tie in to this month’s No Stone Left Unturned article: Somebody That I Used to Know. If you haven’t read it, please read it. If you have read it, don’t be afraid to re-read it. Here’s your goal: Find a story in your past that’s personal, but not socially unacceptable.
Figure out a way to work it into a presentation. I don’t mean to create a story trick. I simply mean, figure out a way to share it with your audience. Let them inside a little. Be vulnerable. I’ve actually cried with an audience. I didn’t mean to; it just happened. A subject came up that was very personal and sacred to me, and it became a beautiful moment of bonding with my audience members. Take the time to be selfless with your audience. You won’t regret it.
Post your thoughts and comments and experience with this below . . . particularly those of you who take on the challenge mentioned above . . . remember, you could win a Jon Armstrong DVD three pack ($100 value) just by posting a comment. All comments of substance (in other words, a simple “good point” or “I agree” doesn’t cut it) will be entered into a drawing on the last day of April 2013. The winner will be announced May 1st, 2013
Now go study the classics and go discover your true magical self.
P.S. Get More Gigs
I’ve mentioned this before in previous emails and magazine issues. Benji Bruce has an excellent e-book about marketing yourself as a magician and how to get more gigs, etc. You can get your hands on a copy here: Get Booked: Marketing For Magicians.