Whose Perspective Counts?

Have you ever heard a recording of your voice or watched yourself on video? Those unaccustomed to the camera will state that what they hear or see differs greatly from how they perceive themselves internally. The self concept is a powerful influence on us as individuals and can deceive our sense of reality. This month’s article is going to address the issues with the extraordinary differences between the perspective of our internal mirrors (self concept) and the audience’s perspective and most importantly why having this knowledge can assist in improving magic performances.

Having been a public speaker on a professional level I understand the importance of evaluating yourself from an outside perspective. Our self concept is developed through our personal experience of how the outside world reacts with us as individuals. More important these beliefs regarding who we are can be carried throughout our adult lives. The problem comes when our internal interpretation of who we are is not conducive to reality. Many disorders have been linked to this phenomenon such as anorexia and body dysmorphic disorder (BBD). But these examples are on the extreme spectrum of self concept distortion; we need to explore how common inabilities of evaluating ourselves from external perspective can affect our ability to improve our presentation.

So how does the self concept affect our ability to perform? To answer this question we need to first explain the differences between an amateur and master performer. Amateurs through their inexperience make the mistake of thinking that the end product (magic technique) is all they need to create a successful performance. This could not be further from the truth. I have discussed the topic of delivery in past articles; however, I want to take a closer and more in-depth look at the subject.

If you find yourself practicing your technique for hours at a time in the mirror and have no aspirations of performing for an audience then you may think that this article may not apply to you. Think again. Because technique alone does not produce powerful magic, it is the convincing performance of the magician that does. It is your language both verbal and non-verbal that sells the technique to your audience. And if we depend on our self concepts to gauge how well we are communicating to our audiences we may stagnate our performance development.

Observing professionals you will discover that their pose, words, and dispositions are just as crafted as their magic technique. Many professionals spend years crafting their art into a perfectly orchestrated masterpiece with multiple components. As magicians we must understand that being conscious of how our audience reacts to our performances will provide us with the invaluable feedback that will catapult our performance to the next level. We need to keep in mind that though we may feel that our performance is up to par, it is the perspective of the audience that matters. So how do we truly evaluate our self concepts and more important how can we take that information to improve our performances?

Do not underestimate that power of the video camera. This can truly provide a magician with the external perspective needed to propel his/her performance to a new level. As you review these recordings take notes on not only the execution of your technique, but your verbal and non verbal language. Yes it is important that you not just go through the mechanics of the routine when you are recording yourself, but really perform it like you were in front of an audience.

In last month’s article we covered the importance of making a presentation clear to your audience. This is a perfect opportunity for you to invite trusted associates to review the recording with you. It is important that you explain to them what you are attempting to accomplish because you need an objective analysis of your performance. A great way to accomplish this is a questionnaire for the test audience. This will provide your objective test audience with a series of questions that they can answer in confidence.

With your personal analysis along with the questionnaires of your objective test audience you can begin the process of evaluating your self-concept. You will be surprised how revealing this process can be. Remember that one test audience is not enough, because you will realize that one patter may fall flat with one audience group and entertain another. A true master understands how to read his/her audience and adjust accordingly.

This ability to read an audience comes only through being conscious of how their verbal and non verbal language affects their audiences. So whose perspective counts anyways? Though the perspective of your audience determines the success of your presentation, it is also important to understand that the creativity of the individual cannot be stifled. Experiment fearlessly and test your product like a scientist. The key to mastery is evaluating your product through a systematic method of checks and balances. Next month’s article will provide you with more tools and ideas that will assist you in mastering the art of presentation.

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