What is it about some performers that engages the audience in an almost
‘trance-like’ state? The same questions can be asked of performers who leave
their audience in an almost ‘death-like’ state. The difference between the
engaging performer and the boring performer is ‘Stage Presence’. Your
‘presence’ on stage is something that is not easily obtained. Whilst it could be
said that many performers have a ‘natural’ stage presence, the rest of us have
MJ Could Stand In Front Of A Stadium Full Of People And Hold Them In The Palm Of His Hand
to work hard on developing the skills required to keep our audience awake and
attentive. You can’t beat actually doing performance, i.e. learning the craft on
the job, but here are a few tips to help you practice and develop your all-
important stage presence:
· Practice in front of a mirror: Much of your stage presence comes from
your non-verbal communication. How do you stand; what are your hands
doing; and most importantly, what is your face saying?
· Video-tape your live performances: There’s nothing more confronting
and rewarding than watching yourself ‘live’. You’ll be surprised to learn all
your little idiosyncrasies that you didn’t even know about.
· Obtain constructive feedback: Your family and friends can provide
valuable feedback that is both encouraging and constructive. The best
time to obtain this kind of feedback is at least 24hrs after the event. Enjoy
the experience before you ‘pull it apart’.
Most accomplished performers all started as rank amateurs without a clue of
how to keep their audiences from nodding off. Years of practice and performance
never really end when developing stage presence, so start your journey today so
that tomorrow your audience is coming back for more