Over the past few weeks I've been fortunate to have seen a great selection of shows in the Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Fringe by the Sea in North Berwick.
After watching and enjoying some incredible performances, I got into a discussion with friends about some musicians I saw performing a few years ago at the Jazz and Blues Festival. They were brilliant musicians but it surprised me how unaware they seemed to be about some basic rules of the stage, and how much better the experience could have been if they had focused on some key areas to give the audience an even better experience. These fundamentals are also crucial when giving a presentation so I thought it would be useful to share with you some of the points to take into consideration whenever you are in front of an audience.
It’s all about the audience
This might seem obvious but sometimes performers and speakers appear to forget that the whole reason they are in front of an audience, whether large or small, is because people are there to watch and listen to them. Therefore, it is important that you keep the audience in the forefront of your mind at all times to ensure that they can hear and see you properly.
In one jazz performance I watched the piano was unfortunately set on stage so that the pianist had his back to the audience the entire time. This wasn’t so bad when he was playing, but when he introduced the songs he didn’t leave his stool as the microphone stand was placed beside it. Hunched over to speak into it, he awkwardly twisted around trying to face the audience, but the angle meant that half the audience still couldn’t see his face and his voice (and presence) was impacted by having to bend over.
You are in command
When you are on stage, you are in control. Therefore, take control and own the stage. If the microphone is set too low or too high, adjust it to suit you. If the set up means that you can’t be seen properly, adjust it to make sure you can be seen.
The microphone provided for the pianist I mentioned above was unfortunately set at a height for him to speak into when sitting at his piano. After trying to twist around while sitting, he eventually decided to stand up but in order to speak into the microphone, he was bent 90 degrees at the hips and standing side-on to the audience so one part of the audience got a perfect view of his behind! It was very awkward and detracted from the fabulous music he and his fellow musicians were creating. Much simpler for him to take a moment to adjust the microphone height and placement so that he could stand comfortably behind it and face the audience.
This illustrates the importance of arriving early, familiarising yourself with the environment, knowing the stage, checking the sight lines and making sure everything is as you require before you begin. Oh, and always make friends with the tech crew.
Find your light
Professional stage performers will be very familiar with the term ‘find your light.’ When you are on a stage there will be certain areas that are well lit and other areas that may cast shadows across your face. To ensure your audience can see you, especially your facial expressions which are a crucial part of your communication, it is important to stand where you can feel the light on your face and in your eyes.
If you have an opportunity to watch speakers on the stage before you, take note of where they are standing when they are in the best light and areas to avoid.
Consider your ‘costume’
What you wear has a massive impact on how your audience will perceive you. In fact they’ll be making judgements about you before you even open your mouth to speak based on how you present yourself. Here are some factors to be aware of when choosing what to wear:
Find out what colour the background will be and choose a colour that ensures you stand out rather than blend into the surroundings (e.g. don’t wear black if you’ll be standing in front of a black curtain)
Regardless of whether you’ll be turning around, think about what you look like from behind as it is fairly certain the audience will see it at some stage, even if it is just as you are walking to the stage
Ensure your outfit is well ironed and maintained – no drooping hems and especially no loose threads hanging down which can be incredibly distracting when highlighted by stage lights
Wear what makes you feel good, is comfortable and is appropriate for the occasion; ideally don't wear something on stage that you have never worn before (you don't want the additional stress of a wardrobe malfunction)
Avoid fabric that creases easily and avoid light, flimsy fabric (it will shake if your knees are shaking!)
Avoid accessories that jangle or distracting or are likely to interfere with a microphone if you need to use one
If you are using a lapel or head microphone, consider where you will put the battery pack (wearing a belt or jacket with a pocket works well; lighter fabrics are not ideal for clipping a battery pack to)
Wear shoes that are comfortable and ideally rubber soled to reduce noise if you are on a wooden floor
Stay open
‘Staying open’ is another term used in the theatre; it is about keeping your body open to the audience. Be careful not to ‘upstage’ yourself which means that you have positioned your body on a slight diagonal angle towards the back of the stage. This happens to actors when they are doing a scene with someone who is positioned behind them on the stage and they are trying to speak directly to them. It can happen to presenters when they are indicating towards slides on a screen behind them and also if they are being interviewed by the host or MC for the event who might be unknowingly upstaging them.
So angle your body out towards the audience, use open gestures and if you have to turn full circle always turn in the downstage direction (towards the audience). Remember that people generally pay to see your face, not your behind!
Show your personality
The best way to really connect with your audience is to allow your personality to shine through. In the performance I mentioned earlier, this was demonstrated beautifully by the pianist when he eventually acknowledged that the microphone was in an awkward position and made a wee joke about it. He then told a personal story about the next musical piece to be played and what it meant to him. This gave the music a whole new perspective and made it even better to listen to. After a clumsy beginning, I definitely warmed to the performance after getting to know the performer better.
Showmanship
To display great showmanship is to be able to present something in a manner that will appeal to an audience or aid in conveying the message or theme of the performance. Rather than thinking of the typically cheesy razzle dazzle ‘showman’, showmanship is more about being aware of every element of a performance or presentation – both the delivery and the technical aspects – reading the audience and adjusting your approach to ensure that they have a great experience.
Whenever you are presenting, whilst you should aim to come across as naturally as possible, it is important to remember that it is still a performance and your audience deserves the best you can offer. They probably won’t even be aware that you are incorporating these seven stage tips into your presentations to give your ‘performance’ an edge, but you can be pretty sure they’ll notice if you don’t.
What do you think? Do you consider these aspects when presenting? Have you seen a speaker who didn’t and what was your experience of their presentation? Have you got any more 'rules' that should be added to the list? Please feel free to comment and do share this article with anyone you feel may benefit from reading it.
Mel Sherwood is a Presentation Skills and Personal Impact Speaker and Founder of The RED Effect™. She works with ambitious business leaders, teams and individuals who want to express themselves with confidence, credibility and charisma. An Australian based in Scotland, Mel is an award-winning speaker, author and coach and combines over 25 years’ experience in business with a background as an actor, presenter and singer.