Category: Comedy

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5 Tips for Overcoming Stage Fright

A lot of people are scared of speaking in front of large groups. And that’s when you’re not even trying to get them to laugh. At one of the open mics I go to, a newer comedian asked me how I overcame being nervous on stage. (My hands used to shake while holding the mic and I would never pause after punch lines.)

Tip #1: There’s no real shortcut, getting over stage fright just comes with reps. The more you’re on stage, the less nervous you get. If you can get comfortable with complete silence (when neither you nor the audience is talking) you’ll be well on your way.

Tip #2: Practice deep breathing for five minutes before getting on stage. Focusing on taking deep breaths helps calm the adrenaline and still the mind. Picturing your performancein your mind and hearing the laughs and pauses works well in conjunction with breathing, as long as you can remain positive.

Tip #3: Read “The Inner Game of Tennis” this will help you with most of everything you do in life, not just getting comfortable on stage. The basic summary of the book is to turn off your conscious, questioning everything mind and to trust your subconscious. This book is basically about how to get in, and stay in, “the zone”. I highly recommend reading it even if you have no intention of getting on stage (or playing tennis).

Tip #4: Use external mood alterers. A pro comic I know said he uses alcohol as his crutch and has been doing it for over 10 years. He mentioned that the first few times he did comedy he was sober and wasn’t funny, so he started drinking, felt more at ease and got funny. He said many pro comics he knows use alcohol, pot or cocaine to get into a good state of mind before getting on stage. I don’t recommend this strategy, as you never know when an entire state can run dry on coke. This tip may also be an issue if you’re overcoming stage fright to present at a work conference at 9am…

Tip #5: Channel the nervous energy in a positive way. Being nervous in and of itself isn’t bad, it’s what you do with the nervousness. There was a recent ESPN article about Tiger Woods who was quoted as saying, “The day I’m not nervous is the day I quit… Of course I’ll be nervous. That’s the greatest thing about it, just to feel that rush.” If the greatest golfer still gets nervous (and he doesn’t even have to speak!), it’s okay if you get feel it too. Just try to turn it into something you can use while speaking.

In conclusion, accept that you’re going to have some nerves. Acknowledge that it’s natural, know you’ve gotten through it before (unless it’s your first time on stage) and this should already make you less nervous. Then when the adrenaline occurs, either turn that nervousness into a positive, or do your best to ignore it.

Wanna try stand-up comedy yourself? I teach a Comedy Class in New York City. I also do private one-on-one comedy coaching (in person or via Zoom).

More Stand-Up Comedy Tips:

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Performance Critique 30: Feb 17

This was an open mic with 6 to 8 people in the audience.

 

0m53s I pointed to a specific couple when I said “whipped”. Not sure if that’s a good idea to do, but it seemed to get a laugh here.

1m55s I’m a fan of saying “I’ll pander to the crowd, I don’t give a shit.” 

3m02s I thought I had five minutes, but got the light after three. At open mics, I’m not great with reacting when I don’t think I’m getting the amount of time I should be. It later turned out that this guy gives two minute warnings (for reasons unknown). 

Overall: I enjoyed telling my pot joke. And I need to learn to not react when I get the light earlier (or later) than I’m expecting.

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Performance Critique 29: Feb 15

I had a guest spot in Washington, DC on a sold out pro show that featured Robin Montague and Kevin Lee. This was a Valentine’s Weekend special show. I went up between two comedians who’d done multiple television appearance. I loved it.

(The person who taped it didn’t realize he was taping sideways, and my video editing skills (or software) are lacking. If anyone can guide me through how to rotate the clip, I’d appreciate it — I have Windows Movie Maker 5.1 and Canon ImageMixer 3.) 

 

0m38s I need to look at a specific person when I ask “Do you know why that is?” 

1m25s I’m still trying to figure out why some audiences die at “some people don’t realize there’s some photos you don’t put there” and others are completely silent. It has to mean something in terms of what jokes that follow will or won’t work. 

1m58s That was a great tone for “you hate your dog”. 

2m48s This is one of the best reactions I’ve ever gotten at this part. 

2m53s I love how the guy taping me starts to comment on it. 

4m19s I didn’t have a good follow up yet, so I did a little dance. Better than a dear in headlights look. 

4m40s Video evidence that if I pause long enough for this joke, they will laugh. 

5m16s I didn’t say “actually” the best way that I could. 

6m53s Good recovery after two straight jokes bombed.

6m58s But I don’t adjust and go into my third economy joke. I should’ve known better and moved into different material.

7m40s In addition to my earlier note about doing the pole grind for longer, I should just do it instead of describing it. And try to combine it with the crazy sounds, all without words. 

8m03s I was supposed to do a “tight five minute set” but I didn’t get the light until 7 minutes, so I didn’t close on my regular closer, but I’m not complaining about the extra time. 

Overall: I think my first 5 minutes were solid, but I lost the audience somewhere after that. Most likely at the “still won’t blow you” punch line. This is obvious, but doing sold out or packed shows is so much better than doing 5 or 10 person rooms. I also need to keep working on my subway joke. I may even want to consider turning it into a bus joke, since most of the country doesn’t have subways.

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My Writing Process

Reader and aspiring comedian Andrew asks:

How do you go about writing new material? Is it just things that seem funny to you in real life, or do you sit down and try to think up funny situations, or what? 

Hey Andrew,

I always have a small moleskin notebook with me (and an iPhone as a backup) so I write down anything I think, see or hear that’s funny. Sometimes this will lead to me writing a joke on the spot, sometimes it’ll just be a few key words that I later try to write into full jokes. I also try to write on trains or subways through free association. I look around until I find something interesting and start to write about it. (There’s plenty of inspiration in NYC just by looking at people or advertisements, not sure if this holds true everywhere.)

Later, I’ll rewrite my notebook jokes into a GoogleDocs file. (Your hard drive can crash, Google Docs is safer and you can access your jokes from anywhere, including an iPhone / Blackberry.) After that, I’ll either try it out on stage or IM it to a few friends and get their feedback. I’ve found that not looking at a joke for a day or two will help you be a better editor when you rewrite it. And all of my jokes need to be said out loud at least 10 times before they become funny-.

Also, after trying a joke on stage, if it gets laughs, I try to think about how to add more punchlines to the same topic. You can go setup -> punchline, set up -> punchline, setup -> punchline, or you can try to go setup -> punchline -> punchline -> punchline.

One goal in stand up is to maximize the laughs per minute. You can do this by talking really fast (which is generally a bad idea) or by having more punchlines and less setup. This is also why you’ll always hear comics say “get to the punchline quicker.” (The other goal in standup is to maximize the intensity of each laugh.)

I read that Jerry Seinfeld had a long sheet of paper with dates and “X”s on it. For every day he wrote, he’d put an X. His whole mantra is to “keep the chain going”. I’ve been trying this but with three columns: sit ups (I don’t wanna be a fat comic), writing material and performing stand up. I try to do all three daily but don’t always succeed. I keep this paper close by though, so I at least remember and have something to strive towards.

I forget who said this, but I read a quote something like “I only write when inspiration strikes. However, inspiration strikes me every day at 7am sharp.” I’m working towards getting this discipline.

Wanna try stand-up comedy yourself? I teach a Comedy Class in New York City. I also do private one-on-one comedy coaching (in-person or via Zoom).

More Stand-Up Comedy Tips:

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Performance Critique 28: Feb 14b

This is the second straight sold out show I did on valentine’s day. I went first this time, right after the host.

 

1m07s Put my hand to my eyes before I start asking “who is that…” 

2m31s I keep forgetting to do this. If I get off track talking to an audience member, I need to go back a line and repeat it, or else my punch line falls flat. 

3m03s I love it when that line kills so much that I have to start walking around to let everyone laugh comfortably. 

4m27s Just like in my previous critique, I need to have a good response ready. 

4m41s I didn’t have enough time to do the full dating personalities bit, so I cut out some parts. Knowing thatI was cutting “the dinner girl”, I should’ve just went from “She’s homeless now” to “I met a new dating personality, the snuggle slut” without all the words in between. 

5m19s I need to say “everyone in New York” in a more surprised manner. 

Overall: When you go first, it’s harder to expect to kill the whole set as people are still ordering drinks, etc. (Although Seinfeld would still kill.) As long as you get some laughs on every joke, and a big laugh in one or two places, you’re doing pretty well. I really need to remember to rewind to my setups if I start talking to audience members, so that my punch lines don’t lose their punch when the audience forgets what I was talking about.

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