Communication Tips, part 3

Years ago I was doing a holiday party gig for a major corporation, and I got to the venue an hour early to take a look at the room. The room was set for the thousand people. And what did I see? The tables were in a circle and the stage was in the middle. They wanted me to spin and tell jokes. Really? I was thinking us comedians only need, lights, a mic, and a stage. I never gave thought to the fact that we also need to face the fricking audience!

This week I'm talking about communication tips, and today's tip is  . . . don't miss the easy communications by assuming people know certain things. Even if it seems obvious, you must communicate the minutiae and make sure the easy stuff doesn’t slip through the cracks. When comedians get on stage, we make sure to point out the things that we want to make sure people focus on. Louis Anderson, who is hilarious and a BIG guy, used to start out moving the mic stand so you could see him better. Obviously he's a large guy, but he still wanted to point out the obvious to people so they'll be with him on his jokes.

Watch the easy communications – the stuff you think the people will obviously know. . .they don't. What meeting planner thought having the comedian spin around while telling jokes was perfect!

ACTION:  Check out my podcast Comedian Stories for a joke, a short, 4 minute story from my comedy career, and a take-away tip from what I learned in that story.

That's it for today. Take care and enjoy your journey.