Great advice! I faced the same problem too when I first started, I still do get nervous occassionally but just for a while. What I always do now is to "Talk first, Perform Later". Either tell a joke, talk about the weather, the food etc etc...then I go into a opener something which is soooooo easy so that I can gain confidence before moving on to slightly more complicated tricks

As a musician I am always a little nervous at the start of a show. What I have found is that if the first song or two go smooth with no issues I will no longer be nervous.

I think you can apply that to a magic performance by making sure the first effect you do can be done in your sleep. If the first effect goes well with no issues, you should be able to relax a bit for the rest of the show.

-Max

I have been doing magic tricks for 4 years(I've only been serious about magic for 2 years), and almost every time I have to perform in front of a group of people my legs will shake and I will sometimes forget part of my presentation. Don't worry about that, eventually you will learn to love all the attention being focused on you.

The more you perform the better your confidence
level will be.And eventually your nervousness
will get better.When you are thoughly perpared
for a show practiced to the hilt.This will also
build your confidence lever and lower your nervousness.
Todd

Here was my take on it some time ago: http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......forum=41

Magically

Aus

I had this problem. I mostly solved it by:
- performing for magicians first (because if I flash, no one is going to scream "he's got the ace of spades in his sleeve!")
- practicing a technically easy trick (yet strong!) again and again, and doing only this one when asked to show something
- doing the trick as slowly as possible, while breathing slowly, and spending as much time as possible doing eye contact

Because I can do this trick in my sleep, and because I force myself to present it calmly, I don't have the nerves issues anymore. I can then follow with other tricks, I'm in a good mind set with self-confidence...

P!

I get nerves doing magic too, even though I speak to strangers for a living But, I like the quote from Corinda that is currently my sig. Keep it simple.

Everyone has their own way of dealing with nerves. I speak in front of people at least weekly and at first I had a very hard time, but I found some methods that work for me to allow me to function. Nowadays, the nerves make me more effective, giving me an edge that I need. I am reminded of the consummate stage professional, comedian Red Skelton. He was on stage or in front of a radio or TV microphone for some 60 years. It is claimed that he was so nervous that every single time he performed he would throw up. After that, he would get his nerves under control and be able to walk in front of the audience and bring the house down! I have always figured that if Mr. Skelton did this, then I could too. And so can you!

I wrote this up on Talk Magic many moons ago and got emails and messages from people who said they found it helpful. Here is my original post:


I don't shake when I perform because I do not get nervous. I DO get excited however and that makes me hot and I sweat. Annemann used to say that sweat was good for a mindreader because it makes him look like he's exerting himself to produce the phenomenon.

Here are a few more tips:

-Keep in mind that as early as 24 hours later, they will have forgotten all about you. They will have moved on to newer things so in the grand scheme of things, it's not really that important.

-Paul Daniels says we are not being FORCED to perform.. We have NO reason to be nervous at all. We are playing with our toys! We LOVE to do this, so what have we got to be nervous about? Nothing!

-So they pick the wrong card, so you drop a prediction on the floor, so an effect fails... As Joy Behar would say, "So what, who cares?!"

-Avoid coffee for at least three hours prior to your performance.

-Remember people are not so concerned with the way YOU appear and act.. they are more concerned with the way THEY appear and act. People judge you far less than you might believe.

-Relax and have fun!

Happy Thoughts,
Paul Pacific

Good advice Paul... but I guess you already knew I was thinking that!!!

Thanks, Robin4Kids!

I would say practice enough that the moves become second nature so you can talk and keep your mind of the nerves

I do a LOT of public speakign and presenting. Ive done talks to rooms everywhere from 2 people to 3,000.

Let me tell you a speaker's trick, it might help.

EVERYONE gets stage fright. Its just a given. See the "cerebral cortex" answer above. Fight or flight response
is inevitable before you go on stage.

What experienced speakers do is learn how to recast that in their minds. The fact of the matter is that, physiologically,
fear and excitement are exactly the same thing. Experienced speakers use this and turn the fear into energy and excitement
about their topic, which they bring with them onto stage.

Fight or flight can actually be your friend, if you learn to properly channel it.

I've had much more experience performing as an actor than a magician, but I've found the most important thing I've learned about conjuring is something I learned in acting class:

***Make your onstage need more important than your offstage needs.***

Translated into the conjuring world that means, yes you have concerns that you might not be good enough, etc., etc., and the need to be perfect and liked etc., etc. These are all legitimate and not unusual at all, not necessarily bad things either, they show you care. BUT, these are your offstage needs.

The question is, what are your onstage needs? That is, what is your objective (best stated as a verb) with regard to your participants?

Examples (depending on your personality, motivations, and context): I strongly need to...

To present you with a gift.
To fill you with delight.
To make you question reality.
To have you learn about the power of many.
To have fun with you.
To have you experience wonder.
To share some cool things I've learned with you.
To exchange thoughts with you wordlessly.
To have you experience the sensation of what magic might be like.

See, these onstage needs have the audience in mind, not just your own needs. When you concentrate on them, you have less opportunity to become self-conscious and nervous. After practice, during rehearsal, work on really strengthening your onstage needs. I have terrible stage fright, but I have never failed to find that remembering to make my onstage needs more important than my offstage needs helps immensely. This is not just Pollyannish, goody two-shoes advice. The best actors know it and teach it.

I have to support Landmark's advice above. Coming from an actor's perspective too, focusing on what you want/need takes the attention off of you and onto the audience which is where the best performers put it! Watching some of the best magicians, I can't help but notice how much pure acting method they use with regards to being in the moment, their eyes ticking over with real thoughts, affecting their audience with said thoughts etc. First one that comes to mind is Copperfield's Snow, his monologue is very personal to him and knocks you out as a viewer emotionally (well a softly like me). So, maybe some acting classes would help with understanding stage craft and building confidence infront of an audience too!
Good luck

There is some great advice above!

That's going in my "inspirational quotes" book.

I was told the following story regarding stage fright: A very successful salesman in the sales structure I worked for was recruited to do a presentation to the sales staff to share his "secrets of success" with them. He got up on stage and started out "I'm usually really nervous talking to large groups of people at one time, but I was told that I should simply imagine the group I'm talking to naked.

"With that in mind can I ask all the women in the room to please move up here to the front row?"

Management was QUITE chagrined...

I agree with landmark, good advice! I think acting classes could help people who have stage fright!

I can't help with stage fright, but I can with trembling hands: I think rehearsal of moves in a non-magic mode is great. I have cards with me pretty much every time I make a steop outside. I would palm cards and put them back as I walk or wait in line, do DL's as I speak to myself, etc. I must do a hundred passes a day, as many palms, and twice as much DLs. This makes the move to become a second nature. Then, when I need to do it in a trick, my hands don't tremble, because it's become as casual a move as tying my shoes...

P!