Jamie

Thanks for your input. I had instructor in Air Force that taught us to always have questions for him...drove us nuts, but made us learn. I can see the value of questioning and curiousity.

Recently I saw how this can be incorporated into magic. Watching a Doc Eason DVD you can see him pick up on things from the audience, through questions and observation, and then use them throughout his performance to enhance the experience for all. He talks of how his finale of finding 20 or so of the audiences' cards isn't the thing folks talk about...it's the fact Doc remembers all their names.

I have learned that it is easier to be myself when I know my routines/moves inside and out. If you can do your routines in your sleep you will be surprised how much easier it is to be yourself. It was for me anyway!

RNK

Ha! imgic!!!

See what you started!!

Oh...BTW...I "beat" Michael by four days! (I mentioned Dale Carnegie first!!!) hee hee

Although I quote him often, it was the late (great) NATE LEIPZIG who said, "If they like YOU, they'll like what YOU do!"

Yr's, 'til the deck is shuffled!

Dick Oslund (apelled with an "O")

There's some outstanding advice in this thread. Jamie makes a subtle but important contribution -- I believe that asking questions will get you much further with most people most of the time. People LOVE to talk about themselves. Ask questions -- let them tell you all about their latest adventure/relationship/funny story and they will later swear that you are a brilliant conversationalist.

It's true that people who like you will like what you do. That's why it's important to have the audience on your side. Make sure that your effects aren't presented in a manner that challenges your audience, but takes them along with you.

And one more small but very useful suggestion -- make great eye contact and smile. People will like you before you even say hello.

Learn their names and use them!

I got that tip from Doc Eason and making a conscious effort to remember their names can make a massive difference - you just become instantly more likable and seem more interested in them. If you can remember their names by the end of the night, then say goodbye to them and they'll definitely remember you!

I think it also automatically changes your attitude. When you start using their name, you feel closer to them, and they in turn feel closer to you.

It's made a massive difference to me (he said it would in his lecture) so try it, or if you already do it, make that extra effort to use their names more often.

Mary and Jamie make great points -- it is only going to work in your favor when you acknowledge someone else's genuinely clever response as being funny, and you can get a lot of good karma out of listening to your spectators' stories about how long they've known each other and how they've met. You can actually establish rapport very quickly this way.

And kill time

Kill time -- or establish a contact that might lead to future employment? Or (gasp) friendship?

LOL Jay.

My natural inclination is to blow through Magic bits by the dozens. You would think I was in a foot race at the start of a gig.
While my material is good, doing too much at a time weakens the impact of Magic.
Taking your time and making contact strengthens the meaning and makes you and your Magic more memorable.

Drawing a "wall flower" into the proceedings is a service to the group, especially if the routine has a clear and fun part for them to play.

Your personality is more pleasing if you don't make people uncomfortable. Asking open ended questions like "What does your mother always tell you?" is awkward.
Many Magicians know the response they want but the spectator hasn't seen the script. I've even seen Magicians be irritated at the spectator for not saying their "line" on que.

If you ask a spectator a question, make sure there is a clear answer of :
a choice, I.E. red or black
a matter of their opinion
a clear answer in the real world like Who is the President? (be careful of the latter because common knowledge is not so common).
Or "What did your Mother always tell you about running with scissors?"which is more clear than the first question.

You are like a host and it is your job to grease the social wheels and keep it fun and amazing. Think of yourself as a Magic tummler.

-Mary Mowder

I agree Mary. Old pros need not read further.
If not a formal performance with a time frame and number of routines, the in-between time |where you make that human contact - makes a normal person appreciate that what you are performing is special.
When first starting out I used to (like everyone else that's new) run through as many tricks as possible only to go home and feel like a monkey. It's the Monkey, Lion, Dog philosophy. I graduated to being a lion a long time ago.

If I really like the people, get a big tip or feel I didn't get around to everyone I'll either stay late or excuse myself and go to the car for special routines, too large to tote normally. The fact that I'm taking the time to do something special is far better then pretending to do something special, and the people that experience it (along with the wait) tell others about the extra special experience they had.

Re: the initial question "How to develop an interesting personality" The answer is that you are one of three types of performer(s) A. The Master Magician B. The Conduit C. The Puzzle Worker.
Once you find the style(s) where you are presenting yourself & your magic in a way that's entertaining and endearing, outrageous, shy, happy, story-like, engaging, historical, entrancing, mystifying ( and many other adjectives, take your pick ) you will have developed an entertaining personality.

Notice that none of the above included the word "fool" ... and while you might-well fool people, which is one good reason to watch you, it is sometimes not your first objective when strolling or table hopping. That's why I sometimes kill time, it gives the guests a chance to communicate with me.
- - - -
At one restaurant I approached a table and a women said "Can you give me a refill on this coffee?" So I poured her a refill and didn't do a single trick. The manager was thrilled because he saw me cater to the customer without any ego issues, the customer was happy just talking with her friend and we all lived happily ever after. And I'm going to go throw-up now.

The book "how to wn friends and influence people" is a grear suggestion.
I think people in general like to talk about themselves so the more interest you show in them the more they will enjoy your company. You don't have to be genuinely interested in what they're saying if you can fake it, but it's not too hard to find something about another person that is cool or novel or exciting.
Just go to a bar or grocery store and interact with people best way to learn is by doing.

Yes!

In Dick Jarrow's "Masklyn's LAWS OF MAGICK", Dick starts his LAWS, with:

"THE SECRET OF SUCCESS IN MAGICK IS SINCERITY. ONCE YOU CAN FAKE THAT, YOU'VE GOT IT MADE."

As many have said with a couple of additional bits of advice thrown in:
> be likeable (i.e be generally 'pleasant', smile, polite, amusing if you are able to be, non-egotistical, don't make fun of them like some entertainers do etc)
> don't stick rigidly to your script, latch onto what the spectators say. Laugh at their jokes.
> ask them questions, chat briefly with them
> use their names
> magic 'in their hands' always has greater impact; give them the credit for the magic climax when you finish a routine in their hand
> the above is about being interactive; given your entertainment is LIVE, capitalise on this by involving the audience as stated above and also as in an earlier bullet point by chatting and acknowledging their jokes and comments... improvise if you can
> another good idea I think no-one has mentioned yet is experiment with altering your set according to what they say or joke about. So if they say 'can you make me a £50 note/$100?' launch into a bill switch. If they say 'can you tell me the lottery no's' launch into gambling routines & Powerball 60 etc. I have done this with success. I'm not saying this is something that can be done often or even that I do this often, but I do it from time to time & it works. Experiment with this yourself and see how it goes.

When I was starting out, I didn't have a mentor to guide me. My approach to magic came from magic books. Because I hadn't watched a lot of performances in-person or on TV (this was pre-cable, Internet and video) I thought that magic had to be performed in a somewhat serious vein.

Because I always enjoyed telling jokes and humorous stories, those began to infiltrate my routine. Before I knew it, I had developed an entertaining approach to magic based on my personality.

Practice until your routine becomes second nature and muscle memory takes over? That goes without saying.

Make eye contact with the entire audience (in your case, everyone at the table)? You bet.

Pay attention to your volunteer assistants? Yes indeed. Be sure to play off the reactions of your spectator helpers. This material may play so strong that you'll write it into your show script.

Play to your strengths. After all, it's YOUR act!

Best of luck.

- Brett