The Confidence Trick - Jon Torrens

How does a comedian, when walking out onto the stage at a comedy club, achieve that incredible level of confidence? I mean, come on, they’re smiling! Most people think “If that was me, I’d be terrified.” When I was going on-stage at a comedy club, here’s what I had:

1.) Lots of experience
2.) Bravado

Yes, I’d done this before, but I never knew exactly what was going to happen. Even the most experienced comedians can fail, and when they do it’s obvious, devastating, and not very pretty. What I did was walk out with a big smile, and try to look as happy and confident a possible. Then in return, the audience would relax and respond better to the material, then I’d relax and perform better, and so on, in a beautiful reciprocal dance of comedy interaction.

When you have to stand up in front of any group to do public speaking, think of it like you’re jumping into a swimming pool where you suspect the water’s going to be a little bit too cold for your liking. Just take the plunge, and – as long as you’ve done enough rehearsal preparation – you’ll find that not only will you soon get comfortable, but you may even start to enjoy it.

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