Engage Your Audience With Crowd Interaction

photo by Lorri37

The key to putting on a successful live performance is to engage your audience. You need to play each song like there’s no tomorrow, but it’s also important to keep things lively in between songs and throughout your time on stage.

In this article, I will address the art of speaking to your audience during the periods when you’re not playing music. This aspect of live performance seems be very natural for some but very difficult for others. I will attempt to address some of the reasons for this and provide some tips for how to effectively engage your audience when you’re on the mic.

For many great songwriters out there today and throughout history, the ability to let their personality flow out to a large crowd comes natural. They crave the spotlight (in a good way) and bring a confident command to their stage presence. They have can speak meaningfully into the microphone and engage in an intimate conversation with their audience.

For many other great songwriters, talking it up between songs can be a real challenge. Writing songs, performing, and singing require a high level of emotional flow. You need to totally let yourself go and soak up the moment. Expressing your emotions to a large audience through music requires a great deal of vulnerability. When you’re wrapped up in this moment, it can be extremely difficult to transition to a personable speaking role.

I have often found that when I am performing and singing a song, I have a very different self awareness than when I’m socializing with friends. When I’m performing a song, I’m totally lost in the feeling and emotion of the music and lyrics. Socializing with friends I tend to have a much more laid back and humorous approach. While I try and work my social personality into my songwriting, it doesn’t always blend seamlessly. Flipping between song mode and personality mode is a unique and difficult skill, but one that can be mastered with practice.

Here are some tips and ideas to consider:

Nothing can be mastered without lots and lots of practice.  The only way to practice speaking to a large audience is to do just that.  Throw yourself onto the stage often and regularly.  Participate in open mics. Book a steady gig schedule. With each performance, you will become more comfortable handling the microphone and your speaking voice.

Realize that your on-stage personality might be different in some way than your normal social personality.  When you’re on stage, every statement will be more pronounced and definitive.  Again, through practice and steady gigging, you will gradually develop your stage personality.  Start with very short statements and work your way up to longer and more frequent crowd interaction (but be careful not to talk your audience’s ears off.  They came to hear your music!)

Try sticking to a few pre-planned statements during your set.  For example, you might always use the same sentence to introduce your band, or use a simple “hows everyone feeling tonight!”  Try setting up a unique / funny / witty / bold statement to use as your go-to crowd interaction.  Repeat it at all your performances.  Of course, there are drawbacks to this idea.  Returning audience members will hear the same stage chatter at all the shows.  However, when you’re on tour and you’re just starting out, the majority of your audience will be newcomers, so you can deliver your trusty statements with confidence.

That said, I do think variety is very important.  As you grow into your role as a front-man (or solo performer), you want to mix it up as much as possible.  Comment on the venue you’re at, the mood of the audience, a recent development, anything to keep things fresh.

It all comes down to creating an intimacy with your audience.  As much as you want your listeners to love your music, you want to sell them on you and your personality as well.  This may sound strange at first, but it’s true.  Audiences connect with you on a personal level, even if they haven’t met you face to face.  Make them feel comfortable, excited, and entertained.

Over to you…

How do you interact with your live audience?

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1. Online Video Tools to Maximize Your Audience

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