The Most Basic Human Connection

Shut up, and sit down. Welcome to Being On Stage, the only podcast that gives you motivation, inspiration, and confidence to be better on stage. No matter how you entertain, sing, dance, band, comedian, public speaking, MC, drag, burlesque, performance art, or street performer, this is the show for you. Hey, hey, rock stars. Reggie Dawson, your host of the Being On Stage podcast. Welcome back. Thanks for tuning in. Hey, listen, if you haven't done so already, can you click that subscribe button, leave a comment and a rating for this podcast? Greatly appreciated. I just got off an awesome coaching call. Someone went over to my calendar, Rebecca, actually. Shout out. Shout out to Rebecca. Listen, she's pretty good. She's performing tonight, and she is going to connect with her audience in new and better ways. I'm going to tell you how here in just a moment. But first, how did Rebecca talk to me? She jumped on my calendar. She went to beingonstage.com slash calendar. She put in her name and email. She chose a time, and I called her from my cell phone, and we talked for like half hour or so. And that's it. You can do that too. Is there something you're struggling with on stage? You know, building up your performance, building up your confidence, a certain aspect of your show that maybe you're stuck on, need a little help. I'm here for you. Hop on that calendar. Listen, the ways that you can connect with your audience, there's infinite ways, first of all. But one of the most basic, and it's actually human nature, really. You know, when you walk into a restaurant, when you walk into a place. When you're walking by people on the street, it's actually human nature to make eye contact with other people. It's that acknowledgement of, hey, you're a human, I'm a human. We have eyes and can look at each other, you know. And that's what, that's actually the point of this podcast today, is the importance of opening your eyes on stage. And it's not a metaphor. I'm not like, open your eyes to your career and to your dreams. No, not a metaphor. I literally mean. Open your eyes while you are on stage. And, you know, I apologize if I'm giving too much information about you, Rebecca. But, hey, nobody else knows you. I've heard it from so many people and I've seen it. I've witnessed it. People get so into their music or so into their dancing or so into, you know, whatever it is they're doing. They get so into it that they forget to look at the audience. They forget to acknowledge the people that are there. They're supporting them. The people that are there, I mean, in some cases, the people that are there paying your bills, you know. That's ultimately what we want, right? We want to get paid for what we do. Like, we want to pay our bills with our performing. Yeah? That's what you want, right? Don't you think that if you were going to pay somebody's bills, you'd want them to at least look at you? You have to do that for your audience. You got to. And it's not disconnecting from yourself. It's not disconnecting from your art. It's not it. It is reconnecting with your audience. That face-to-face or eye-to-eye or looking someone in the eye while you're on stage, it's sincere. It acknowledges the fact that they're there, that they took time out of their day to come see you. Listen, maybe they just showed up. They still took time out of their day. They're not getting up and leaving. So obviously they're, you know, they're there for the show. So make eye contact with them. Show them that you acknowledge that they're there. Point to them. Engage with them while you're on stage. If you're going to build this career, if you're going to become this amazing performer, if you're going to become this person that has fans and, you know, repeat audience members, and you have people that are going to buy your merchandise if that's where you're, you know, if you end up with merchandise, people will buy your merchandise or your albums or buy tickets to your show. So you're going to want to look at them. You're going to have to create that connection that pulls them in and makes them want more. And eye contact, eye contact is one of the most basic, basic ways to form a human connection. Just looking at somebody. You do it every day. You probably don't even realize the number of people that you make eye contact. You want to have a really uncomfortable day. Start counting the number of people. You make eye contact with actually try keeping count. I guarantee by the time you get to five, you will feel completely uncomfortable because it is uncomfortable. And I'm not going to, I'm not going to deny that it's 100% uncomfortable to forcefully and intentionally look and look at someone's eye. Look someone in the eye. Oh, I can't even talk. It's difficult and it's uncomfortable, but you know what? You have to get uncomfortable. If you're going to be on stage, nothing about performing should be comfortable. Yes. Well, let me back up. Yes, you should be comfortable on stage, but that comfort is more of a comfort with being uncomfortable. When you go to a show, any show, pick a show. I went to see Tape Face earlier this year. I went to a couple of shows earlier this year, but Tape Face was probably the highlight. He's a comedian mime. He's on America's Got Talent. And I don't think he won his year, but he was also on the All Stars. I don't think he won there either, but he's an amazingly funny guy. And my daughter was obsessed with him. So for her birthday, we bought tickets to go see Tape Face. And so that's, you know, that's what we did. But he's also one of my favorites. I really like him as a, well, a mime, I guess. He's actually a mime. And when, you know, when, when you go to a show and just like I went to that show, you're, you're expecting certain behaviors from the performer, you know, especially if you've paid money to be there, whether you're paying for your food or you're paying for tickets or you're paying a cover charge. Or if you're just buying drinks, you're, you're paying money to be in that establishment, you know, and I'm talking you as an audience member right now. So step back and flip the role for a minute and be the audience member. When you go to a show and like, just like when I went to go see Tape Face, I expected there to be some sort of interaction with the crowd. You know, I expect there to be some acknowledgement of the audience. Now, Tape Face is an extreme example because his show is all about, is actually audience coming on stage and participating in his jokes and in his act. But even singers, I mean, you see the, the big celebrities, you know, they, they drop down in front of the audience and they sing directly to this group of girls. And I'm visualizing Usher for some reason, but you know, they, they sing specifically there. They, they put their arm out, everyone goes nuts. All the girls, you know, grab on their hands, try to pull them under the crowd, all that. That is engaging and connecting with the audience. And if Usher and Justin Timberlake and Taylor Swift and Beyonce and Madonna, if, if they go out to their audience and they get up close and personal and they make eye contact and they make it, they make it personal, and I'm saying personal again, but they make it personal for, for some of them. Why shouldn't you? I mean, who, who are you not to really? I mean, if Madonna and Beyonce are doing it and Tape Face is doing it and Kevin Hart's doing, I'm trying to name a whole bunch of people, shouldn't you be doing it too? I mean, really? So that's, that's probably the biggest, the biggest thing I could give you right off the bat. Even if it's your first time on stage, if you've been performing for years and years and years, if you're, you know, struggling, to get those eyes open and make eye contact or you're not comfortable with making eye contact, get uncomfortable today. Connect with your audience. That's how you're going to build that relationship with them. And you have to have a relationship with your audience. From the moment they see you on stage, you're beginning to build that relationship. You know, that relationship can turn into repeat shows. That relationship can turn into social media. Media followers, people getting onto your email list can, can turn into people buying your merchandise and eventually attending sold out shows and, and pushing to get tickets and, you know, starting a fan club and building a fan army. And this can build. Then it all starts with opening your eyes. Everything that you want when in terms of fans and an audience and a career, it starts with looking at somebody. Creating that most basic human to human connection. You got to connect with your audience. You have to, as a performer, as a creative human being, that's the only way you're going to get them. That's the only way you're going to find success is by connecting with people. I am so wound up from this coaching conversation. It was a credible, absolutely incredible. Another shout out. Thank you so much for allowing me the pleasure of, of having this conversation. helping you. And listen, you, the rest of the podcast, listen. listeners, why haven't you jumped on the calendar? Why haven't you followed Rebecca's model and hopped on the calendar? Beingonstage.com slash calendar. Let's get it moving. I'll get you unstuck. I'll move you forward. I'll kick you in the pants. I'll hold you accountable. I'll give you tips and tricks and resources and everything you need. That's it. All you got to do is open your eyes and jump on my calendar. Thanks again for tuning in. Don't forget to subscribe and leave a rating on this podcast. I'm watching you do it right now. I'm looking at you through this podcast. Keep on shining.