Funny People and Their Shows

I signed up for a “Short Form” improv class. I have taken one stand up comedy class and a couple workshops so far compared to Improv where I completed 3 classes and a workshop, currently in 2 classes in NY and soon starting my "short form" class this June. What , Why!

This points out a couple of things to me.

One ) I really can’t learn to be a comedian in a class room, I need to write and rewrite then test it out, I have to read about all the different theories and style to see what works for me. That is just how I work. I tried to go the class rout and it isn’t the same for me as having a writing buddy (very hard to find) or a coach (even harder to find a good one but easier to get a coach than a buddy... )

Comedy to me is personal. It’s me opening up myself and trying to convey what I’m thinking about or what message I want to deliver and do so in a fun way. (Sorry I don’t do the typical dick jokes) “Not like there is anything wrong with “blue comedy” or insulting people for being born a cretin color, creed or sex, which is comedy gold for some… just not my type of comedy.”

Two) So what’s with the improve classes. Turns out there are rules to learn before you can break them. I like to follow the rules and find that I’m still not doing it the right way. Luckily I have a strong team that will save me if I go astray. For me it was so much fun the less I knew, now the more I learn the more like hard work its becoming. But as they say if you are doing it right you are having fun up there. So I am working hard to have fun up there some day. So why short for improve and what is the difference?

Long Form vs. Short Form

I've been thinking about the difference between long form and short form improv. I want to do both, because I am under the assumption that for my ultimate goal to use improv for Corporate training in my career as a corporate speaker and motivational humorist.

Some would say long form improv is longer, it’s a story-based improvisation focusing on character development and plot witch keeps the audience invested in following the story unfolding on stage. Much of the “comedy” in long form is from connections made in the story, layers of meaning, and enjoyment of a character.

So why is it called short form Improv becouse its shorter? Its quicker, “short-attention span” friendly, "at-the-moment" type games, based usually on a device or gimmick which is delivered by the player using a suggestion or ask-fors. In this case the comedy is found in the pure spontaneity of the moment, risk taken by the improviser, and yes the "jokes" placed into the game.

This is hard to explain to you without you actually going to shows, and there are probably better definitions among performers and audiences of improv. So the gist I am putting out there is the idea that short form is a scene or game based on suggestions from the audience. A long form is a collection of games or scenes that were based on an initial audience suggestion.

I am not a sports guy but my analogy is: The difference between a soccer play vs. a soccer game. You can't have the game without the plays, but the plays are very interesting on their own."

So long form is the soccer game and has short form parts aka the plays, so short form can be a part of a long form, not the other way around.

As a comedian I am always thinking about my audience and if they are having fun… I have been told that this is also a bad thing at times in my case. I have been told the comedian in me will take a whack at a joke dangling out there during a long form scene, to the detriment of my team members and like I said before. Improv to me is all about taking care of your team.

With that said the reaction of the audience is different to these two types of improve styles. A short 'funny' gets lots of laughs. BUT, the audience usually stops concentrating on the scene or the big picture; this lessens the possibility for long form comedy.

The difference is thinking about the long form as a sitcom and the short for as a bunch of jokes. The feelings are clearly different and may not be very compatible."

Resistance and being a Professional “The War of Art”:

Professionals vs Amateurs... It’s very different; the difference is that if you think like an amateur you won’t get anywhere…

“The armature plays for fun, the professional plays for keeps” To the armature the game is his avocation to the pro it’s his vocation. The armature is a weekend warrior the pro is there 7 days a week. They say that a armature dose it out of love, I say its the pro!  He is the one who shows that he does it out of love, he puts all other things aside for the art… its not his hobbies, its his full time job, all he thinks about., he commits full time. Too much love cam make him choke though, you need a seeming detachment, a cold blooded approach to your art to keep you from loving the game so much that you freeze in action. Playing for money or at least adopting the attitude of being a professional lowers that fever. The payoff for playing for money isn’t the money… you may not see much of that, the pay off is the professional attitude, the lunch pail mentality of showing up for work.

Someone once asked Somerset Maugham if he wrote on a schedule or only when inspiration strikes… His reply was when inspiration strikes, Luckily I get inspired every day at 9:00 sharp.. That is a pro…

He sits down and does the mundane act of sitting to do his work and by doing so leaves the door open for inspiration to come in the back door. I remember once in Art School, I think it was figure drawling class my professor said that we have 10,000 bad images stuck inside of us and we need to release each of them before the true art comes out. To me that works with writing jokes and stories or any other creative act. Its just as a comedian it takes more time, we have to not just write the premise, then hone the bit, then deliver it in front of a group of people then see what we can change if anything or if we should drop it. That takes time and effort.

My days always start with a feeling that I have some sort of resistance against me, I try to get the obligations I have over, email, call, errands, and other important priorities. Do I believe that my writing a joke will make the world a better place… no, but to me it makes a difference, and if I do my job right someday I will inspire someone or teach someone something new… so these bits will make a difference some day. So if I work on my skills to be a better person, a better public speaker, a better improviser I have over come resistance for one more day and can be proud of this. When I go to bed at night I am already thinking about what I have to do tomorrow and what resistance I would have to overcome.

If you are truly a pro: you show up every day, you do it no matter what, you stay on the job all day, you are committed for the long hall, Your stakes are high and real, You work for money even though you may not see much of it. You work on mastering your skills, you take praise or blame in the Real world, and you have a sense of humor about your job.

You do not over identify with our jobs, we may take pride in, or work hard at it, but we are not our job descriptions… The amateur on the other hand over identifies with it, he defines himself by it. He is an actor, comic, musician or writer “Resistance” loves this… Resistance knows that am amateur composer will never write his symphony because he is overly invested in its success, and overly terrified of its failure, so much so that the fear paralyzes him.

An amateur does not: show up every day, show up no matter what, is not committed, his goals are fake, he does not get money, and he over identifies with his art or calling and he does not have a sense of humor about his failure… you don’t hear an armature bitching “this trilogy is killing me” instead he doesn't write it at all.

An amateur does not master their technique of their art or expose themselves to judgment in the real world. Nothing is as empowering as real world validation.

Here are some examples I personally have seen in the comedy world. Comedians that only work one room they write their material for their friends that tell them that they are funny. The comedian then announces to the world how they keep “Killing” or they “Killed it” (A stand up term being overused by amateur’s for doing fantastic, bringing the house down)  These Amateurs never venture out to the unknown to test their work with the real world. Usually if they eave that save haven it’s to do a “Bringer” show or contest where their friends and family come to support and vote. This dose not count they are your friends they are being kind. They need real world validation, they need to strike it out on their own and take it… even if it’s for failure. The best way to learn is threw the crash and burn.

I remember competing in a contest, I was told to get there at 6PM I did not go on until close to 10PM. The judges were drunk , the room was out of control, the venue was not really one for comedy. To make it worse the comedian who went on before me watched my set on Youtube and literally told my punch lines before I went on. I went on the stage, crashed and burned, there were people answering their phones in the front row, the judges were too busy trying to get more free booze, and the crowd was drunk and exhausted. I was mortified it was like a bad dream… I got home that night and my partner asked if I was going to give it up and I said hell no. Then be happy you are where you wanted to be. You had a stage, you had a set worth stealing, and you just learned a valuable lessen that will make you stronger. So you have taken a few blows, which is the price you pay for being in the arena and not on the sidelines. That is when I realized I wanted to be a pro. I haven’t yet had a success, but I had a real failure.

So think of yourself as "You INC " and be a professional about your art. Resistance loves Pre-Madonna’s and hates working stiffs… Show resistance a artist that thinks they are too good to take job x or y and resistance can crack them like a walnut. Put in the hours of work and you will have something to show of it.

Technically a pro plays for pay but ultimately does it for love.

 

I went over my sets past to present with a buddy and he pointed out something that I knew I was having a problem with but wasn’t doing anything about. I have a weak opening. Not only are my opening weak, but for the first few moments on stage I am scared and nervous and have that little bit of panic. I am adjusting to being in front of people that are staring at me. My eyes are getting use to the lights. I’m trying to remember what my first joke will be. It’s not good.

You have 3 seconds… the audience decides if they initially like you or not in the first 3 seconds. Think about when your “channel surfing”… how much time do you give it before you change the channel?

So I went to my go to WWJD What Would “Judy Carter” Do, Her DVD's and Book are literaly my Bible.

You have to open with a joke or statement that defines who you are or what you’re talking about. So they (the audience) know what point of view your set will be delivered from. Take Rodney Dangerfield for example… he starts his sets with “I tell you, I get no respect” then goes into his set and that becomes what he is known for.

Stand up sets all have a beginning middle and an end. You need to have your openers and closers figured out. Your opener needs to define what’s funny about you or your point of view. Your closer has to leave them wanting more. We need to understand who you are… the audiences are strangers they need to “Get You”!

You can either talk about your looks, your race, or any other obvious thing about you.

Think about who you are? What your POV is, who you’re trying to be, what’s funny about you.

Don’t do the hack opening. Like “Can you see me behind this mike stand” or “So where you from? I’m sorry, no I heard you… I’m just sorry” It’s called hack because it’s not original and not that funny.

Some of my buddies are good about riffing about the audience or the venue or even the traffic outside the club. That is great for people who can riff… I need to learn that, but until then I need some go to openers.

Don’t open up with something that isn’t really like you. Don’t start off all about drugs or dirty if your set is not going to sustain it. If you start dirty the clean isn’t well accepted. Don’t assume that people are interested in you; you need to get them interested.

Avoid clichés: I know what you’re thinking How you all doing? (They are doing just the same as all the other comics that just asked that question before you went on.)

I once did a show in a rough bar with a crowd that scared the poop out of me. I was more afraid for my life that just getting booed off the stage. I was out in the middle of no where and they did not look like an open minded crowd, and me having nothing but gay jokes (positive not fag jokes) made me feel like a target for a hate crime.

So I sucked it up and thought of a way to open the show that would work to my advantage. I wasn’t sure how it would work but I knew I needed a good opener.

“I opened with: So have you ever been the butt of a really bad practical joke? They told me this was a gay bar, and I can only see 4 of 5 of you are gay, and all I have are gay jokes… At that moment they said tell them… and I did my set and they paid attention and it was a good set… The opener made my set.

I didn’t realize the importance of a good opener until then, but also did not write any openers. All I did was get on stage and start my set. I didn’t learn.

My homework last Friday was to start writing openers. I only wrote on so far and performed it. Because I wrote it right before my show it wasn’t the strongest delivery, but it did the job and I am realizing how important they are here is the set with the opener. It is supposed to help me set up my bits and hopefully be funny.

 

Everyday you are either getting stronger or weaker...you decide!

I learned something today that backs up my rehearsal technique and will help me remember things like peoples names better. If you know me you know I WAS really bad at remembering names. I will call you by the wrong name for ever. I also need to have a good memory for Comedy, Speeches, Improv and just life in general.

I spoke about turning your Jokes into Pictures, sounds and feelings in my last blog post. So luckily todays lesson works well with this its about turning that memory into a visualization or picture sound a feeling... sound familiar?

Lets take a name for example: Say you meet someone names John Turner... you break the name into 2 first and last name, associate a famous person with each, then put them and the person whose name you are learning in a odd or wacky scene so you can remember it.

"John" Lennon, John Turner and Tina "Turner" playing spin the bottle or Doing the double dutch jump rope thing is memorable to me. See how that works. It can be hard with some names but the more scenes you use in your visualization the more memorable the name of thing will be.

Small hint to helping you with your memory is to not say you have a bad memory, don't admit it to yourself. Alway be positive about it and your subconscious will get the point and di its job.

I hope this works for you and I will start calling you by name, no more  hey guy, dude, or "You" like I usually refer to people.

 

Well Structured deliberate practice can make you great at what ever you want, no matter how you think or comprehend.

 

I mentioned this before, I am not a natural at anything especially picking up something new, I don't always "Get It". I think this goes back to my special education days.  I learned after high school witch literally tought me nothing more than how to read books about Sam, Ann and Nip... Seriously! I needed to put in a bout load of hard work before i could even be ready to go on to my secondary education with most people take for granted. I ended up graduating with homers and a 3.9 GPA... To make it worse it was art school and half way through I realized I was color blind. Sitting in color theory class looking at those circles with the dots in it and seeing nothing made my blood run cold, I had to face it from this moment forward, yet another thing I could not do naturally. Nothing for me came easy is what I am saying. I was even Special Ed in art.

 

So now I want to be funny. I was not the class clown growing up so this is not natural to me.  But I am good at learning my job, what ever it is through "deliberate practice".  I try to learn the insides and outs witch takes work and determination, reading about your industry and working to learn about what your working on.  So I  know why things are important and what each task impacts in the chain of events, etc.

I have to do this for myself because I never just "Get It". I think that is why I am here, to help others that just don't always "Get It". But the good thing about this way of learning is that outside of the corporate world it called "deliberate practice" and it is what makes outstanding performers in Sports and Music even the Military utilize Deliberate Practice.

So becoming the best ----- you can be: Let's remember that lesson from Ben Franklin and do it yourself. see my post Deliberate Practice

Step 1) Knowing what you want to do: the keyword is not "what" but "knowing"! Because the demands of achieving exceptional performance are so great over so many years, no one has a prayer of meeting them without full commitment to it. You have to "know" what you want to do, not suspect it, or be inclined toward it, or just thinking about it. But Know it!

Step 2) So let’s say that you’ve settled on what you want to achieve, even if it's only the next step in your general direction towards your goal. The first challenge in designing a system of “deliberate practice” and  identifying the immediate steps you need to take.

In a few fields those steps are clear, if you want to playthe piano the exact skills you must learn and the order in which you learn them have been worked out by many generations of teachers and instructors.

If you want to be an accountant, lawyer or doctor these are well-established curriculums and you have teachers to guide you and so on.

What if you are like me and want to be a comedian that wants to inspire and teach people. There is no published curriculum, no syllabus or list of materials that must be studied and mastered. So deciding which skills and abilities to work on and how to do it can be daunting.

We could use help from those with perspective. We can see mentors in a new way, not just as wise people to turn to for guidance but as experienced masters in our field. Who could advise us on the skills and abilities we need to acquire next and can give us feedback on how we're doing correct and what we need to improve. At least that's the ideal mentor, but finding such a person isn't easy…  I haven't found it.

So if you are like me and you are on your own ( A "do it your self" finding your way to the next skill kind of situation... ) It is possible to pursue the “general” principle witch is "practice activities", in my case as a comedian it's highly valuable to get others feedback. So as a comedian I need to get on stage as much as possible. Witch means open mics and performing in free shows in bars and coffee houses, anywhere you can get someone to hear you.  I can’t hone my skills in the same room with the same general audience members. So with that said what are you going to say when your on that stage? What about things like writing the jokes, learning joke structure or how to rehearse?

Now we need to practice:

The opportunities to practice fall into two general categories: A) opportunities to practice directly, apart from the actual use of the skill or ability. The way a musician practices apiece before performing. I would learn my set as a memory, like I lived it, make the joke a video in my head not words, but pictures, sounds, and emotions... Not words I finally learned to not do the words thing... Great thing I learned from the Greg Dean book on step by step to stand up.

B) opportunities to practice the skills to produce the work itself, practicing directly, this is more complicated... Here is where I learn how to find my topics to write about, then actually write everyday, day after day. Then find bits you can get out of that writing that can be salvaged.  Put that together then test these bits with multiple groups. Record the feedback, listen to the feedback re-edit the bits repeat cycle over and over until you have a clean streamlined set.

The hard part is that you only get 5 minutes to work with at a time. Limitations of the world of open mics. So you have to work in small chunks if you are a story teller like myself you learn to put these together as puzzle pieces

I had a hard time repeating my sets over and over at open mic nights thinking that the other comedians would judge me for not always having new stuff. I say screw that. I have to still learn how to be on a stage and I want to end up with a great joke, rather than stand up there and tell an "ok"  joke and then drop the "f" bomb for effect..

The audience ( mostly comedians ) will have heard it a few times but it's ok to do this at open mike. That's what is for. Don't play to the band as they say. Your goal is not on the comedians it's you becoming better and making non comedians laugh.

Learning about my sub-skills like storytelling, improv, writing, character choices, acting, reading out loud, using a mike properly, stage picture, using the NYC subway system is helpful, and speech and story writing to inspire  in my case is very important. And you need to learn to Marketing yourself!  These skills are all so much different then just standing on the stage telling some jokes.

I am not here to be an over night success. I am the old fission hard work and the talent will come kind of guy. So this is my version of Special Ed Comedy learning... So who wants to take the short bus to the next open mike with me?

I will make the Short bus Kool!

In improv the one rule I have learned is never say NO! Its all about agreeing and not blocking.

It can be something that is totally crazy, just say “Yes and…”

You are an incredible fool… “Yes and” lets talk about the word incredible…

I am new to this and learning as I go, I have said it before that nothing comes natural to me as far as I know. But this simple rule is very easy to do, and it works great; you can use it in improve, life and especially in business.

How great would a work environment be if everyone answered everything with “yes and”?

Yes does not always mean you agree, it can also say I acknowledged what they said and I would like to add xyz… You never want to block or stop a person. Your job in improv and in business is to make the other person look good, to support your team, and to get results. Weather you agree or not isn’t the issue, it’s about more than just you.

“Yes and” is both verbal and intellectual… you need to encourage trust and the best way to do that is through respect for that persons opinion and offers. “Yes and” is your way of accepting what they just put out there and going with it, not bending it to fit your needs but to just add to it , be neutral to it, or fertilize it, to make it even easier for your team mate to make their point or lead that story.

If you practice something called “Yes But” first, you will see that its easy, people say Yes but all the time, its their way to shut an idea down… think about it this way if you tell a computer yes and no at the same time it will make an annoying little beep indicating that does not work with the rules of logic. Yes but is just that, it’s saying yes and no at the same time, it is blocking the creative juices, its saying you don’t agree. Yes but is not good. It does not serve us well at all!

Try making “Yes and” the way you live, people don’t know how to work without Yes but. They will fight you on this concept out side of improve… But think about bout it this way: In the English language there are many ways to say the same thing. So have them stretch their mind/vocabulary and be more positive and their brain will thank them.

If you want to try this little exercise: Make all the participants offer some simple statements and then only allow the response to begin with Yes But… the repeat this with “Yes and”, do this 3 or 4 times. The group will get this concept very quickly… it’s that simple. Some people will not do this exercise, its not that they don’t understand it its that they are very much attached to “Yes But”.

There was this woman that took an improv workshop, She was in sales and said this would not work in her field, She could never imagine saying yes to a perspective client telling her that what she was selling was too expensive…

Then (Here is the self help type story) She had a very important perspective client call her to say that her prices were way to expensive… instead of saying what she really wanted to, that they were crazy and that it was a great deal and that they are out of their minds… She took a deep breath then said Yes and, well if you consider the value of our other services that are included like food, ambience, refreshment, and parking, our prices is very reasonable compared to our competitors. The client said they would look into it based on these facts and ultimately the client signed the contract. (You know they would have had to for this example to work!)

This can make a big difference with the way people communicate. If you have the ability try to implement this into your office culture you will be surprised how well it can work.  Try it for an hr a week or a day a week and see how this helps productivity.

I personally have been trying to incorporate this into my daily life as well as my improv time with my team and it is becoming second nature. The best thing you can have come out of this is great communication and a supportive work and family environment. The worst thing that can happen is that you run out of interesting ways to finish the line Yes and… witch isn’t that bad now is it.

So why not become a Yes Man or Woman!

 

Are you a writer that doesn't write, a painter that doesn't paint, a businessman that never started a venture?  Then you know resistance and how resistance is the most toxic thinking of planet, the root of all evil, the cause of issues like poverty, self doubt and general dysfunction witch ruined more lives than alcohol, sex and crack cocaine combined.

Resistance is your enemy, pure evil we all have our own unique “genius” you need to actually realize what "it" is and move forward with it. I think all are people living with 2 lives, the one we are just living…getting by, going along, bla bla bla and the other life that is inside of us. The person we were meant to be.  Some have figured it out and learned to battle resistance and have a fully fulfilled life and success based on their happiness. Other may know what they want but not know how to reach for it and others like me are still searching for that goal of what will make them fulfilled as a human being.

Most of us have had that little voices our head telling us what we want to be or had visions of what we could have been, should have been. Weather its being a great mother, helping other people, writing that novel, starting that small company whatever it is, that life that you were put here to live, But didn't.

Not doing what you’re here for is making you sick inside literally. If you think about it there's a lot of resistance out there and you have got to learn how to get through the resistance weather its something as little as picking up a piece of paper starting the novel, writing that joke that’s been in your head if you're comedian, or painting that picture.

Resistance to me: You can't smell it, you can't touch it, you can't see but you could feel resistance! It’s what’s keeping you from doing the things you’re supposed to do. The sneaky part about resistance is the amount of crazy stupid things you'll do other than what you're supposed to: making up excuses, ( I cant right now, I have to much on my plate, I am not feeling up to it.) Surfing the web, Facebook, Gossiping, Sex, Drugs, Drinking…you need to just suck it up actually start the steps needed to get you one step closer to your goal. The only way you can do this is to get through resistance and resistance doesn't give up.

The good news is resistance doesn’t take things personal. It’s just like the other laws of nature gravity, rain the turning of the earth, so just like those examples you need to learn to navigate the resistance in your life… It’s not easy… that is what separates the average person from the exceptional person. I have come this far and do not want to be average…no thank you.

I have 2 examples one worm and fuzzy of a winner and one of the worlds biggest looser and I am not talking weight lose reality… a much more devastating reality because of a looser.

Worm and fuzzy self help type of story:

A woman is told she has cancer and given six months to live. She immediately quits her job and peruses her dream of writing tex-mex songs and moves to the city where she volunteers at a center working with aids babies. Her friends and family thinks she lost her mind, she feels great and the worm and fuzzy part is her cancer goes into remission.  Oprah would say it’s because she didn’t follow her dreams that made her get sick in the first place… then give her keys to a Hundye Accent and send her on her way. But this has happened many times. Why are we to wait till we are dying before we get the balls to follow our dreams… if a cancer victim can learn to deal with resistance why cant you. Resistance can kill you; do we have to stare death in the face to finally sand up to resistance? We can’t allow resistance to cripple us before we stand up to it?

The biggest looser to Resistance…an example of why you can’t let resistance win.

Adolph Hitler story:  Hitler wanted to be an artist at the age of 18 he took his inheritance 700 Cronin and moved to Vienna to study art at Vienna Academy of the arts and architecture. Have you ever seen one of his paintings… neither have I, resistance beat him!  It was easier for him to start World War II that it was for him to face a blank square of canvas that people is screwed up. That's how tough resistance is!

So now when I have to do something that I know will be hard but necessary, or I run across some hurtles like a bad crowd, stage fright, writers block, feeling less talented than my team mates or just all around untalented… I have one excuse in my head… if I don’t do this I am just as bad as Hitler, Weak, Sinless, and cant over come obstacles.

More about resistance and the “War of Art” Next week.

Public Speaking and Stage Fright Turns out People fear Public Speaking more that Death!

I got into Public Speaking because I wanted to fight my fear of public speaking, I have the worst stage fright and I even have a hard time just talking to a group of strangers in a social situation. You know the old saying just picture the audience naked or in their undies… Its odd that this is the exact way we feel when we get up on that stage. That is just how most of us feel “naked and vulnerably” ourselves.

So here are some things I learned today from the Audio Book Public Speaking Super Star: To begin with if you are getting up on that stage and you do not feel confident the LIE… No one wants to hear how you are scared…then they get scared for you and that is not why you are up there… Pity is Shitty! So if you don’t feel confident tell yourself you are! Make yourself believe “I can do this” and you are ready for this. If you walk up there and say to yourself you’re going to crash and burn, then whose fault is it that you crash and burn…thats right its your fault… So “Lie about it until you have it!”

Here are 7 tips that will get you to be fear less and confident have it work for you… and remember these need to all be done to be effective and you will see why… Stage fright is a state of mind… that voice in your head can not negate what you tell it… it believes you so tell it what is going to happen and you will do a great job

1) Don’t label it Stage freight … if you feel the heart beating, the hands shaking the mouth going dry… all that nervous energy call it something else that will make you ready to go on stage…use that adrenalin to your advantage…Embrace it as I am getting into the zone, this is great, use it … Here is my booster shot … this is what I needed… you want this adrenalin rush… its a great thing… Athlete’s love this moment that is the juice they need … the competitive edge… your body is getting you ready for the moment… How kool is that! So remember to label it something good and use it to your advantage.

2) Only speak in the affirmative about the situation… you are not scared you’re excited… you don’t want to say to your self that bad things will happen, you want to say only good thing… I get to go on stage, I am lucky enough to have this stage time, this opportunity; this is going to be great. Don’t think you have to do something think of it more as a get to than a have to.  If you think you will do great you will have a better chance an actually performing better? If you say how bad you will do you will just prove yourself right. I am good at this; I will do a great job,

3) Have a mantra… a one line statement… this will be your pep talk, your trigger to get you into the Zone. if you are an inspirational speaker you could say “Today I will make a difference” Michael Jordan used the mantra “This is what I do, This is who I am and I am good at it! ” So think of what your mantra will be and use it. This will be your way to Psyche yourself up and remind you just how awesome or lucky you are… so make up a mantra and use it.

4) Visualization: have a picture in your head of what it looks like to be up there and doing great, how you’re talking, how you’re standing, and what the audience reactions are. Sounds corny but if you visualize it and think about all those little things it will help you connect with the emotion of the vision, it will be a great way to get in touch with the emotion… feel the emotion behind that vision… it will help.

5) Video your rehearsal/open mics…  We hate to see ourselves in action on video… When you’re on stage time and things move differently. We remember things differently but the camera is just like an audience member it will tell you what you actually said, how you were standing what happen on the stage. Now you need to view the video in 2 ways. First just watch the video normally listen to what your saying, how your moving, standing, everything. Take notes on what you need to do differently. Then Watch the Video with the sound off…yes no sound: This will make you concentration on your body language… especially the opening see how you arrive on stage… what are you saying? What is your body communicating to the audience… if you know how to read body language you will know what you are saying at that moment verbally and take notes and improve it. We are our own worst critics… so you will also see you aren’t as bad as you thought you were… The more you know your body language the more comfortable you will be on stage.

6) How do you get to Carnegie Hall… Practice , Practice, Practice Nothing happens over night you need to practice you need to find ways to get on stage, find any opportunity, volunteer, get on stage as much as you can, do speeches at church, at clubs, anywhere you can, even at home. Deliver you presentation standing up… don’t sit do it the way you would in-front of an audience. Practice your speech in the clothes you will be performing it… Sounds silly bit this works well to make you comfortable. Practice with real people, have at least 3 colleagues sit there and listen to the presentation, and get them to do some Q&A. Have them ask questions the way the people you’re performing for. Practice only a section at a time… then put it together and time yourself so you stay on par.

7) Meet and greet the people before you go on, as they are coming in… chit chat, ask question be interested about them. Why did they come? What are they looking to learn? Etc. It will make them like you more and feel more connected when you are on the stage, they are now your buddy and want to see you do well. You will feel more at ease seeing familiar faces in the audience. The larger the audiences the earlier you should get there… get set up and then use that rest of the time to set up a report with the audience. So talk to everyone. Especially the back of the room don’t let them feel forgotten.

 

How do you get better? Turns out you need to know what exactly it is you want to get better at. Then do something about it!

Once you Identify your chosen skill to improve you can then start working on it through "Deliberate Practice".

Ben Franklin wanted to be a better writer so he worked on writing essays but not by just sitting down and randumly writing essays ...He first found the best written essays available,

He would take an essay and dissect it and rewrite it and then compare. He did this in many steps, so he would concentrait on different sub-skills  to improve his writing skills in total.

First there is Sentence Structure: Summarizing and reformulating essays from the Spectator from England.

he would make brief notes of each sentence in an essay then in a few days he would go back to the notes and write the essay based on his notes then compare the original to his version. So he can see some of his falts and correct them.

He noticed one of his faults was vocabulary so he started rewriting the Spectator Essays in Verse (Poem style) this made him work with a thesaurus and an extensive stock of words depending on the rhyme and meter of his writings needs. then he would come back to the Poem once he forgot the original essay he would then covert the Poem back into Pros (a regular essay) then compareing the two.

He also noticed his organization issues , he would still make notes about each sentence of an essay, but this time put them on separate peaces of paper , mix up the notes and put them aside until he forgot about that essay. Then he would try to put the notes in order and try to write the essay... again he found many of his faults, and amended them.

This is a perfect example of  a well structure deliberate practice, he did not have a teacher to guide him so he worked with what he could a great example of writing like the "Spectator", He also was very diligent in his practice times, he was working as an apprentice with his brother at the Print Shop so he would write in the mornings before work, after work and on Sundays why everyone was in church he would be at the print shop writing.

So Now my plan is to figure out what I want to improve, something like joke writing or speach writing and devise a plan on how I can find my faults and improve them in this fashion.

 

I ask myself what is improv good for? I got heckled and ran to it to help me learn to think fast. Improv has helped me make new friends. Improv has definitely improved my stand up comedy, and Now Imrpov is going to help me become a better public speaker with break out session tools in team building. I was listening to Improv Inc as part of my Wednesday lesson and realized that as part of my Public speaking I can use improv games during the break out sessions to teach better communication, trust in the team, brainstorming as well as personal growth for managers. Now I am on a mission to collect improv games I could use for team building and orther managment type things. Funny how I became interested in improve so I could think faster on my feet why I was on stage and now I am all about using it off stage. Improv can be used to help write a sketch or a idea generation system for a sales team, help in joke writing and even help with personal therapy type issues. So What I have learned is there is more to improv than the show you do on stage.

 

 

This next 6 weeks I will be listening to audio books and outlining what I have learned.

Each day I will have to have 1 hour with a book, 1 hour of writing / rehearse, then my act out lesson will be learning some new accents... First will be Australian, then Southern, NY, English, Cockney

Here is my first try at creating my own structure for leaning new skills and adding onto some I already have...

Audio Books are my best friends: Listening to books can be done why driving and you can listen to a chapter as many times as you want why in traffic or on the train or taking a bath, working on the yard, at the gym, etc

My Current rotation of Audio books at the moment are what I will call Public Speaking University

Mondays Lessons:

Extra time on Writing and Performing, working with my accents as well , Swimming at the gym before practice then Improv  Practice with my team.

Followed by 1 or 2 open mics depending on how late I am running.

Tuesday Lessons:

Boot Camp for PT then War of Art by Steven Pressfield: This book is more about getting over obstacles in writers block and laziness, gets you to become more structures and put your nose to the grindstone if you want to get something done... he will be my Drill Sargent from Full metal Jacket on my back making sure I get things done...

Wednesday Lessons:

Improvisation Inc by Robert Lowe: not the best improv book so I will try to read the other imrprov books I listed as well, I will also work on my accent as well as every other week have an improv show with Iron Lung. So this day will be more about fast thinking and support of others.

Thursdays Lessons:

Talent is Overrated... Geoff Colvin: This is all about putting in hard work to achieve a better skill set and a type of practice that will help you in your chose field. Again working with my stand up writing and performing this day as well as morning Boot Camp PT.

Fridays Lessons:

Public Speaking Superstar (group of authors) all about how to tell a good story and how to deliver that story in a corporate environment. I will also be working on my set for any shows I may have coming up and any speeches I am planning for my corporate side.

I still have a "Phit" Iimprov Class on Sundays  and working on some other training.

 

 

Public Speaking University is what I call this new journey

To begin with I am the worlds worst student! I hate to read, I am dyslexic and my spelling is atroteus (tried to spell the word for really bad 9 times and even spell check had no clue what I was trying to say.) See what I mean. So when I got laid off from my day job aka last Career as an Art Director, I decided to start learning how to be better at public speaking. I love people and talking not to mention the attention but did not know what to do or realize how hard it was.  I was afraid to even try to take collage classes. I was "special ed" in hight school and went to The Art Institute where a "Sped" like me could graduate with a 4.0.  scary, but the best move i could make. I was lucky enough to get a career that paid me very well and kept me employed regularly for 15 year.  Now I am unemployed and want to make a change but cant think of going to school for it... So I am going to invent my own curriculum and see how it works for me.

Here is the path and steps I have taken so far and what I am doing to learn at the moment.

Comedy Class's:

Philadelphia: So I started off with a comedy class at my local comedy club. I left with a basic  5 min set that made me feel strong enough to do open mic nights and some basic Mic skills. It was good for me at the time but then the business man in my head total killed it for me. You pay for a class ( I think at the time it was $400.00) thought by a comedian I never saw on Comedy Central or TV for that matter. You go to about 4 Sunday sessions then you have a graduation show where your supposed to get 10 people to come and buy 2 drinks each.  This is what is what I learned is called in the business as a "bringer show". So I paid a bout load of cash and conned 10 people to pay for a show just so I can tel 5 min of bad jokes  in the show. Nothing against the teacher, but at this point in my life I want to see you on TV before I will take/ pay for your advice. If I want the advice of a comedian I don't know from Adam I will go to an open mike.

NY: My classes: I made friends with a fellow comedy wanna be and we started going to NY for classes . The classes were cheaper and teachers where comedians you actually saw on TV or Writing for shows today... nice. Useful information on what bookers are looking for and general comedy writing stuff.   The best info was the ins and out of the business and comedy delivery, and some marketing yourself info. Sure I had to trek up to NYC but it was worth it. (FYI it takes about 2.5 hrs each way)

Bringer Shows:

NY is bringer show central...they do not hide the fact its a bringer...you know why you are getting your stage time and you know how to get it. You bring the designated number of people to pay a cover and have 2 drinks and you get 5 min or so on stage. I hate bringer shows today, but to be fair a good comedian that is rising should have a following and it would be easy for them to do this type of show.

I did do afew of these but decided it was kind of hack to be doing stand up for such a short time then going to NY to do shows and begging my friends and family to drive 2 hrs away to see me do a shitty 5 min set... Some of these even say that they will have bookers and agents at these shows... What ever... if I were a good comedian I would be in shows for my stand up skills not my ability to cone people to pay out the but for a well drink 2 hrs from where they live.

Books

Comedy Writing for Idiots... Have it but never read it

Judy Carter's The Comedy Bible: had it for about a year didn't read it.

Greg Dean's Step by Step to Stand Up: had it for about a year didn't read it.

But then I discovered DVDs and CD's with this info on it...

I started with the Judy carter DVD it changed my writing and my delivery style. (I love act outs!)  I was so hooked I ripped it to my ipod so I could see it everywhere. She had a cd called 5 steps to joke writing... works very well for me. I was so impressed I emailed her to see if she ever comes to Philadelphia... Lucky me she was coming out about a week after my email so we met up and went over my goals and my current set and I had a few Skype's with her after and my wring and goals were more solid. She even helped me with my direction in Public Speaking.

At some point I ordered the Greg Dean Audio book. It was useful to me more for the way he suggests how to rehearse your stand up. It worked wonders for my set... I actually started getting complements on my delivery and felt more confident in my set. I never bring a set list or a cheat sheet. I don't read over the words before a set... I was very impressed with this for of learning my set. (This was worth every penny) if only for that one chapter.

The issues started when I had conflicting techniques and they were messing with my head and how I was writing... actually caused some writers block issues. this took me about a month to work out in my head...its all about taking what works for you and leaving the rest behind.

Around this time I started getting into Audio Books:

George Carlin's Last Words: was a great one for the way he worked and how he created a new set ever 18 months. A fun listen about the life of a comedian with that book I would say I'm Dying Up by William Knoedelseder is also a fantastic book about the old world of comedy and still relevant today.

I also have some Improv books I brows through from time to time:

Improvise This and Improvise I will bring them with me to the beach or something when I have time to actually read...

Listening to books can be done why driving and you can listen to a chapter as many  times as you want why in traffic or on the train or taking a bath...

My Current rotation of Audio books at the moment are what I will call Public Speaking University

War of Art by Steven Pressfield

Talent is Overrated... Geoff Colvin

Improvisation Inc by Robert Lowe

Public Speaking Superstar (group of authors)

Improv: I have taken 3 classes and a workshop, at PHIT ( Philadelphia Improv Theater ) I think they do a great job the classes are affordable and my class mates and teachers are fantastic. Its a great environment to learn and grow in.

I am part of the improv group Iron Lung, this is a great way to become better at improv, get more stage time, become stronger at timing and for friendships with a great group of people.

The improv community and the stand up community: they could not be more different by design, The improv community is welcoming and friendly and just love to play and have fun. There is a Incubator that is run on Sundays where people go to just do improv games and play. It is fantastic. I haven't met a person with a bad attitude yet.

The Stand Up community is extremely clicky and I think its for a reason. (I am not sure why yet but I haven't gotten offended by it). I just find that is has circles and clicks that work well for some comedian. I have always been use to the outside. I don't fit into any one group but I also don't feel alienated by many either. Its just not as worm a cuddly as the improv community. I think the main difference is Stand up is all about you being on that stage "Alone" and Improv is all about the team and "Supporting the Team Mate"

 

I was thrilled to be asked to Host or MC an Open Mike night…They even paid me to do something I would do for free…It was great. Thanks Hijinks!

The Best 10 Bucks I ever made.

So,I was asked to MC or Host an Open Mike and just so happened I was asked to MC/Host a real Show for a group of comedians I think are way better than I am… So I was very nervous. I did go to a seminar last year about the things to do when you MC… From the Laughing Buda Comedy School (Yes I plugged it, thats what you do when you blog! ) so I had the basic textbook Idea of hosting. Own the stage, Welcome the Audience, Make the audience feel comfortable and Rehabilitate the room after a comedian bombs…

So I arrive early, find out any early announcements, make sure I can pronounce all the comedians names. Now because this was an “open mike” and I would most likely not know most of them I decided to give the show a theme of Pet Peeves…so I just gave a random pet peeve to a comedian as I introduced them… I also realized how I need to get better at remembering names and use the list less.

Example: Our next comedian’s biggest pet peeve is when Hollywood actors name their kids after inanimate object…give a big hand for John Dow.

The first few comedians I introduced I did not say the comedians name LAST and (Lex) the guys putting on the show advised me to always end the intro with the name of the comedian…witch made a lot of sense and were great awesome advice! So the name is what they hears as they see comedian for the first time. Thank Lex!

I opened up with 2 new bits (Not usually a good idea) because it was an open mike and luckily they did well, and I was very lucky I had those, because I ended up doing all of my bits through out the show…I was not planning on making it the Jess Carpenter show… and thankfully it did not come across that way…Its just that open mike night has a lot more valleys than peeks so I was trying to pull my “A” material to bring back the audience.

I learned that I became more relaxed as the night moved on, each time I got on stage it got easier and I was less nervous. I also realized I need to make some short quick bits that I can pull out at any time… My new goal is to be a better MC and Comedian… I want to host more and have fun… I want to make my shows feel like its my party and I am their “host” not just a reading names of the next comedian up.

So my game plan for this real Hosting Gig I have this month will be to do a solid 7 to 10 up front all my “A” material, then have a couple small bits if needed but these comedians will be strong enough to just have me keep the show going.

“Crash and Burn” or is it “The good the bad and the ugly”

I just had one of those common things that happen to comedians but are not easy to handle at first. I had a great set at an “A” club  then followed it up with a crappy set at a contest at a bar setting that was not comic friendly… This was reaaly bad for my ego… I was on top of the world after my good set… I was nspired and writing and just happy as all out… then I had to do the same exact set at a contest that I won the year before… I practiced and cut the set down and polished the set then on the day of the show I crashed and burned.

I read the form I filled out to enter the contest or as I call it the contract… It said to be there at 6:30pm the show did not start till 9:00 and then I found out I was the second to last contestant and wont go on until after intermit ion some where around 10:30pm… this was already a bad sigh. Then the comedian who went up before me literally told my punch lines as he referred to me, witch I have never thought to plan for…So I go out there on the stage and bombed…I was dying up there, there was a loud transvestite in the front row who’s phone went of she not only answered it but was yelling on the phone… the crowd behind the judges were so lout they could not hear, the mike kept cutting out…if it could go wrong it did… But that was not what I was mad at my self about… I dropped the ball, I could have done my best to do my set in the most professional way, finish my bits and deliver my set better than I did…

I was defeated…depressed and very sad that I knew so many people out in the audience that came to see my set , paid $30 to watch me crash and burn in such a way… It was embarrassing… I hated the comic before me, the tranny on the phone, the crowd that didn’t listen and the judged that just got done doing 8 shots of vodka as part of their job …judging the bartender competition.

I couldn’t even think about my set for a week or so. I was gun shy and then it hit me… I know I am better than this… I just need to prove it and I learned more from this bad dream of a show then I did when I killed just 3 days earlier… So I am funny I just need to work on my week spots.

I need to deliver my bits to the people in the audience that are paying attention. I need to have a conversation with my audience one person at a time. I need to know my sets inside and out; I need to relax and have some fun with it… I really need to work on my crowd work and also have some cell phone and talking quip’s so when I have to handle it.  I need to get back on the horse and work on my bits and work them out at the open mics.

So sure I crashed and burnt, if was really embarrassing, I was down about it… But I learned more from this than any show to date… so I will be a phoenix and rise from the ashes to become a better comedian. I will no longer look at what went well at a show rather what I can do to make it better next time. I will deliver my sets with emotion, as a conversation, and confidence…

I want to chronicle my path so I can learn from my mistakes and hopefully get to be a better comedian and public speaker.

Background: I took my first Stand up comedy class in November of 2008 so it will be 2 years in a month. I decided to take a stand up comedy class because I was never good at speaking in front of a group of stringers. I was never comfortable in my skin growing up, I couldn’t talk to other guys…I have no ability to do guy talk, or even how to start a conversation with a guy. I bartended for years and then went into the corporate world and within the last 2 or 3 yeas had to work in a sales capacity and had to give presentations. So I used this as an excuse to take the class…

I have always been considered a nice guy, funny, and personable. I like to be liked and I do have a lot of fun in social situations with people that I know well enough to fool around and play. I can be quick with a creative reply at times and I do like to make people laugh. So “Stand Up” has always been something I admired in others as a skill and a gift you’re born with.

I loved the way they told stories and entertained people… I wanted that attention… I wanted to be able to relate to people like my idols did. There is a difference between being “ON” at your family’s dinner table making them all crack up and a room fool of strangers that have no idea who you are and being able to make the room crack up. That is like the greatest high I have ever felt.

So I took Brad Trackman’s class for 2 sessions (8 weeks, with 2 graduation shows) I had my basic set to work with and learned what I needed to go to open mike nights… Then I went nuts with Open Mick nights as much as I can in Philadelphia, NJ , New York City… Fell into the “Bringer” trap… That when the Show will give you stage time in exchange for bringing a set number of people that they will then gorge for a cover charge and 2 drinks…minimum.

I got out of that early and decided I also have no idea who I am as a comedian and what I should be writing my material about… I don’t have my voice,  I wasn’t a good writer and I needed to figure out what to do… So I decided to learn and find out what I can do better…

I “Googled” and found some MP3 files from a comedy coach with general knowledge and some of his teaching style witch I listened to at the gym every day. I bought some books, and read some articles. I went to some free workshops in Manhattan, took some one day workshops with some good comedians and then noticed a lot of time this “Judy Carter” and her Comedy Bible would be referenced…So I got it…then left it on a shelf for 4 months…then I started reading it but fell asleep every time I started to read… I found the same thing available on DVD so I bought it …and was not cheep. My sand up comedy stayle has not been the same sense.

[singlepic id=17 w=320 h=240 float=right]I am a lot more active on stage, I love to write bits and am very inspired to do better jokes…My set has gotten 1000 better just because of Act Outs and the joke writing style. But now I have an issue… I don’t know how to act and I am really bad at improve so I am not a good MC type and that is the next logical step for my stand up path. I need to get better at dealing with the stage fright and fear of hecklers… I want to do this bad and feel that I can be a great comedian and even better motivational speaker once I break through my fears. I also to this day have no idea how comedians make money. Just putting that out there…

So that is what this Blog will be about, Its my next steps and what’s going on along the way.