Speak to an audience of one

Last week I had an inspiring lunch with comic Kyle Cease. 

He's recently come into my life via a Lovecat introduction by radio personality BJ Shea.  Immediately, Kyle and I hit it off, exchanging stories and tips.  There's just something about how breaking bread brings out rich dialogue and useful information. 

Kyle's had great success, producing one of the top Comedy Central TV specials in the last five years and continuing to 'kill it' for audiences throughout North America.  One of his success secrets really resonated with me. 

"I don't tell jokes to a group of people," he said. "I tell them to individual people in the audience." 

"I can see how that works in a comedy club, but how do you do that on TV?" I asked. 

"It's about the person you have in your mind.  Your perfect audience member.  On TV, I look through the camera and into the mind of the person I'm trying to connect with."  

Makes total sense to me.  It's more than eye contact, it's intentional contact on an individual basis.  A great speaker, comedian or performer gives his/her audience the individual feeling of receiving a gift. This helps the performance touch people on a personal basis.  It drives Kyle to remain conversational, just like he's talking to friend or lunch companion.  

Talk to an audience like a group, and they'll act like a group: Collectively groaning or clapping at certain points.  Treat them like individuals and they'll act like people.  They'll recall your jokes, how they made them feel and they'll tell all their friends about you.  A standing ovation comes from an intense connection with a few people, hopefully close to the front, that leap to their feet - inspiring the rest of the 'group' to follow.  

TAKEAWAY: Next time you give any type of performance, first lock into the person you imagine you are giving it to.  Find some anchors in the room if it's small (a few faces that fit that profile) and speak to them like you'd talk to someone over dinner.  As Nick Morgan would say, "you don't make a presentation.  you give a speech!"

Comments

[Steve Hill]

I think that's a very useful strategy for companies to adopt when they utilize social media. I see a lot of companies sign up for Twitter and Facebook because they want to reach the masses. But they fail because social media is about establishing those individual connections rather than simply broadcasting everything that happens with a brand.