I think the main thing to remember when taking on any public performance is that the public are there by choice, to see your magic, to listen to your speech, to hear your musical skills and to enjoy whatever your performance may be, they all want to get something from your efforts.

In other words, the audience, like the rest of us, are really only interested in W.I.I.F.M, - “What’s In It For Me”?

So the first thing you must try to remember as a performer, is to constantly endeavour to provide your audience with what they are looking for from your performance.

In the case of the magician, the audience are usually looking to be entertained, amazed, amused, baffled and astounded. –
BUT MOST OF ALL – ENTERTAINED!

So you must routine and rehearse your act in such a way that it will provide as much entertainment as possible, so that your audience go away amazed, amused and happy.
You may be thinking that this only really applies to a professional performer who is expected to entertain a large paying audience.

Well, I would suggest you’d be wrong, and as an aspiring magician, you should try to adopt this mindset, even if you’re only performing a simple little card trick for your family or friends around the table.

You see with this attitude you will always be asking yourself, “How can I make this trick or performance more amazing, more amusing and more entertaining?”

If you do this from the outset, you’ll find the way you present your tricks and even the stories you tell and the words you say, will be geared towards entertaining the audience, rather than just showing them a trick or two straight out of the instruction book.

You’ll also find that having your mind set on entertaining your audience will help relieve a great deal of the nerves we feel, by concentrating on the audience and their enjoyment, rather than your own feelings.

As I mentioned previously, the more you think about your churning stomach, your sweaty palms and that sickly nervous feeling, the worse it will become and the best way I know to overcome the worst of these feelings is to try to relax and think about how best you can entertain your audience, visualising them laughing and applauding your performance.

For the more serious performer, whether amateur or professional, there are other things to consider when performing in public, although they also apply to us all, even when doing one little trick for your friends.

Things like dress, deportment, and something that tends to me falling short in modern times, - the language you use.

As I’ve stated many times, once you do just one trick, YOU ARE A MAGICIAN, at least in the eyes of those who’ve seen your performance. So you’d better continue to act accordingly.

This an excerpt from “Let the Magic Begin”, which covers, beginning in Magic, overcoming Nerves, what to say and do when things go wrong and much more. – by Johnnie Gentle of The Magic Touch – http://www.magictouches.com/