Magic Presentation and Self Confidence

May 9, 2013
58
0
hi guys,i am doing magic for almost 2 years now and i planned to perform magic for 2-3 people today but when i performed my hands are shaking like hell and my heart is pumping like a horse and i almost got freezed that time then i just did the splicer then i left the trick goes fine but i didnt entertained them as much as i should and didnt get some good reactions then i thinked about it and then i finally get it that the problem is my self confidence and the presentation i just didnt talked and presented it good i almost goes into silent position when i am doing move and getting my break please help me guys can you recommend me some books or dvds or downloads that only concentrates on talking, presenting and crowd control.thanks
 
Sep 1, 2007
3,786
15
Please break that into complete sentences. It's really hard to read with no punctuation.

That said, there really is no cure except to get out there and perform more. There are lots of books about social dynamics that I love, but until you get out there and talk to people it's all just words on a page.
 
Aug 20, 2013
7
0
Some 15+ years ago Michael Ammar published a letter to his niece (I believe) on her becoming nervous before a performance and how to overcome it. The gist of the letter was that the nervousness is your central nervous system's way of pushing you for the absolute best performance you can do.

I'm just getting back into magick and when I perform I shake. It's my mind's way of saying you're going to kick-ass and do your very best. But there is all this nervous energy behind the performance. Some things I tell myself are:

1.) They are just people, nothing more
2.) If I mess up this effect it's a learning opportunity
3.) What's the worst that could happen, I screw up then move on to something else that I have more confidence in.

I find the more I practice the better off I am. When the sleights/effect traverse to auto-pilot it takes a lot off your mind and you can then focus on your performance and presentation.

Like the other poster, the best advice is get out there and perform. Keep doing it until it no longer bothers you. "Do things that scare you".
 
Apr 17, 2013
885
4
There is a talk show host who takes his children (five and seven) with him when he gives a speech. He Always has them stand up and say something to get them use to speaking in front of groups. My father kinda did the same thing but with his mobile DeeJay service. I just don't have a problem working in front of five people or talking to 30,000 (have done this a few times).

There is no other way to get over the jitters then to get out there and work in front of people. The more you do it the more you get use to being in front of strangers. One of the best places to learn this is in a hospital or retirement homes. The people there don't care if you are the greatest or the rankest of beginners. They enjoy having someone there talking to them. You get over the jitters really quickly.
 

c.t

Apr 17, 2013
125
0
Australia
Confidence isnt something you can learn from a book and few people are born performers, the way i got into the gist of performing magic was to perform and effect i could do 99% of the time and do it well, and i would perform it for my family and close friends heaps, and then slowly i started performing the same trick to my classmates, the reactions i got were enough for me to realise that theyre yours as soon as the words "im a magician" come out of your mouth, theyre not going to think " he must be crap" theyre probably thinking "sweet a magic trick" they want a good performance and you want to give them one, win win situation so just go for it :)
 
May 9, 2013
58
0
the thing is that i want to talk but i dont know what to say if i am not talking to them then they are obviously burning my hands and the deck thats what i dont want.
 
Aug 25, 2012
174
1
Confidence is something that comes from experience, for example talking to women, lot's of guys have troubles approaching women and making conversation with them, but just like anything else the more you do it the more natural it is. Same with magic, I have 2 real experiences where I messed up and they were only two days apart. I was performing an ACAAN and did a pass at the wrong position of the deck and their card wasn't in the right location, I laughed about it and said oh well but they told me I did awesome performing the former tricks I had done. Just days before I was performing at a cupcake shop for some very attractive women I decided to do an ambitious card routine (I never perform ACR's) and when it came time to do the crimp card rising from the middle to the top I placed the wrong card on top and second to top and screwed it up. Just practice, practice, practice!
 
Aug 20, 2013
7
0
the thing is that i want to talk but i dont know what to say if i am not talking to them then they are obviously burning my hands and the deck thats what i dont want.

Magic is like a conversation. If you don't know what to say, make small talk but do your best to keep it relevant. I find that if you have a "story" to go along with each effect it really helps to keep them directed where you want them (ie. away from your hands/deck).

The way I practice is in a bathroom mirror and I actually have conversations with imaginary people. It sounds a bit out there but it helps. Try to anticipate what sort of interaction might come up and have a conversation with yourself. Not only does it take the "burn" away from your hands but it also gets you more comfortable with actual people when it comes time to perform.

It sounds like you just need to relax a little and loosen up. It will come with time. Trust me, I clam up when I'm doing effects for my other half. But the more I do it, the easier it gets.
 
Sep 1, 2007
3,786
15
the thing is that i want to talk but i dont know what to say if i am not talking to them then they are obviously burning my hands and the deck thats what i dont want.

If they go straight to burning your hands the instant your mouth stops moving, it's a pretty safe bet that what you were saying wasn't that interesting to begin with. Their eyes will go where yours go. If you stop talking and look at your hands, where do you think they're going to look?
 
Jan 1, 2009
2,241
3
Back in Time
Another trick to keep the deck out of their line of sight when you don't want them looking at it. Just drop your hand to the side and lean forward and make eye contact with them.
 
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