"What's Up With That Heckler?!"

[Zac Eckstein]

"What's Up With That Heckler?!"​

I fortunately have not run into many of these evil people but how do you handle them if the show up? Well, if you follow my essay "Presenting – The Right and Wrong Ways…" you'll avoid them about 90% of the time. But here is how you handle them.

People may disagree with how I deal with them but they have always worked so listen up!

The first way is to ignore them. Just completely erase them from existence. If you act like you can't hear him, he will eventually stop. I know, its so 1st Grade, but it works. A lot of the time the heckler would be drunk so no matter what you do, you can't really deal with him so just ignore them.

The second way is to become friends with the heckler. Bring him up for a trick, make him the star and he'll shut up for the rest of the time. If you go into the mind of a heckler it's not much different from a mind of a magician. They are usually kind of clever; don't kid yourself because they are. They also have an obvious need to be the center of attention, much like us magicians. I know this because I use to be the heckler.

The third way is to kick him out if you have the means. It’s just as simple as that.

Don't ever insult a heckler. Ultimately it will make you both look stupid. Keep your composure, stay focused, don't get off topic, and be confident! Remember these things and you'll be ready for the situation, because it will happen.

Don't leave any room in your act for a heckler to squeeze in as well. If you have a strong voice, and that does not mean loud, if you don't ramble on or just use filler dialog in your act (basically know what you saying at all times), and you have a likeable personality on stage, all these things add to you heckler defense system. If you do that and follow the “Presenting – The Right and Wrong Way”, you will have an almost full proof heckler shield. But hey, sometimes, you don't know what will happen...


For a hell of a lot more info on this visit http://www.magichat.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=12979

Thank you SKSleighofHand!

 

[Luis Vega]

"What's Up With That Heckler?!"​

I fortunately have not run into many of these evil people but how do you handle them if the show up? Well, if you follow my essay "Presenting – The Right and Wrong Ways…" you'll avoid them about 90% of the time. But here is how you handle them.

People may disagree with how I deal with them but they have always worked so listen up!

The first way is to ignore them. Just completely erase them from existence. If you act like you can't hear him, he will eventually stop. I know, its so 1st Grade, but it works. A lot of the time the heckler would be drunk so no matter what you do, you can't really deal with him so just ignore them.

The second way is to become friends with the heckler. Bring him up for a trick, make him the star and he'll shut up for the rest of the time. If you go into the mind of a heckler it's not much different from a mind of a magician. They are usually kind of clever; don't kid yourself because they are. They also have an obvious need to be the center of attention, much like us magicians. I know this because I use to be the heckler.

The third way is to kick him out if you have the means. It’s just as simple as that.

Don't ever insult a heckler. Ultimately it will make you both look stupid. Keep your composure, stay focused, don't get off topic, and be confident! Remember these things and you'll be ready for the situation, because it will happen.

Don't leave any room in your act for a heckler to squeeze in as well. If you have a strong voice, and that does not mean loud, if you don't ramble on or just use filler dialog in your act (basically know what you saying at all times), and you have a likeable personality on stage, all these things add to you heckler defense system. If you do that and follow the “Presenting – The Right and Wrong Way”, you will have an almost full proof heckler shield. But hey, sometimes, you don't know what will happen...

I don`t really have a way to handle them...since there is a lot of types of hecklers and situations...I usually adapt myself to the situation...

anyway I think is good advice....all the ways can be applied in different situations...

 

[Zac Eckstein]

I don`t really have a way to handle them...since there is a lot of types of hecklers and situations...I usually adapt myself to the situation...

anyway I think is good advice....all the ways can be applied in different situations...

Very true. I didn't go in to detail for that exact reason. I just decided to put some general but very effective tips. You are right, there are a million breads of hecklers out there.

 

[penguincdude]

I've personally found that there's no exact formula or way to take care of a heckler. It just takes experience. Being in high school, I'm faced with hecklers all the time, mainly in the form of rowdy guys. I typically just go with the flow a bit and joke along with them. I've found that if you do this, typically, the other spectators will start to turn against the heckler. That's just my advice.

 

[Zac Eckstein]

I've personally found that there's no exact formula or way to take care of a heckler. It just takes experience. Being in high school, I'm faced with hecklers all the time, mainly in the form of rowdy guys. I typically just go with the flow a bit and joke along with them. I've found that if you do this, typically, the other spectators will start to turn against the heckler. That's just my advice.

Nice

 

[Luis Vega]

Very true. I didn't go in to detail for that exact reason. I just decided to put some general but very effective tips. You are right, there are a million breads of hecklers out there.

there other way I would like to mention..although I don`t use it a lot for the reason you are about to see..

when there one of those hecklers that is a smart-ass or at least he thinks it is, I look at him very hard...I have murder eyes..and he just look back and he really can`t sustain it...then he leaves...

I don`t like to use it because is more like an aggresive way to handle a heckler...but sometimes can work

for reference of why I did it that way...check my journal "the silence treatment"

 

[Zac Eckstein]

there other way I would like to mention..although I don`t use it a lot for the reason you are about to see..

when there one of those hecklers that is a smart-ass or at least he thinks it is, I look at him very hard...I have murder eyes..and he just look back and he really can`t sustain it...then he leaves...

I don`t like to use it because is more like an aggresive way to handle a heckler...but sometimes can work

for reference of why I did it that way...check my journal "the silence treatment"

Okay, it's a way to go. I am sure people will use that tactic from time to time.

 

[SKSleighofHand]

Hi Zac,

I would like to appreciate these advice that you have given to Theory11 forums about how to handle hecklers. There is a helpful tip for this link: MagicHat How to Handle Hecklers

 

[Zac Eckstein]

Hi Zac,

I would like to appreciate these advice that you have given to Theory11 forums about how to handle hecklers. There is a helpful tip for this link: MagicHat How to Handle Hecklers

Awesome find bud! Just added it to the original post.

 

[Luis Vega]

Hi Zac,

I would like to appreciate these advice that you have given to Theory11 forums about how to handle hecklers. There is a helpful tip for this link: MagicHat How to Handle Hecklers

Man!! I had a good laugh with that read...

This info is great!!