Smile!

That’s right, show me those pearly whites.  Think about this for a minute.  Do you smile enough when you perform magic?  Well, do you?

I’ve recently realized that a smile is one of the most powerful things in the world.  A smile is infectious.  Whenever I see someone else smile and laugh, it puts me in a better mindset.  It makes me smile too.

In fact, a smile (and many times laughter) is one of the most common reactions to a great magic trick.  There is usually a brief moment of amazement that is immediately followed by a huge smile and laughter.  And this is a natural reaction.  It happens over and over again.  The more you go out there and perform magic for others, the more smiles you see as a direct result to the magic you are sharing.

So, if the natural reaction to a great magic trick is for your audience to smile and laugh, shouldn’t you and I be smiling too?  One of the reasons I say that a smile is one of the most powerful things in the world is because I’ve seen the reactions to my smile when I perform.

I love magic.  I really do.  I love to perform it for others and I am blessed to be able to do it.  In fact, it’s that feeling of being blessed that makes me smile.  And when I smile, it’s a very real smile.  When I take the stage, my smile comes from deep within and I believe that it shines out there for everyone to see.  It lets my audience know that I’m here to have fun with them.  It lets them know that I am thrilled to be there with them.  It lets them know that I am a friendly, happy person.  And when I smile, my audience smiles back at me.

I believe that a smile relaxes my audience.  It puts them at ease.  It sends the message that this experience is supposed to be enjoyable.  The experience is supposed to make them smile and laugh too.

And it’s okay to be a serious magical performer and smile.  You can have more than one emotion in a magic show or in a set of magic.  You can have something that is very serious and dramatic which is immediately followed by something that makes your audience smile and laugh.

Why else would we be told to smile for a picture?  Take a look at a picture of someone very serious, and then take a look at a picture of someone with a big smile.  Which one makes you feel more at ease?  Which person do you feel more trusting towards?  Which one seems to be having more fun?  It’s the smiling picture.

Here’s a little exercise for you.  The next time you walk into a busy room, walk in with a huge smile on your face.  I think you’ll find that the people in the room will be way more receptive to you and to your magic if you have that smile.  People aren’t as open to others when they seem to be very serious.  Serious people have a certain intensity that isn’t warm and inviting.

So, the next time you go out there and ‘wow’ someone with your magic, try a smile on for size and see how much better it goes.

Until next time…Make An Impact!

Give Your Audience a Sense of Wonder

So, I was flipping through the channels the other day and I got stuck on the Oprah show. Yeah, I know. I feel like a real man when I watch Oprah (lol).


Anyway, there was a story about a homeless man named Ted Williams who became a huge internet sensation several months back with his incredible “radio” voice. I remember watching the YouTube videos of this man and being amazed by his story. If you haven’t seen any of his videos, watch the one below.

 
So, I’m watching this show about this supremely talented man who got caught up in alcohol and drugs and really went on a downward spiral. The show documented how he had become homeless, what he had endured, and the incredible story of how he was able to get his life back together.


At one point Oprah commented on how she got a feeling of wonder at his story. And I must admit, watching his story and seeing him overcome such difficult circumstances to regain control over his life really was inspirational and heart-warming.

So, here’s my question to you. What can we do as magicians to give our audiences a sense of wonder? Please don’t think that I’m downplaying his situation by comparing it to magic tricks. I’m not. I just want to know what we can learn from how his story is able to touch so many people and give them that sense of “wonder”.

Wonder is an amazing emotion to feel. It makes you feel warm inside. It opens your eyes to what is possible in the world. It’s a very powerful feeling that we as magicians can tap in to. And we should. We should absolutely try to tap into creating a sense of wonder through our magic. It’s very rare that people are able to cut through all the distractions out there in the world to really have an eye-opening, inspirational moment. It should be one of our goals.

Until next time…Make An Impact!