Imagine walking into an auditorium (gym or "cafetorium") filled with 400
wiggly, overly energetic, boisterous students who are being yelled at by their
teachers to "settle down" or "shut up!" Imagine that it is in the afternoon right
after lunch and the air condition isn't working properly. It is 90 degrees outside
so they have the door propped open. Now all the outside cacophony pollutes your
performance space and a large fan is turned to high, making a loud whirring sound
that could drown out a 747 engine. How do you manage an audience in these types of
conditions or worse?
The above scenario is not imagined. It actually happened to me and it could happen
to you. At some point or another, as storytellers, we will face the inevitability of
audience management in less than desirable conditions. In a performance, it is a
storyteller's responsibility to: 1) manage the audience; 2) connect with the audience;
and 3) connect with the story. Audience management is a skill that is honed over time
with performance experience but here are some tips:
Spot Potential Problems Before the Program Begins
Before the program, I survey my audience. When I am dealing with a large group
of children, I look for the ones that are overly energetic or misbehaving. I
approach them before the show and let them know that I appreciate their energy
and ask them if they would like to be a "special helper". In doing so, I ask
them to be "role models" for the other children and they usually respond positively.
At the end of the program, I acknowledge them, and they are recognized by their
teachers and their peers. This helps to eliminate potential behavioral problems
during the performance.
Use Sound Reinforcement
If you are telling to a group larger than 50 or 75, I recommend using a sound
system. Taking care of your audience means responding to their needs. In order
for your audience to connect to you and your story, they need to be able to
hear the storytelling clearly. Sound reinforcement is not only essential for
large groups, it also helps you by decreasing voice strain.
Welcome Your Audience Warmly
Welcome your audience and let them know how much you appreciate their participation
in the program. A warm welcome will set the tone for the rest of the program. A story
is co-created with your audience and if your audience is comfortable from the get-go,
they will be more likely to connect with you and the story.
Set Audience Expectations
Let your audience know what you expect of them. If you want them to sing along
or participate in a story, coach them and help them practice their lines or
chorus. If they are too loud or boisterous in their participation, use positive
reinforcement and let them know that you appreciate their enthusiasm but explain
the difference between using an "indoor" voice and an "outdoor" voice or a "big"
voice and a "small" voice.
Select Age-Appropriate Stories
The fastest way to lose an audience is to select stories that are not age-appropriate.
For example, telling a 25-minute story with no audience participation to a group
of pre-schoolers will not work. They will quickly lose interest after the first
five minutes. Choose stories that work with your audience and pace your program
accordingly. A more appropriate selection for pre-schoolers would be short stories
with repetitive audience participation and fast-paced story bridges such as
fingerplays and songs between stories.
Articulate Clear Instructions
If you are requesting audience participation or volunteers, provide concise
and complete instructions. If your audience does not understand what you are
requesting, they will be confused and lose interest.
Maintain Eye Contact Eye
Contact is vital to storytelling. It is the connection between you, your audience,
and the story. When telling to large crowds, be sure that your eye contact spans
the group and that you make eye contact with the group as a whole, especially
those audience members located in the back. They are usually the first to lose
interest because they are further away. Do not let your eyes rest on someone
for more than three seconds. This could cause uneasiness in the audience member.
Eye contact allows you to respond to your audience's reaction to the story and
vice versa.
Regain Control if a Distraction Occurs
There will be times when the inevitable occurs: a siren screams in the middle
of a story, a bell rings as you are telling, or a bug crawls in front of the
kids and they find it more interesting to play with than listening to a story.
If a distraction occurs, pause long enough to either let the distraction finish
or eliminate the distraction (and I don't mean squash the bug). Re-focus and
continue your story i.e., "As I was saying, when the queen found out that her
pig was stolen..."
Be Assertive In Taking Appropriate Action
When dealing with hecklers, I usually ignore the first occurrence. Sometimes,
it is just a burst of energy that works itself out. If an incident occurs a
second time, I continue with my story but give a stern look to the audience
member who is causing the disturbance, letting him/her know that I can see them
and know what he/she is doing. This usually stops the disturbance. In extreme
cases, I have stopped and confronted the heckler (firmly) myself or asked a
teacher to administer appropriate action if the heckler is a student. Be assertive
and firm. Their disturbance not only interrupts the story, it deprives the other
audience members of their right to enjoy the performance.
Praise Your Audience
Praise your audience and thank them for a job well done. If they did exceptionally
well in some areas, be sure to make a note of it. Audiences, like performers,
like to know when they are doing a good job.
Stay Focused
As storytellers, we want to spread the joy of storytelling in as many places
as possible but there are many challenging venues in which to tell stories.
Sometimes this means that conditions are less than favorable, and our audience
management skills are greatly challenged and put to the test. Stay focused and
centered. Remember the significance of the story you are telling.
Audience management is an acquired skill that develops with time. Keep telling
whenever and wherever you can and your audience management skills will increase.
When you have done everything you can to manage your audience and your own
expectations fall short, remember that tomorrow is another day and it too shall
become a story. |