Attending a magic performance usually spells an evening full of fun wherein all that is required of you as a spectator is to sit back in your chair and relax while watching the magician span out his act with all the grace, panache and mystique of a seasoned professional.

While this is an ideal scenario, reality is not as picture-perfect for magicians. At some point in their career, magicians are bound to come across an odd spectator who is aggressive to the point of disrupting the entire show.

Much of this aggression stems from the feeling prevalent amongst people that magic is all about deception and that a magician is an individual who has mastered the art of successfully deceiving others.

Such people often land up at a magic show with the mindset that they are going to be deceived and hence must try to prevent that from happening by assuming an offensive stance.

So what should be considered as being an appropriate reaction on part of the magician to counter such behavior? 

Before responding or even reacting, it is imperative for the magician to understand the psychology of the audience that prompts them to behave in such a way.

‘Fight or flight’ is a normal human tendency when faced with something unknown or beyond reason and unfortunately it is this reaction that is manifested while watching magic.

While some avoid witnessing a performance, others choose to attend a show and make known their unwillingness to accept the proceedings by shouting, challenging or utilizing other disruptive tactics. From the magician’s perspective, handling such spectators calls for developing a keen sense of observation, cultivating plenty of aplomb and radiating warmth in every way possible.

The first objective should be to ease the atmosphere and then work towards calming the person down.  It is all about the magic and rapport.

Magic and Rapport

The following items are some of the guidelines that help to accomplish this objective –

Be forthcoming – Since it is you who is going to perform, the onus of extending the hand of friendship first is also yours and this could assume the universal format of first introducing yourself and then gradually moving on to small talk. This would convince your audience that you have not arrived to show your superiority but to be as one with them. Courtesy of this crucial first impression, everyone in the audience will remember you as having a friendly persona long after the show has concluded.

Dress carefully – Because you are undoubtedly the centre of attention, the way you dress would play a seminal role in determining your image with people. Therefore, it is best to be immaculate without being ostentatious and simple without appearing too casual during the interaction.

Read our article on Dress here called Dressed for Success!!

Exude optimism – Nothing could be more appealing about people than positive vibes emanating from them in every way, namely talking and body language. Thus, avoid using derogatory words not just about people around you but about yourself too. 

Choose your words carefully – Whatever you say may be just parts of speech for you but for your audience they would remain etched in their memory forever. Of course, being a professional magician you would want to be remembered for the right reasons and that should be sufficient inspiration for you to choose your words with care and frame your conversation so as to extract as much information from the person as possible.

Reassurance personified – Your intention should be to reassure the audience that you are not there to threaten or challenge them in any way but just to entertain. Once this message is conveyed, you can rest assured of not facing any trouble when your show is in progress.

Ultimately, there is nothing that cannot be overcome through a good rapport and that should be the underlying motive that all magicians must work towards establishing. Having done that, the magic is immediately evident in the complying and amicable gazes that your audience directs at you. Keep the magic and rapport special.