As a youth speaker, I’ve seen a lot of different audiences. They come in all shapes and sizes. Some that just woke up and drain the life out of you and some of that have had too much caffeine and everything in between.
And while the speaker is the person at the front with the microphone, the audience really has a lot of power over how the “show” may go. I’ve seen this first hand in what I do, but I’ve also had two different experiences recently as an audience member that amplified this fact.
A few weeks ago I went to a Harlem Globetrotters basketball game. It was in an arena that seats somewhere around 10,000, and it was about half full. If you’ve ever seen the Harlem Globetrotters put on a show, you know it can be very entertaining and highly interactive. But this crowd was dead. There was no energy in that arena at all. Sure the Globetrotters did their part to engage the crowd and put on a good show but the crowd was lifeless. And as a result, it tainted the overall experience.
Last week my wife and I attended an improv show in New York City. It was hyped like the next big thing but we got to the theater only to discover we were one of only 20 people in the entire audience. So the show starts and if you’ve ever been to an improv show, you know it’s based on audience interaction and participation. Well, this audience wasn’t participating. I felt bad for the performers…it was like pulling teeth to get feedback or suggestions from the audience. And again, as a result, the show was very lame.
But the interesting thing was that while the performers in each setting did their job and worked hard at it, the “show” itself was mediocre due in large part to the audience. Even though the audience is not on stage and not performing, an energetic and engaged audience would have created a completely different “show” in both experiences.
Speakers, artists, performers all feed off the energy of the crowd. The more energy there is, the better the show will be.
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Amen!