Applause and Timing
There is an oft unspoken skill that performers seem to know, but have no memory of being taught. That is because this is something that we do not experience in rehearsal, only in performance: riding the wave of laughter and applause. We may not know what a certain audience will find funny and we are often surprised if there is applause during a performance. We expect applause at the end, but how to know the right moment to leave the stage? When do we come back for a second or third bow? We learn this skill only by performing before a live audience.
Mid-performance, the skill is to ride the wave of applause or laughter and then, just as the wave begins to wane, jump in and continue decisively and with vocal strength. There is a sweet spot to hit that is somewhat intuitive. If we ignore the audience and keep talking or jump in too soon, they will feel disconnected from us, maybe a little cowed about expressing themselves, and miss our words. It’s awkward. If we wait until the applause or laughter peters out, the talk can lose its momentum and worse, the audience may feel we are “milking it,” gloating a bit. Suddenly, the applause seems to be for the performer rather than the content. We want to make sure that the content, the script, the talk, the music, is always the focus. We are the vehicle.
In one of my favorite TED Talks, the speaker and I did not anticipate that the audience would applaud his work in social justice so much! We didn’t discuss how to ride that wave. He was caught off-guard and waited patiently during every outbreak (and there were many) until it was silent before continuing. Afterwards a friend of mine in the audience mentioned that she was kind of put off by his seeming arrogance. Waiting for the applause to end, rather than finding that moment to hijack the wave and continue, changed the audience’s perception of the speaker; instead of the talk being about his work, waiting for the applause made it feel like the talk was about the speaker.
The photo in this post is of Theresa Davis and her UVA theater students. Ms. Davis is the rare person who can teach both technique and instinct. He students performed entre-acts between our Charlottesville TEDx talks full of beauty, pathos, raw truth, and wisdom. The students were trained in technique, which showed through the ease and fluency of their performance. Their insticts were so attuned, that they could ride the waves of applause, laughter, as well as the silent sighs, the weeping hearts, the holding of breaths.
How do we practice this? Just like surfing the waves, we may have to get back up on the board quite a few times. So say YES to every opportunity to speak in public. Then, when we’re on the stage, listen deeply, notice the momentum, the apex of the wave, like the top of a breath, then just before the drop, onward!