5 Tips on How to Conquer a Crowd

Written by kidLIO

There comes a time in a performer's life, where they have to learn how to conquer a stage with only a microphone and without the music. Whether it is as a comedian ora host. There will be a time where instead of entertaining the crowd, you are inter-taining with the crowd, in the sense that you are interacting withe crowd between sets of other artists. Some have natural-born instinct to the taking of a crowd... and then, some don't. 

Here are 5 tips on how to conquer a crowd. 

• 1. Assess your crowd; it's important... Trust me.
  When you step onto the stage the you are about to conquer, as a host for the first time, you need to focus on the energy that the crowd is already giving to you. Assess the way that they wait for the artists to arrive, monitor their chatter and prepare  yourself. Maybe even prep them from backstage with jokes, and queues of the shows beginning. When you know your audience, you can feel deep into your stage and connect with the crowd. If you arrive with low energy while everyone in the crowd is hyped, they will assume that there is nothing to be excited about. If you arrive with energy way too loud to register, the crowd will extend how overwhelmed they are towards the artists in an exhausted manner. 
   
• 2. BE ANIMATED... but humble.
  We love a fun host who knows how to make a joke, but it gets questionable when there isn't any room left for ego, unnecessary stories and loss of interest from the crowd. Know when to be humble but also know that crowds are crowds for a reason, keep them happy but not exhausted-- they still have quite a show to go!
   
• 3. Stay hydrated!
  No crowd wants a host too tired to remind them of when their favorite artist is hitting the stage because water bottle isn't being used backstage. Stay hydrated between sets to prevent voice cracks or strain of voice. You have an important job here, best to keep up with it. Also, water is life. If you're hyping up a dope artist on stage and suddenly you collapse from dehydration... it'll be awkward for everyone... in every way. 
   
• 4. Love on your crowd-- AT ALL TIMES!
  Living up to the potential of a "perfect host" is obviously unattainable for any person, no matter their caliber of humor, speech or bravery on stage. There will always be a different essence to each crowd that you assemble and speak before. During a rowdy crowd, or a crowd too quiet to be excited, love on your crowd to remind them of how important they are! Thank them for their contribution to the event your hosting and thank them for their dedication-- even when they won't be quiet. 
   
• 5. Know when to be stern.
  More often than not, there will be crowds that are too hype to listen to a middle man. The key to understanding the element of your crowd is by knowing when to set rules, standards of how to respect each other, the artists and the venue. In other words, when to e stern. Don't be afraid to remind crowds what they are there for and remember to keep all dialogue in between interactive, respectful and with purpose. Don't yell at a crowd because you see someone chewing gum or drinking water. But also, if fabrics and objects start hitting the stage, call a time-out and a take a moment to structure. 

Hope these help! Enjoy!