Shayne-Michael.COMedy

Dealing With Failure On Stage - by Shayne Michael

#1: Which goal did you set?

The first step in handling any failure is to understand why you failed. Therefor, you need to go back to which goal you set for your act.

Was your goal to try new material? Was it to stop falling back on old stand-by jokes? Did you have a great set, but you felt disappointed because it still wasn't better than the last one? Maybe, you were hoping to take on more controversial subjects. Maybe, you had an opening slot and you couldn't warm up the audience. Maybe you were the emcee, but you felt like the audience wanted to watch everyone but you.

No matter what the problem was, identify that problem first. That's the first step in fixing it. After doing that, move onto "why" the problem occurred.

#2: Why didn't you reach your goal?

The next step is to ask why didn't you reach your goal. If you're goal was to try material, first ask yourself "Did I do new material?" If so and it bombed, remember it's still new material. Compare that set to the last time you tried new material not material you have been doing for ten years.

If your goal was to be more controversial, did you try the controversial material or did you watch another comic try something similar and get eaten alive? Smart comics watch the previous comics in order to read the audiences before they take the stage. The second example isn't a failure; it's a smart comedian postponing their goals.

If you were the emcee and people didn't like you, why? Did you emcee like a professional or did you call everyone an unfunny ass and forget their names? How many times emceeing can you compare this experience to? If you've done comedy for 11 years but this was your first time emceeing you're not dealing with failure your dealing with your lack of experience. Emceeing is uncharted ground. On the other hand, if you host your own room every night, and you blew everyone's introduction, including your own, emceeing isn't for you. You may have alzheimers and need to see a doctor now before your brain explodes.

That brings us to the next step. What could you have done differently?

#3: What could you have done better?

In each show there are things that you could do differently. You could select different material. Maybe you should start with a more trusted bit. Maybe you should have kissed your good luck charm three times instead of two. Maybe you should have kissed your wife instead of your girlfriend, or vice versa. Maybe you should have written more. Maybe you should have written less and rehearsed more. Or, maybe you shouldn't have rehearsed at all.

There are always infinite things you could have done differently. Your goal is to pin down the one thing you could have done differently that would have made a difference. When it comes to new material, the answer is usually prepare. When it comes to old material the answer is usually slow down and exude more confidence. No matter what you think the answer is, that's the goal you will work into your next set.

If you decide you needed to prepare more, start rehearsing right after the show. If you decide the problem was you didn't write good enough material, start writing as soon as you get off stage. The best time to fix a mistake is right after you get a feel for what was wrong.

#4: When will you implement what you have learned?

Apply your knowledge to your next performance. If you were unhappy with your job as an emcee, rehearse introducing people and try to forget about your act. If you think you over rehearsed and became to rigid, you could try a few open mics with no prepared material, just to practice improv.

If you think that your new material isn't up to par with your old material, write more new material. Or, flesh out the new material you already have. Maybe, you need to ask yourself, why your old material is so much better. What does it have that the new material lacks? Than ask yourself, "What does the new material have that the old material lacks and how can you combine the best elements of each?"

Now, it's time to put too your knowledge into action, preferably with the next show.

#5: When are you going to put that knowledge to action?

Remember you're not competing with anyone from the improv open mic, you're competing with Chris Rock, George Carlin, Jay Leno, David Letterman, and Jerry Seinfeld. They're the comics you need to beat for that multi-million dollar deal. So if you have identified a problem in your set a changed something to deal with the problem, put those changes into action the very next time you go up.

Once you deliver a revised set, or a revised attitude, or a revised rehearsal method you're in a better position to decide if that was really the problem. If it was, ask yourself if the problem is still there. Second, ask yourself, "Did you improve the problem or make it worse?" If you made the problem worse, try solving it by moving in a new direction. If you were too rigid before, but not rehearsing made you even more rigid, try a new method of rehearsal all together.

If you did make the problem better, how can you employ these steps a second time and improve the set even more. Try to change improving into a habit. How far are you from making this problem a non issue? If you feel the problem is gone, there is always a lesser problem that was overshadowed by the first one. Find out what that issue is and deal with it now.

Then it comes time to give back.

#6: Who can you teach to learn from your mistake?

If you learned how to make your set better, communicate what you have learned to other comics. Then, two things will happen. First, the industry will improve. Second, teaching other people will also teach you.

Once you've taught someone else to solve that problem, you will become an expert at solving the problem. You have to become an expert on fixing a problem before teaching anyone else how to fix it. That will make both yourself a better comedian who is creating a better industry. Everyone wins.

Now, if you do all these steps five times, the problem still recurs, blame the audience, and we'll all support you.