Here's the perfect magicians approach. The best way to walk up to a group of people and start showing them your magic tricks.

It doesn't matter how much you practice, sooner or later you are going to have to perform your magic tricks live to people. It's a scary prospect, and many magicians feel that they don't know how to walk up to a group of strangers, or a table of guests to start performing.

The good news is that there is a perfect way to approach a group of spectators, using just one simple technique, I will teach you it right now:

When you are set to start performing, it's important that you try not to dwell on all the fears you may have about how you will be received by the spectators. No positive outcome can come from these thoughts. If you think too much about approaching a group it will become harder and harder to take those steps towards them. You just need to switch off those negative thoughts and go on 'auto'. Walk right up and just do it!

The perfect approach to a group or table of spectators is to simple walk right up with a smile and introduce yourself without thinking too much about it.

Sounds like something that is much easier to say than do right? Wrong! It's OK to have nerves, but as long as you have some solid material to perform, and you have a well structured, rehearsed and most importantly, entertaining presentation for the magic tricks you are going to show them, you don't need to worry about how the group will react. You simply need to stop thinking about it too much, switch into 'magician mode' and walk right up to the first table or group of spectators.

You could get three possible outcomes:

1) They like you right away and want to see some magic – Yay! What were you worrying about?

2) They are unsure but quickly get excited and love the magic – Yay! Your practiced routine worked, your magic was entertaining and they loved it. What were you worring about?

3) You get a frosty reception and they lose interest – Well, they aren't going to attack you and you will quickly get the message that they are not into watching any more. You can end at the next trick and move away. No trapdoor will open to swallow you up, the room lights won't be switched on suddenly and everyone will shout for the magician to be chucked out. You may just get a feeling that the group are not engaged and are being a bit polite about watching you. It's not a terrible feeling. Even experienced professionals get this sometimes if there is something wrong with the group, or an incident has happened and they approached at a bad time. Nobody dies, the world doesen't end. You just end the act quickly and move away.

The odds are in your favour! 2 good outcomes Vs 1 not so good outcome. There's no need to be worried about what will happen.

You are already an expert

The best approach you can possibly make is the natural one you would make if you were approaching a group of people you already know and are confident to be around. That's it. There's no stock lines, no tried and tested patter for it. There can't be, because everyone is different. But each one of us is an expert in being ourselves. And that naturalness and skill at being who we are, is far more appealing to a group than any fake 'line' or introduction could ever be.

The secret is:

Don't think too much about it

Magic Secrets Revealed – WOW Factor & 3 Rules of Thumb

by Dominic Reyes 2 Comments

By Stephen Gwillam Hill

The role of any performer is to ENTERTAIN, nothing else. There are three parties to a performance: the artist (with a support team), the individual spectator and the audience; which party matters most?

The audience – without whom there would be no performance. Yet too many ‘artists’ seem to regard themselves as the most important party. It really does matter a jot how good you are at ____________ (insert your art) if your audience doesn’t feel entertained. Far too many performers regard a performance as an ego trip for them and them alone. It’s called ‘vanity’.

The WOW factor

The key to a successful illusion isn't how it looks but the impression it makes AND LEAVES on the minds of the audience. The “Wow!” factor.

Remember, there is no such thing as “magic” or a “trick”, there is ONLY “illusion” and how all those minds perceive and respond to it. Let’s face it, the magical arts are really no more than a subtle form of blatant (but legal, hopefully!) forgery and fraud; please don’t give them a mystique they just don’t have. I’ve seen far too many magicians who are brilliant at the most expert, well-rehearsed, manipulation routine but who have bored me to distraction. There was no “wow”; it was merely a scientific demonstration of a particular skill with no entertainment value. David Copperfield did his famous illusion of vanishing the Statue of Liberty, and yet – conceptually anyway – how it was done is almost embarrassingly simple. What made it a memorable illusion which people talked about for years afterwards was its PRESENTATION. Stephen Frayne succeeds as Dynamo Magician Impossible not just because of the mechanics or visuals of what he does but how, when and where it is PRESENTED, and – ultimately – how it is received.

The elements of preparation

Not only is proper preparation vital for ANY performance but even more vital are the elements of that preparation and the relative importance given to each element. Einstein is credited with saying that scientific inventions were “10% inspiration, 90% perspiration”; I suggest that magic can be looked at similarly – what percentage is skill, what percentage is presentation?

3 magic secrets revealed in the 3 rules of thumb

1) Never look at what YOU are doing. What are your spectators doing?

2) Stuff the magic, think of Einstein!

3) If you are enjoying your performance, that’s great; if you are REALLY enjoying your performance, STOP!

A note from Dominic Reyes about this blog post

The title of this blog post starts with the keywords 'Magic Secrets Revealed' I personally hate that term, as it seems to exist simply to attract visitors that are searching for magic secrets and methods to the tricks they have seen on TV. As you know from reading this blog, that's not what you will find here. However, I picked it for a specific reason. Stephen posted the content of this post as a reply to a post about visual magic by Ben Williams, and I really liked the message he was making. I wanted to turn it into a full post, rather than have it buried in the comments section of another post. I also think the message is very important to exactly the people that would be searching online for the term MAGIC SECRETS REVEALED. Hopefully a few of them will take the time to read this short post and pick up a TRUE magic secret they might actually get some use from.

Good luck with your magic

Dominic Reyes

Table Magic Techniques – visibility

by Dominic Reyes Leave a Comment

By Dominic Reyes

Paul writes: 'Hi Dominic, how did you get around the Little Lillies tall table decorations when performing at the table, as this would be a decoration that couldn't be moved, would you perform for one half then the other?'

Owen and Anna Lavin at Little Lillies create some of the best floral display decorations I've ever seen, but magicians have never been fans of large decorations in the centre of tables. It's a magicians job to entertain the whole table, and that's a touch harder then half of the group can't see the action. So, how does my table magic differ in these situations? It doesn't.

Table magic should always be performed to the whole group

When I'm performing table magic, I perform for the whole group, rather than one half then the other. I want to engage the whole table as a group, rather than splitting attention and risking the possibility of losing the attention of the audience that isn't involved. That means I'm moving around the table all the time, addressing people as I do so. So for example, I ask to borrow a bank note whilst moving around to that person to receive it I continue to move around for someone else to sign it. Then move around to another position to have it change. As I move, I'm addressing the whole table, keeping the attention of the whole table. The movement creates energy, combined with conversation. The goal is to keep everything moving along so the group feels involved.

The space around a table is your stage

You don't need to stand in just one spot when you perform table magic. The whole circle of space around a table is your stage, and like any actor, you should use the space you have available. Next time you watch a comdian on stage, notice how they are walking around all the time. They pace about as they talk, moving up and down the stage. This makes people follow them with their eyes and helps to keep peoples attention.