Hey guys, it's been a while since I posted something, and I remember a thread not so long ago talking about how having a heckler "sux" , so I would like to speak a little bit about how to avoid them, and in a worst case escenario, handle them.
Beware, it might be a long read
IDENTIFY THE TYPE OF HECKLER YOU ARE DEALING WITH
For me, there are two main types of hecklers, I will explain each and how to handle them.
The intellectual heckler
These guys don't want to mess up your tricks, they just don't believe in magic and they think there is a solution or a "logical" explanation to how you do your tricks; That's why they are going to be constantly wanting to check if you grabbed a double, if the card that is in the spectator hands haven't been changed already and stuff like that.
They still enjoy watching you do magic, and meanwhile they will not get amased at the "magic" you are perfoming, they will still be amased to the dexterity that you have to perform those kind of things, if they ask if you have a double, or think that something already happened, it's not because they want to mess up the trick, it's because meanwhile you are performing or doing something, they will automatically start thinking about methods and the possible explanations to what you are doing, when they ask you things like about your double lift etc, it's just because they want to see if their hipothesis are correct.
If they ask you, don't be afraid, they still do not know the method and they just want to see if they are correct.
Handling them is easy, just perfect your techniques to the point they look flawless and effortless, don't practice your sleights to the point where you can decently perform them, practice them to the point where it doesn't look like you did a thing, it will add to the drama and it will boggle their mind much more, making them question themselves (withouth them asking you) if their thought method is correct.
Also have a couple of outs, learn how to show for example a double lift face up, and if they ask for the card, or if you see them reaching out to touch it and see if they are two cards, lear how to disguise the other card and give them only one card, there are a couple of methods I actually use, and I know you will figure something out. Also let them shuffle the cards, don't wait until they ask for this, if you genuily ask them to shuffle the cards, in their minds it is being fair.
P.S You don't want to play cat and mouse with them, if you understand my meaning.
The A-hole heckler
This kind of guy doesn't care about the method, they don't care about how the trick works or anything like that.
They just want to mess you up.
Handling them is easier than the above. First of all you have to understand their motives behind trying to mess you up. Maybe you are impressing the girl they are with, maybe you are having all the attention during that momment. Hecklers of this kind are often lousy people, they enjoy listening to themselves, and usually are leaders among their group, they are accustomed to have all the attention and if they see you having the spotlight, they will directly see you as a threat to their social standing. That's why they will try to mess you up.
Make them part of the trick, share your spotlight with them, make them feel important, compliment them on their social skills or whatever, they need to feel approved by you and by the rest of the room, and giving them the illusion of approval is easy. If you are accustomed to have the spotlight on you, that's great, but in this case, make the tricks about him, not about you.
HOW TO AVOID THEM
I don't know you guys, but for me, the best case escenario is where I don't have to handle this kind of situations, and to do so is really really easy, I'll begin with a overrall talk about how to do it, and then I will break it up so that you guys get my meaning.
OVERALL INTRODUCTION
Above all, you need social skills, you need to portray youself as a cool guy that not only does magic, but a guy that it's also cool to hang out with. If you actually use magic as your way to be more social or more "accepted" per see, don't worry, a lot of this things can be faked. You need to win the overrall aproval of the room WITOUTH USING MAGIC, don't enter the room like " Hey guys! want to see something really really cool?" You lose your value, instead, if they ask you for something and the party or whatever is just starting, make them wait for it, be like "Not right now, maybe I will do something later" they will respect you and that will give you value. Also it helps you, because meanwhile they are going to talk about the amasing things you have done in the past and that will create interest in other people, giving your magic and YOU more value rather than performing right away.
SOCIAL SKILLS
I will put it this way:
In order to appear "cool" to them, and winning their aproval (and rapport), first you need to earn their respect. That's why you need social skills for that, think about it, if they don't respect you, they will heckle you like hell.
If you already have social skills, that's great! if you don't don't worry, a lot of these things can be faked and you can use them in order to gain respect.
SMILE.- This one is easy, just SMILE. Smile when you met someone new, smile when you adress someone, and smile if they come to you and speak to you, it shows confindence, and smiling is contagious, if you smile, people can't avoid smiling as well. Just try it.
OPEN GESTURES.- I think that you already know this, but communication is 80% physical and 20% verbal. Use this to your advantage, having open gestures like moving your hands with open palms or being animated, it displays that you are actually confident, and having confidence earns respect.
Think about it, it is all about personal space, if you are like really introvert and you gestures are like really inward and heavily closed, that means that your personal space is really small, and people are more likely to "invade" that personal space of yours. Instead, if your gestures are opne towards people, psicologically you are widening your personal space, you are marking your territory, and uncounciosly people will notice that.
Practice your patter witouth cards, or just practice talking to your mirror using open gestures and being animated and "passionate" about what you are talking about
VOICE.- Have you noticed how if you are watching a movie, and the actor lowers his voice, and all the music goes to the background, chanses is that you are going to get close to listen, you WANT to know what it is happening and what is he talking about.
Be passionate when you talk, if you are talking abou good times, smile and be like you are feeling that emotion just in that mommnet, if you are talking about something sad, get sad, pause sometimes, lower your voice, and if you can, practice your diction. Sometimes when we are performing, we get anxious and we start talking really fast or nothing at all. you need to fix this, and when talking with people about surface matters, learn how to manipulate your voice.
I already spent like an hour writing this, I will continue later and will add some more things guys.
But in overall, if you win the heckler respect, he will NOT want to heckle you. I assure you.
Beware, it might be a long read
IDENTIFY THE TYPE OF HECKLER YOU ARE DEALING WITH
For me, there are two main types of hecklers, I will explain each and how to handle them.
The intellectual heckler
These guys don't want to mess up your tricks, they just don't believe in magic and they think there is a solution or a "logical" explanation to how you do your tricks; That's why they are going to be constantly wanting to check if you grabbed a double, if the card that is in the spectator hands haven't been changed already and stuff like that.
They still enjoy watching you do magic, and meanwhile they will not get amased at the "magic" you are perfoming, they will still be amased to the dexterity that you have to perform those kind of things, if they ask if you have a double, or think that something already happened, it's not because they want to mess up the trick, it's because meanwhile you are performing or doing something, they will automatically start thinking about methods and the possible explanations to what you are doing, when they ask you things like about your double lift etc, it's just because they want to see if their hipothesis are correct.
If they ask you, don't be afraid, they still do not know the method and they just want to see if they are correct.
Handling them is easy, just perfect your techniques to the point they look flawless and effortless, don't practice your sleights to the point where you can decently perform them, practice them to the point where it doesn't look like you did a thing, it will add to the drama and it will boggle their mind much more, making them question themselves (withouth them asking you) if their thought method is correct.
Also have a couple of outs, learn how to show for example a double lift face up, and if they ask for the card, or if you see them reaching out to touch it and see if they are two cards, lear how to disguise the other card and give them only one card, there are a couple of methods I actually use, and I know you will figure something out
. Also let them shuffle the cards, don't wait until they ask for this, if you genuily ask them to shuffle the cards, in their minds it is being fair.P.S You don't want to play cat and mouse with them, if you understand my meaning.
The A-hole heckler
This kind of guy doesn't care about the method, they don't care about how the trick works or anything like that.
They just want to mess you up.
Handling them is easier than the above. First of all you have to understand their motives behind trying to mess you up. Maybe you are impressing the girl they are with, maybe you are having all the attention during that momment. Hecklers of this kind are often lousy people, they enjoy listening to themselves, and usually are leaders among their group, they are accustomed to have all the attention and if they see you having the spotlight, they will directly see you as a threat to their social standing. That's why they will try to mess you up.
Make them part of the trick, share your spotlight with them, make them feel important, compliment them on their social skills or whatever, they need to feel approved by you and by the rest of the room, and giving them the illusion of approval is easy. If you are accustomed to have the spotlight on you, that's great, but in this case, make the tricks about him, not about you.
HOW TO AVOID THEM
I don't know you guys, but for me, the best case escenario is where I don't have to handle this kind of situations, and to do so is really really easy, I'll begin with a overrall talk about how to do it, and then I will break it up so that you guys get my meaning
.OVERALL INTRODUCTION
Above all, you need social skills, you need to portray youself as a cool guy that not only does magic, but a guy that it's also cool to hang out with. If you actually use magic as your way to be more social or more "accepted" per see, don't worry, a lot of this things can be faked. You need to win the overrall aproval of the room WITOUTH USING MAGIC, don't enter the room like " Hey guys! want to see something really really cool?" You lose your value, instead, if they ask you for something and the party or whatever is just starting, make them wait for it, be like "Not right now, maybe I will do something later
" they will respect you and that will give you value. Also it helps you, because meanwhile they are going to talk about the amasing things you have done in the past and that will create interest in other people, giving your magic and YOU more value rather than performing right away.SOCIAL SKILLS
I will put it this way:
In order to appear "cool" to them, and winning their aproval (and rapport), first you need to earn their respect. That's why you need social skills for that, think about it, if they don't respect you, they will heckle you like hell.
If you already have social skills, that's great! if you don't don't worry, a lot of these things can be faked and you can use them in order to gain respect.
SMILE.- This one is easy, just SMILE. Smile when you met someone new, smile when you adress someone, and smile if they come to you and speak to you, it shows confindence, and smiling is contagious, if you smile, people can't avoid smiling as well. Just try it.
OPEN GESTURES.- I think that you already know this, but communication is 80% physical and 20% verbal. Use this to your advantage, having open gestures like moving your hands with open palms or being animated, it displays that you are actually confident, and having confidence earns respect.
Think about it, it is all about personal space, if you are like really introvert and you gestures are like really inward and heavily closed, that means that your personal space is really small, and people are more likely to "invade" that personal space of yours. Instead, if your gestures are opne towards people, psicologically you are widening your personal space, you are marking your territory, and uncounciosly people will notice that.
Practice your patter witouth cards, or just practice talking to your mirror using open gestures and being animated and "passionate" about what you are talking about
VOICE.- Have you noticed how if you are watching a movie, and the actor lowers his voice, and all the music goes to the background, chanses is that you are going to get close to listen, you WANT to know what it is happening and what is he talking about.
Be passionate when you talk, if you are talking abou good times, smile and be like you are feeling that emotion just in that mommnet, if you are talking about something sad, get sad, pause sometimes, lower your voice, and if you can, practice your diction. Sometimes when we are performing, we get anxious and we start talking really fast or nothing at all. you need to fix this, and when talking with people about surface matters, learn how to manipulate your voice.
I already spent like an hour writing this, I will continue later and will add some more things guys.
But in overall, if you win the heckler respect, he will NOT want to heckle you. I assure you.
