The Big Venue

The “Back to Basics” Series

“You’ve got to know the territory!”
The Music Man
Meredith Willson
(1902–1984)
In a Big Venue, the sheer volume of space becomes a challenge.  Stepping up on the riser, out of the dark, into the spotlight, then looking back out into the darkness, you get a humbling sense of your own physical dimensions.  You feel small. This isn’t the same as walking into a conference room.  It’s big, dark, unfamiliar and just a little scary. After all, there’s a lot of them out there, waiting, in the dark. This will require an entirely different level of preparation.

You’re going to have to bring your Major League Game!

Here are some secrets, from the ridiculous to the sublime…

Don’t walk in thinking that it’s just “Going to Happen…”  This will require serious practice and rehearsal.

Walk the venue. Know the distance and the volume of space you’re going to “Fill.” Walk (Really!) out to the farthest spot you’ll be addressing. Climb the stairs to the nosebleed section and find the seat number of a couple of those far-flung locations.  If they’re going to see you, much less “connect” at a distance, you’re going to have to “throw a big gesture” and intend that it reaches up there to the far corner.

You’re going to require a body mic of course. It’s nearly invisible, and that’s the danger.  That little wire with a power pack on your hip can make you heard at the far reaches.  And that little sucker is going to be live both before the show and as you leave the stage with switch still turned on.  It’s a potential career killer. Walking off the riser, one tends to mentally go inside and review their performance: “That went Well! Killed it! Oh, Lord, What the #%€* was I thinking?” Keep your inner dialogue private! Finish the remarks, turn off the Mic! Don’t kibbitz backstage with anyone else whose mic might be live.

Avoid “the Scan.” You’ve seen them, those speakers who rhythmically rotate around the venue, pacing back and forth, mechanically sprinkling a little attention here and there… No genuine connection! No Reach!  But you can do better. Break the room up into sections, and find a spot in each one, where a live person will be sitting (in the dark). Those spots, those people, are your audience, your friends, your target listeners.

So, on the day, you’ve got your spots zeroed in. And you have a “genuine” conversation with the individuals in those spots. Moving from spot to spot — it’s a real conversation writ large. And, helpfully, in the large space, everyone in proximity to your target listener is going to be “getting the spillover eye contact” and feeling like they are the very person you’re addressing!

It becomes obvious to you that this is not only about physical distance and volume, but about your desire, intention and ability to “connect at a distance,” something not everyone masters. This skill (a gift, really) is the difference between those “little figures on the big stage” and a speaker, actor or Leader of genuine magnitude. You’ve got to master “Reach!”

We’ve often spoken about the fact that excellent communication is a fusion of the physical, the intellectual and the spiritual. This is one of those times. To “Reach” people in a Big Venue is part physical and technical tricks, and part well-rehearsed skill. But to “fill the room” requires a Greatness of Spirit, or Magnitude of Character. You’ve got to be willing and able to rise to the occasion. In the end, you’ve got to want it!

Whether you call it Heart, Ambition or Love, you’ve got to “Fill the Room!”

Applications

1. For You
In the Arts, we call this skill “Projection.” It is practiced by getting across to your listener at five feet, then ten feet, then twenty, then forty, etc., all the way to the outer ring and upper level of the theater. It’s brutal, and it’s the anvil upon which performers forge their professional skills.  You’ve got to be able to knock them back with a whisper — in the back row.

2. For Your Family
In years past, Elocution was a common “Family Practice” skill. Parents taught children as a matter of course. Today, well… But why not make “Getting Familiar with the Territory” part of your exceptional parenting?  Take your kids to Temple, Church or Cathedral when the congregation is absent, and let them walk the venue to get familiar with the sights, sounds and staging to prepare for a wedding or ceremony in that Big Venue.  Do the same in the school gym when it’s empty. Befriend the crew in a local theater and get the tour. Let ‘em try to fill the room — right to the back row. You may both benefit! And you will have taught them a lifetime skill: “How to Prepare like a Pro.”

3. For Your Professional Skills
You’ve seen those national meetings… the one’s where the speakers are not bad, but they’re not ready for the big time.  They haven’t rehearsed in the space — or rehearsed at all.  So, they look a little gun shy, a little small, a little nervous. They walk back and forth, looking at their feet, with one mechanical, repetitive gesture… they’re everywhere on LinkedIn… and they are marked forever with that less-than-stellar impression. Don’t let it happen to you!  Rehearse, Rehearse, Rehearse.  With the Material, in the Venue, in the Clothes, in the Shoes, with the Sound System!

Leave Nothing to Chance and Fill the Room!

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