LA Music Review | Art, stories and advice
by Carley Varley
Introducing yourself on stage can be quite anxiety inducing…
I have seen people fully forget why they are on stage when it came to introducing themselves and although it’s understandable it’s also important to be confident when taking the stage. I have been performing on stages for the past seven years professionally and here are some of my top tips to introducing yourself well on stage.
- Remember microphone techniques
I have seen so many people who hold the microphone too far away or too close and it makes it difficult to hear what someone is saying. Holding the microphone just below your mouth and making sure you don’t cover the microphone with your hand will make you sound clear.
If you are moving on stage with the microphone too, it’s important to make sure you don’t get tangled up in the cable or pull the microphone out of the speaker by walking too far. Technical hitches happen but applying these tips will ensure that you are heard clearly on stage and that you look confident with a microphone too.
- Speak confidently
If your body language is timid and you speak really quietly you aren’t going to introduce yourself well on stage. It’s okay to be nervous, but if you want to introduce yourself well you have to speak confidently, make sure you speak clearly, be concise and remember to try to chat like you would normally. I often feel people who introduce themselves the same as if they weren’t on stage always come across as warm and genuine.
- Look at the crowd
Eye contact is important when introducing yourself and although you can’t make eye contact with everyone in the crowd it’s good to look into the crowd when you are introducing yourself. If you’re looking at the floor or the ceiling, it can come across as nervous and make the crowd feel awkward. Looking into the crowd, doing a scan as you introduce yourself will make the crowd feel easy and it will make you look confident when you are introducing yourself.
When you are talking look at people, even focus on a few people when you are introducing yourself as it helps with nerves. Whenever I perform, I always try to look at a person and engage with them so I feel more comfortable and then I scan the room, so it looks like I’m really engaging in the crowd from the stage.
I hope these tips help you with introducing yourself on stage!
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