With one decisive, confident step he appeared on stage, suddenly, and with presence. This was obviously not the first time that he had done this. As he appreciated the enthusiastic applause, he looked as if he was in his element. Because with over thirty years success and experience, he clearly was.
Inspiration can be found in surprising places and as a fan of stand-up comedians, Frank Skinner, recently provided a lot to admire and learn from. Here are nine insights for success:
- BEING AUTHENTIC = CONFIDENCE
The show had clearly sold out and Frank acknowledged this with a joke about his wealth. There was no apology for his success, and he ‘owned’ it.
- BE YOURSELF, EVERYONE ELSE IS ALREADY TAKEN
He also happily talked about a hobby of his which some people might find a bit square or old-fashioned. He did not did not care what others thought about it.
- KNOW YOUR WORTH
Frank was on stage for under ninety minutes (including his encore) and gave a lot of value in that time. There was never any sense of him feeling that he should exceed it though.
- SUPPORT THOSE NEW TO YOUR PROFESSION
There was a surprise warm up comedian whose comedy was in a different style to the headline act. Frank referred that they were travelling on tour together and it was clear that unlike some established creative artists (or the Executive Team in some organisations), he was happy to hang out with new, potential competitors and champion their work.
- MAKE THE MOST OF WHAT YOU ARE BORN WITH
Frank explained the physical reason why he wears a suit when performing, which of course he turned into something to amuse the audience. It seems that he makes the most of what he looks like and is not trying to change or create unnecessary effort.
- BE CURIOUS
It was obvious that he finds people interesting and is eminently curious and intrigued about life. His approach to interacting with the audience and managing any hecklers was energetic and fresh, and not as if it was something that he has endured for well over a quarter of a century.
- GIVE 100% ATTENTION TO WHO YOU ARE SPEAKING TO
Unlike many comedians that I’ve seen perform live, Frank was able to remember exactly which audience members he had spoken to and what he had found out about them. This was in a large theatre too (1300 seats). This skill in attention to detail saved time, repetition and provided a lot of hilarious ad libs.
- PREPARATION, PREPARATION, PREPARATION
By including the audience, he regularly deviated from his scripted routine (titled ‘Showbiz’), however, he was always able to seamlessly pick up the story where he had left it. I can only assume that he is a fan of preparation because the human brain is not that clever at having to deal with lots of things happening at once.
- BE GRATEFUL
A spectator revealed that they had travelled two hours to the show. This news was met with surprise and humble appreciation.*
Which of the nine would you like to do more of?
*I am extremely grateful to The BF for the topic suggestion this month.
Image credits: Frank Skinner: Featureflash Photo Agency / Shutterstock.com. All others Shutterstock.com