Tag: smiling

The Secret to Likability…

The easiest step to being likable onstage is smiling. That’s it. If you can do that you’re soo much closer to the audience liking you.

Smiling makes you look like you want to be there and you are having fun. Yes, there are times you don’t want to smile, and those times should be well thought out. Your default should be a smile.

Many years ago I heard an interview with comedian Neal Brennan on Tom Papa’s podcast Come to Papa. He mentioned that he thought he was smiling onstage, but realized he wasn’t. Onstage you need to smile bigger than you think you need to for it to play to the audience. Hearing that interview really helped my show!
-Louie

Have Fun…

Last weekend I went to Nashville and saw some live music at some of the bars in The District. One of the things that struck me was that there were a lot of good musicians, but not a lot of good performers. I guess it’s harder to be both. I think that one of the … Continue reading “Have Fun…”

Last weekend I went to Nashville and saw some live music at some of the bars in The District. One of the things that struck me was that there were a lot of good musicians, but not a lot of good performers. I guess it’s harder to be both. I think that one of the two comes more naturally than the other to most people.


What I noticed was that people onstage looked like they were working, not having fun. What you want in a show is someone that looks like they are having a blast. Yes, there are moments where you should look like you are working, but in most cases you should look like you want to be there.


The easiest way to look like you are having fun is to smile. That’s the most effective way to show an audience you like what you’re doing. Why do a lot of performers not smile? I’m guessing they don’t practice their show while smiling. Their faces default is the face they have when they practice. The simple solution is to practice smiling while you practice!