I'm learning from stand-up comedy?

From 2001 to 2008 I tried to convince myself that stand-up comedy just isn't that important to me. It was during that time that I took a hiatus from an art that I jumped head-first into in 1996. Now I feel like such a "foowell". I LOVE stand-up! It's a high-risk, high-reward discipline; but the training I receive in both public speaking and conducting business, via comedy, is invaluable.

First, it is some of the best public speaking training that I've had.

• People have to understand what you're saying. You have to be articulate.
• They have to hear you. How you use your voice makes quite an impact . . . or not.
• Body language can either make or break your routine.
• The eyes have it. How you use your eyes, even though you may not be able to see the crowd under the stage lights, greatly impacts how your audience will react to you.

Second, stand-up forces you to think fast. I can't stand hecklers, but they have a place in the world (besides the a-hole list).

Third, you are forced to become a business person. Even if you participate in the weekly "open mic" at some bar, you soon realize that the success of the event depends on adopting solid business practices. Think about this:

• No one likes performing in front of 2 people in a 100-seat venue. This is especially damaging in comedy, because your success is measured by decibels of laughter. Yes, we appreciate those two belly laughs, but we need at least 98 more. Therefore, you immediately find yourself discussing event promotion with the organizer of the gig.
• You learn how to effectively promote. Honestly this only works for comedians who are actively working toward a goal. For example, my material only works for a certain audience. Somebody who likes crass, profanity- and obscenity-driven material will find me rather boring. And let's be honest, some Black folks feel that I try to make my material "too White". Seriously. My audience appreciates storytelling, philosophy, a conversational style and diverse topics. So, I started angling my promotional materials toward diverse adults from the ages of 25 to 54 who are mostly (but not exclusively) college-educated or business-minded. I learned what kinds of images and language to use on my promotional materials. Trust me, this tends to be more of a science than an art at this point.
• Practice makes perfect. Even spontaneous moments in a show are sometimes rehearsed. Each comedian has his/her own way of preparing for shows, but those of us who are serious know that we have to have some measure of preparation when it comes to quality delivery on stage.
• Ya gotta write! I say this to novice comedians all the time. Once you stop writing material, you might as well put performing on hold. Writing is the lifeblood of comedy. Writing is also a process. If a joke or bit doesn't work once, that doesn't mean it will never work again. Just like anything else in life, the most successful comedians have a lot of self-discipline (at least when it comes to the art). There are those who survive on raw talent; but they eventually fizzle out if they don't maintain the critical discipline of writing.
• Customer service counts, even in stand-up. The first time I started a show on time, I was ELATED. It was yet another step in my providing New Orleanians with a quality entertainment experience. It also gave me the opportunity to get closer to audience members. I truly believe that I have the best comedy audience in the New Orleans metropolitan area; because they provide me with repeat business, they spend money on the venue, and they appreciate the shows. In return, I do my best to book acts who will resonate with the audience, and I continue to add elements to make sure that their dollars are well-spent.
• You learn to concentrate on the quality of the actual show. No disrespect to my colleagues, but these midnight 15-comedian marathons with no performer walking away with even $1 more than they entered the venue with has got to stop . . . if they want more. I take calculated risks on who I put on stage, because I want to see what kinds of acts stick. At the same time, I want my audience to feel as if what they saw was truly for THEM. As a Black comedian, I have a natural proclivity to book other Black comedians, but diversity is the stuff of life in my book. So I continue to try to book comedians of other ethnicities to increase that "one love" vibe in the room.
• You learn to work toward goals that work for YOU. Bill Cosby said it best, "I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody." He was soooooo right. New Orleans, in particular, provides a challenge here; because New Orleanians tend to act on their feelings, not their thoughts. For example, my thinking, which is based on trial and error, tells me that only certain acts will work in my shows. But other comics feel slighted. This is where you realize that truly business-minded folks develop a thick skin. Success doesn't mean sparing people's feelings. It means sparing yourself meaningless headaches.

Interesting, isn't it? Stand-up comedy has become a tremendous teacher for yours truly, but it originates from that love I have for the craft. At the end of the day, you can do what you love for a living (or as part of a living in my case), but you have to ask yourself whether or not it is time, energy and money well-spent.