Connect The Dots 11

			Bismillah Alhamdulillah wa salatu salam ala rasulillah Assalamu alaykum warahmatullahi wabarakatuhu.
Welcome back to connect the dots, we're talking about performing. I'm going to speak a little bit
about how to overcome stage fright, because I know that's a thing that a lot of people suffer from.
But before I get into that, I want to talk a little bit about bantering and introductions and how to
really get comfortable on stage. So the moment you appear in front of your audience, your
performance has begun. The moment they introduce you the moment you actually appear on stage for the
very first time, this is part of your performance in professional slam poetry, your performance
		

			timing, because you know, they time you for three minutes, your performance timing begins, the
moment you first interact with your audience, can you imagine that the moment you first interact
with your audience, so if you, for instance, are over this kind of crazy entrance, where you run on
stage, and you jump on stage in front of everyone, like some kind of, you know, superhero character,
that means, before you even speak, you've already been, you know, your clocks already started
running. So that is part of your presentation. So you want to be conscious of that. And think about
how you are presenting yourself in front of your audience. But how should you start off a
		

			presentation, there are certain etiquettes as a Muslim that for instance, you should start out with
I feel by employing first of all the name of homos panel to add a beginning and the name of a law.
Of course, this is some of the etiquettes we learn from even how to address an audience in Islam.
Those are things that you should do, definitely. But what's important also to keep in mind, is how
you are going to introduce your poem. So there is kind of different schools of thought as to how you
should approach what I do if anyone's ever seen me perform is that I begin I have this very short
poem. It's like a hooded towel hydrate. It's like a very beginning introduction where I greet the
		

			audience, I say, I said, I want a poem. And then I just jump straight into my phone. And then once I
finish that poem, because I want to really get to the point of what it is, I want to say, and I want
them to be entertained, I want them to be on my side from the very beginning. Once that's over, I
finished my first piece, then I can start a little bit of my banter. You know, this is where I throw
in a little bit of jokes, a little bit of kind of anecdotes. And I actually give maybe a story or a
backstory to this next poem, and why this is important. And some thoughts or ideas or add to verses
that relate to this theme or concept I'm about to, you know, speak about in this poem. But this
		

			introduction should be something which is mapped out, it shouldn't be something that you just do off
the fly each time. If you know you're going to be performing this poem, then your performance should
have an introduction, each poem should have an introduction. And it should be just as thought
provoking as the poem itself, if not more, okay, you shouldn't turn it into a lecture. Some people
do that. And that's a mistake that even sometimes I make that I'll speak for 10 minutes before a
three minute poem. But if the theme calls for the topicals for them, by all means, go for it. But
your introduction, how you actually introduce your home should be thought out. I hate it when people
		

			get up on stage. And they'll say, you know, this next poem, I just wanted to speak for itself. So
I'm just going to do it. No, do give us something, give us a even if it's more about your writing
process, or why you've written it, or the importance of it, or you know, something of that sort, not
just the kill time, which can be very helpful if you have a lot of time to kill, but also so that
the audience understands a little bit more about the context behind which you are about to present
this poem that can actually help them engage with it a lot more. Now, on to stage fright. Stage
fright is one of those things that you never really get over. So if you're looking for the kind of,
		

			you know, one tip or one piece of advice that you can implement the magic pill you take and
everything is solved, it's not gonna happen. The number one solution to stage fright, is simply
practice. I know, right? That's all like, that's the number one thing that comes to mind. Number one
thing that I can really think about, that has helped me overcome any fear that I have, which is
practicing, practicing, practicing, practicing, practicing, practice so much that you know, your
opponent inside and out. So like I said, last video, if anything happens, any kind of act of God
occurs, you know, if there's any type of commotion, or if you know, somebody on stage starts
		

			fainting, or if there's an issue with the microphone, at least, you know, you're pumped enough that
you can kind of flow through it, right. But you can only do that if you practice and through
practice, you can gain something which is very important, which is confidence, right? When you are
able to gain confidence, confidence is not something that you just wake up and have confidence,
something that you have to build over time. It's a muscle that requires a lot of patience, and
dedication to achieve, meaning that you have to sometimes fail in the process. The reason why some
people are not great public speakers is because they haven't public, they haven't spoken in public
		

			enough. The more you do it, the more you'll be better at it, the more you'll have the opportunity to
do it again in the future. And then when you reach to the point where you've done it so many times
and it'll just become second nature. I have actually known people who I've seen in the beginning of
their careers, they started off as very bad public presenters. They wrote some good poetry, but in
front of an audience, it was really bad. And I've saw I I've seen actually their transition over the
years, where they've had more practice. they've spoken in front of bigger audiences, more audiences.
		

			They gradually get better. Okay, so if you're looking to actually make this a long term thing, you
want to actually get out there and share your work, then the only way you're going to get better,
the only way you're going to overcome that feeling of scared of shy of Angular
		

			is just a practice. That's really the only way out. And lastly, one of the things that I can say
about overcoming stage fright is that, generally speaking, when you're standing in front of an
audience, when you're standing in front of people who have either paid to see you perform, or have
showed up to performance, or just happened to be there, while you're performing, is that they are
not your enemy. The audience is not your enemy. In fact, the audience wants you to succeed, the
audience wants to be entertained, they want to be enlightened, they want to be educated. So they are
going to do everything possible in their own effort of making your experience as easy and as
		

			comfortable as possible. Very rarely Will you perform in front of a hostile crowd. I've done it
before I performed in some kind of like high school assemblies, where you're performing in front of
a bunch of 16 year old kids who do not want to be there, and they'll look for an excuse to laugh or
make fun of you on stage. That's an exception. But generally speaking, your audience is your friend,
why is that important to think about is because it's a lot easier performing in front of your
friends than it is in front of a room of strangers, it's a lot easier and you don't have to feel so
scared and so overcome with this anxiety. If you know that you're speaking in front of people who
		

			actually care about you actually want the best for you. So view your audience as your friends as
your acquaintances, people who are there to benefit and I guarantee you won't be as scared to begin
with while performing in front of them. And if that doesn't work, just fake it till you make it
right. Just Just do your best through concentration to practice to hard work and effort inshallah,
and you will get through it and you will be amazing and challenges that come up here for watching.
Stay tuned for next connect the dots. I'm your host, Brother Mohammed. See you all next time. So I'm
on a combined what's lucky