Many Thanks
Blackmagic
Full Version: Patter, confidence, What to say next??
|
|
|
Any tips on suggestions on how i could build my confidence up to actually be able to make an anouncment over the mic and not feel intimidated or scared etc. it seems i can never think of anything to break the ice. I try to introduce the odd song here and there but it never seems to have the effect that other dj's seem to create. Maybe im just being paranoid, i dont know.
Many Thanks
Blackmagic
Many Thanks
Blackmagic
I used to be like that and got around it by listening to other dj's talking on mics. I found the problem was hearing my own voice on the speakers, but stuck at it & now it's second nature to me.
only 1 piece of advice "be yourself"
You aren't talking to the enemy, they are all your friends. Treat them like that and remember that you are in charge there. Nobody is marking you out of 10 for effort. 
i didn't have that prob, because of been on stage and such b4 i started doing disco's, but just dont worry bout it, say any thing you think will get the audience going, as long as it is not effensive, make sure you introduce your self before you pump up the volume, that way your name may get about, and welcome them to were ever you are, when you get into it it will just come straight off the top of your head, meaning you wont be standing there for 2 min's with the mic in your hand wondering, just experiment, we all learn frm our mistakes
Dave
Dave
Practice at home with a recorder and play it back. The initial introductions at the start of the evening help to build a rapport between you and your audience so think what you want to say during this and rehearse it until it sounds natural.
Include a welcome, invite requests, let them know what's happening during the evening etc.
PaulS
Include a welcome, invite requests, let them know what's happening during the evening etc.
PaulS
i found the mic the hardest thing to get used to when i started djing in the late 70s.
like most djs we are only human and we all make mistakes.
even last night i boo bood but youve got to make a joke about it so the punters laugh with you and not at you.
i was told many years ago that if you imagine the croud in front of you are naked it brings a smile to your face and your voice will come across stronger.
as 5star mentioned above lock yourself in your room so youve got some privacy to consentrate and then record your voice onto a tape deck introducing different records and anouncing lots of different things you will need to say at different occasions like: the buffet is ready to munch or raise your glasses to the bride and groom or theres a mini cab outside for so and so and the metres running and then just practice, practice, practice.
youll get there it just takes time.
good luck
jim
like most djs we are only human and we all make mistakes.
even last night i boo bood but youve got to make a joke about it so the punters laugh with you and not at you.
i was told many years ago that if you imagine the croud in front of you are naked it brings a smile to your face and your voice will come across stronger.
as 5star mentioned above lock yourself in your room so youve got some privacy to consentrate and then record your voice onto a tape deck introducing different records and anouncing lots of different things you will need to say at different occasions like: the buffet is ready to munch or raise your glasses to the bride and groom or theres a mini cab outside for so and so and the metres running and then just practice, practice, practice.
youll get there it just takes time.
good luck
jim
For what it's worth I still get nervous before talking on the mic, especially at very formal gatherings, and you would be surprised at just how many, DJ's, TV Presenters, Singers, Actors etc do get stage fright as well 
.
Although it sounds strange to you, to hear your own voice over the P.A, in fact it doesn't sound any different to the audience than if you were talking to them in normal conversation.
Just be yourself, and talk normally into the microphone. The thing to work on is to speak confidentally and clearly and try to pace yourself. Speaking too fast will make what you are saying sound garbled, speaking too slow will make you sound like you are addressing a bunch of village idiots . Pretty soon, with a little time and practice you'll develop your own individual skill and style and that is the most important aspect, don't try to copy anybody else or put on a different voice, it will sound false and make learning the technique a lot more difficult.
Start with the easy stuff first, just introducing tracks, and buffet announcements, you don't have to be a stand up comedian to be a DJ. Once you've built up a bit of confidence, you'll move on from the 'That was..... this is....' routine. Try and include your audience, invite requests, make them feel welcome.
Even if you are having a difficult gig don't take it out on the audience and try and look like you are enjoying yourself, even if it's not going to plan. Don't worry about making mistakes on the Mic, we all do from time to time, but don't draw attention to it, or dwell on it it'll just make it worse - besides making mistakes shows that you are human and not a pre-programmed jukebox .
As you are building up your skills try not speak to fast, if you rush through a mic link, and you'll more likely trip yourself up and make mistakes or mis pronounciations.
Keep key information on the gig, such as the Bride & Grooms' names, Best Man Name etc on a piece of paper on the mixer, so that you can casually glance down if you have a sudden memory blank, but don't write your links down as a speech, otherwise it will sound like you are reading from a script and less natural.
All of this will take some time, don't expect to develop a mic technique overnight just take it one gig at a time.
.Although it sounds strange to you, to hear your own voice over the P.A, in fact it doesn't sound any different to the audience than if you were talking to them in normal conversation.
Just be yourself, and talk normally into the microphone. The thing to work on is to speak confidentally and clearly and try to pace yourself. Speaking too fast will make what you are saying sound garbled, speaking too slow will make you sound like you are addressing a bunch of village idiots
. Pretty soon, with a little time and practice you'll develop your own individual skill and style and that is the most important aspect, don't try to copy anybody else or put on a different voice, it will sound false and make learning the technique a lot more difficult.Start with the easy stuff first, just introducing tracks, and buffet announcements, you don't have to be a stand up comedian to be a DJ. Once you've built up a bit of confidence, you'll move on from the 'That was..... this is....' routine. Try and include your audience, invite requests, make them feel welcome.
Even if you are having a difficult gig don't take it out on the audience and try and look like you are enjoying yourself, even if it's not going to plan. Don't worry about making mistakes on the Mic, we all do from time to time, but don't draw attention to it, or dwell on it it'll just make it worse - besides making mistakes shows that you are human and not a pre-programmed jukebox
.As you are building up your skills try not speak to fast, if you rush through a mic link, and you'll more likely trip yourself up and make mistakes or mis pronounciations.
Keep key information on the gig, such as the Bride & Grooms' names, Best Man Name etc on a piece of paper on the mixer, so that you can casually glance down if you have a sudden memory blank, but don't write your links down as a speech, otherwise it will sound like you are reading from a script and less natural.
All of this will take some time, don't expect to develop a mic technique overnight just take it one gig at a time.
i find drinking lots of booze at gigs tends to you over that nervous feeling...... 
on a serious note.... i have strangely never had a problem talking on the mic i just choose not to because one of the biggest comments i hear from people at gigs is that the DJ talks too much and doesnt let you enjoy the music... now im all for entertaining the audience and helping then enjoy the party and getting the envolved. but i slowly find the chatty Dj a thing of the past around here. BUT that could be a local thing again
but its really all down to self confidence. i play a lot of live music with bands and tend to do a lot of silly things when im playing with bands. for example on new years eve i kneeled on the bar and played wonderfull tonight for the bar maid on guitar. But thats very different! Just have fun when your out there and enjoy yourself. DO NOT TRY TO BE SOMETHING YOUR NOT!!! and i mean that. Mobile DJs are already classed as clowns thanks to people like Peter Kay. The trick really is just do what you want to and you can always win over the audience. people say be your self... and its sounds like such a cliche but really just do what you do
on a serious note.... i have strangely never had a problem talking on the mic i just choose not to because one of the biggest comments i hear from people at gigs is that the DJ talks too much and doesnt let you enjoy the music... now im all for entertaining the audience and helping then enjoy the party and getting the envolved. but i slowly find the chatty Dj a thing of the past around here. BUT that could be a local thing again
but its really all down to self confidence. i play a lot of live music with bands and tend to do a lot of silly things when im playing with bands. for example on new years eve i kneeled on the bar and played wonderfull tonight for the bar maid on guitar. But thats very different! Just have fun when your out there and enjoy yourself. DO NOT TRY TO BE SOMETHING YOUR NOT!!! and i mean that. Mobile DJs are already classed as clowns thanks to people like Peter Kay. The trick really is just do what you want to and you can always win over the audience. people say be your self... and its sounds like such a cliche but really just do what you do
| QUOTE |
| i hear from people at gigs is that the DJ talks too much |
Let the music do the talking, keep the people dancing and only talk where necessary!
keep plugging away,i was 
scared when i first started but im fine now(a few jitters now and again)and i find if you make a mistake just make a joke of yourself and it will endear the crowd to you 
.
keep at it
mick
scared when i first started but im fine now(a few jitters now and again)and i find if you make a mistake just make a joke of yourself and it will endear the crowd to you .keep at it
mick
| QUOTE |
| Let the music do the talking, keep the people dancing and only talk where necessary! |
I agree, my son feels he needs to use the mic alot to work a crowd but I'm not so sure. I use to try and get crowds to sing but sometimes it does'nt always work and you'll get told to shut up and play the song!!! But thats just from my own past experience, all I do now is use the mic for dedications or if I'm moving to a different genre etc....
| QUOTE |
| I agree, my son feels he needs to use the mic alot to work a crowd but I'm not so sure. I use to try and get crowds to sing but sometimes it does'nt always work and you'll get told to shut up and play the song!!! But thats just from my own past experience, all I do now is use the mic for dedications or if I'm moving to a different genre etc.... |
It does depend entirely on a combination of the crowd, the function and your audiences' willingness to enjoy themselves!. however a DJ does need to learn and develop a mic technique because you never know when you may be called upon to use it!. I recall a Masonic lodge booking I was asked to cover, where it was expected of me to stand at the entrance to the function room and formally announce the names of the couples as they arrived at the venue. Strange but true, and for a lot of non mic users it would have been Brown Trousers time, I wasn't exactly happy about it myself but it was expected for that function and who was I to argue.
There are functions where you have a full Dancefloor and it would be obtrusive to chat all over the music when people want to dance, equally there are pubs where there isn't the room or inclination to dance, and so a bit of light hearted banter and the empathsis on the entertainment side of being a DJ is required rather than just continuous music. If you've ever worked with Dan, he is a good example of a DJ who can also entertain a crowd!
In the days of technology advancing at the rate that it has for the last few years, we DJ's are up against some pretty fierce competition. The increase in satellite channels to accompany MTV, the talk of several Free music channels appearing on Freeview over the next 3 years, not to mention PC based Background Music Systems, Broadband Updated Jukeboxes etc means that the humble DJ has to work a lot harder to entertain rather than just play music.
Given that landlords now have to justify their expenditure to head office, it may be hard for them to argue the cost of Booking a DJ compared to the subscription they are paying to Sky for the Football!, after all if they are paying a monthly subscription anyway they may as well just show MTV / VH1 on large screen TV's and buy a decent quality PA to pipe it through if continuous music is what they require, and this would of course dispense with the services of the non mic owning DJ and save money
.Use a mic when it most suits the audience, usually at the quiet part of the evening when nobody wants to dance, obviously to welcome everybody to the venue at the start of the disco, and to call up the bride and groom for the first dance. These are standard requirements and usually expected of you and not an option. Of course these do only apply to private functions, and it may be that working a club may operate a no mic policy (except in emergencies) but for private functions and Mobile work, then a good mic attitude and technique is a useful skill, and those who don't bother to learn it at all, may soon find themselves replaced by technology!.
, because it's currently only the human, physical presence of a live act or DJ that keeps us in work!.
Spot on Chris, I could'nt agree more. Sometimes you get an awkward crowd who need a bit of encouragement and other times the night runs like a dream. As said if you're not going to use the mic at all, the client may as well of brought in a jukebox!! 
This is a "lo-fi" version of our main content. To view the full version with more information, formatting and images, please click here.