Stand up comedy : How do I control my nerves? And speak clearly?

Question:

Stand up comedy : How do I control my nerves? And speak clearly?

How should I control my nerves before i go on stage as I am not the most confident of performers and also, I have always been a bit of a mumbler and on stage it can come through a little and hinder my joke telling and performance. Please help me out! Cheers, and I will choose a bet answer at the end.

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Being uncomfortable doing stand up will literally kill your act because it makes the audience uncomfortable. You're wise to work on this.

The best advice I can give you is to NOT second guess what you think the audience is thinking. Unless the person is beaming at you, your interpretation of their thoughts is probably wrong. Often you'll look out and see someone frowning and think "they hate me". Most of the time they're frowning because they're trying to remember something, or they have something stuck in their teeth, or the coffee is bitter... you name it!

As you get more comfortable on stage (and the only way to get there is to spend more time on stage or speaking in public) you might find someone in the audience who is clearly open to or enjoying your act. Connect with them from the stage. As you learn to do this, you'll get better at connecting with several people during your act, this makes the audience feel involved and works like a charm!

In any case, think of yourself as a used car salesman... just keep smiling (or scowling, if that's your bit) and selling your act while on stage, no matter what happens.

Break a leg!