Embrace spontaneity, get crazy, and offer a roadmap
10 Rules for Public Speaking from Ted Gioia.
…some of it applies to standup too. Excerpts below.
Embrace Spontaneity—Even (or Especially) When It Seems Risky:
Not everyone is comfortable doing things like this, but even if you want to take fewer chances, your talk must still feel spontaneous and in-the-moment. The audience wants that. They are energized by something that is happening right now and in this place. They will tune out the moment it sounds like you’re working through your pre-set talking points. Even if you require careful scripting and rehearsal, you still should strive for a feeling of spontaneity when you’re actually facing your listeners.
Tap into Your Own Craziness:
Every one of us is an odd duck—you, me, and everybody else in the pond. We work hard to hide our peculiarities and nonconforming behavior patterns, especially in front of strangers. I’m now going to tell you to do the opposite. You can learn from jazz musicians in that way—they have fewer inhibitions than most, and will do things on stage the rest of us would never consider. Watch Thelonious Monk get up from the piano to dance. Or Miles Davis turn his back on the audience. Or Sun Ra wearing his Afrofuturist garb as if he just got off the spaceship. Or Dexter Gordon doing that bizarre thing holding his sax sideways like it’s a saint’s relic. The stranger they are, the more we love them. Public speaking is like that too. If you have quirks and eccentricities, let them rip. The audience will remember you for years to come. And, believe it or not, they will remember what you said too.
Don’t Be Shy About Giving Your Roadmap to the Audience:
If you have something you want them to take very seriously, just tell it to them straight: “I want you to pay close attention to what I’m going to say next.” If you think they are taking things too seriously, you can say: “Why is everybody looking so glum? Sit back, relax, and let’s have a good time today.” If you are entering the final stretch of your talk, you can actually say: “We just have a few more minutes together today, so let’s make sure we make the most of it.” Before your last point, you can actually say: “This is the last point I’m going to make today.” Etc. etc.