Give 'em something to look at

This isn't radio. Remember: Standup is a visual medium.

Some great comics have sat down while performing. But unless you’re bringing some real Patrice/Big Jay energy (let’s not go there with Cosby), it’s probably best to keep it moving (or at least stand up). After all, this is a visual medium too.

Here’s Neal Brennan on the visual side of doing standup:

I remember Jerrod Carmichael points out that I said to him at one point about his act. This is I don’t know 10 years ago. And it’s kind of based on a thing that Chris Rock would say a lot, which is like this isn’t radio. It’s why Eddie Murphy moves so much. Because he’s like, give people something to look at. So the set behind me is expensive as hell. It changes colors. And then I do the framing bit, and then for the commercials, for the religious attack ads, I do the commercials. I try to make it more than just a man standing, talking, like more than a podcast.

I’m competing, we’re all competing with everything. So this idea of like, no, you should watch me sit. No, I’m not good enough to watch sit. I need every bell and whistle I can possibly throw with people ’cause I’m not. I need help. And I’m not afraid, I’m not like ashamed to say like, no, no, no, I want visuals and it’s also just, you know, most of these things end up as clips anyway.

A related thing that’s underrated: Facial expressions. Smile, smirk, and/or give ‘em that twinkle-in-the-eye thing. It can make any “medicinal” jokes easier to swallow since they’ll know you’re just joking.