Rule 14: Tipping Your Hat
In 1911 Nevil Maskelyne and David Devant, two of the premier magicians of the day, published Our Magic. In the first section, The Art in Magic, Maskelyne outlines 20 rules for magic performance. After well over 100 years, are these rules still relevant, and do they apply to more than magic?
Rule 14: Unless good reason can be shown, never explain, UPON THE STAGE, precisely what you are about to accomplish.
On stage with a magician the audience can see a person-sized basket and a dozen or so razor sharp swords. It doesn’t take a genius to know that someone is going to be getting into that basket and, shortly after, those swords are going to be pushed through as well. This is not the time for surprise. If it is obvious what is going to be happening then a great magician knows how to use this to their advantage.
The basket is shown to be not just a usual basket, but relatively small, with the assistant barely able to fit in. A melon is sliced in two to demonstrate how sharp and dangerous the swords are, highlighting the very real danger. The magician may even talk the audience through what they are about to witness.
As magicians, we do not always rely on surprise to get a strong reaction from our audience; there are many other methods we can use. If we’re not relying on surprise, we might turn that to our advantage and instead specifically tell the audience what we are going to do. In many magic routines the magician might actually spend longer laying out what they have to do to accomplish the amazing feat than the amount of time the feat itself takes to do.
But why does this work? There are a few reasons, each of which is also applicable to talks or public speaking.
Magicians are showmen, and they know that whetting an audience's appetite will increase their enthusiasm for the final effect. Hyping up what is going to happen ensures their initial interest. Let people know what they will get out of your presentation early on, making it as attractive as possible.
During a routine, or even throughout the whole show, a magician will tell the audience about the impossible thing they are going to be doing at the end. This will keep audiences focused on what is happening, and also remind them what it is they are there for. When leading up to a conclusion, it may occasionally help to remind your audience what the final result will be, in order to keep them interested.
If not relying on surprise to create a strong response from the audience, a magician will often highlight the impossibility of what they are doing. Heavy chains are given out and tested for strength, decks of cards are shuffled, and audience members are picked at random to dispel the chance of stooges. Every check and piece of the puzzle shown demonstrates the true impressiveness of the final feat. In public speaking, showing an audience the detailed work that has gone into a specific conclusion can underline how strong or valid it is.
Interestingly, this is a technique that is often stronger for what magicians call ‘lay people’, meaning those who don’t know magic. A fellow magician will understand the difficulty in putting all of those swords into a basket, especially if done in certain ways. In the same manner, an audience very interested or knowledgeable in the conclusion you are talking about may not need the level of reminding that a more disinterested or less informed audience might. Always remember Rule 2, and tailor your technique to your audience.