Audience Response to Performance
Audience Response Impact on Performance
Audience response is a significant factor in almost any kind of public performance or presentation. If you are performing musically and the audience is either distracted or signifies disapproval or distaste or even amusement at your performance it increases your nervousness and the brain responds by causing actual physiological changes to your body that will impact your ability to hit notes with your voice or move your fingers appropriately on the instrument you are playing. I am not a great musician but as a youngster as was asked to sing in church occasionally and I remember clearly the distinction between an audience response that was very receptive and an audience response that was disinterest or even disgust that caused me to make even more mistakes and was very embarrassing.
I have spent much of my adult life as a public speaker and I have found the same thing to be true in public speaking that the audience response influences my delivery and can turn the whole event. I remember speaking to a group of stoic Germans in the midwest and I just hated the whole presentation because of the audience response even though at the end many of the audience told me how much they enjoyed my speaking. I also remember a presentation that I had not felt as prepared and comfortable with the topic and yet the audience response was actual excitement about the topic and their response was palpable.
Audience Response Impact on Artist Development
The audience response can have an impact far beyond the actual event. A young musician or public speaker can have his whole future impacted by how the audience responds to him. A young girl that receives a standing ovation after her performance even if it is flawed is more likely to continue effort of development as compared to her counter part who hears gasps and gets condolences after her piano recital and who is likely to despise playing the piano in public ever again.
