Featured image: Creative Commons License by Ronald Woan
If you’re a budding performer, you might have your set rehearsed and ready to go, your equipment all lined up, and tickets being sold as we speak. The final piece of the puzzle is stage presence. This is super important for ensuring your crowd has a great time and remembers you. Essentially, it’s what keeps an audience engaged – and this is crucial!
As musicians and DJs ourselves, we know that there’s more to confidence on stage than you might think. It’s the way you move, interact, and project energy that makes you memorable. For this guide, we’ve compiled the best techniques and top tips we’ve learnt over the years. We’ll help you improve your stage presence and know how to really connect with your audience, command the stage, and perform with confidence.
Key takeaways
Want the essentials fast? These are the key ways to improve stage presence.
- Hold a strong, confident posture
- Take up space and own the stage
- Avoid looking down or turning away from the audience
- Move around with the music
- Learn from other performers
What is stage presence?
Stage presence is the way you present yourself and connect with people while performing.
If you have a strong stage presence, your audience will remember you and feel like you’ve put on a good show – one that they might want to go to again! The way you move, hold yourself, and react to the crowd all shape how you’re seen on stage. People stay focused on you when you’re commanding the room well, and the music feels more alive. It’s an important part of being a performer.
How to improve your stage presence
1. Work on a strong, confident posture
You’d be surprised how much posture can shape how you’re perceived on stage. The first thing to do is stand tall. Keep your shoulders relaxed and maintain a grounded stance to help you come across as calm and in control.
This isn’t just good for stage presence but also for supporting your playing or singing (especially when you’re working on breath control).
We recommend rehearsing with good posture, too. Imagine you’re on stage every time you practise; that way, when the lights come up, you’ll be a natural already.
2. Take up space and own your position on stage
Where you stand tells the audience a lot before you even play. Step forward, use the space around you, and confidently take up and own the stage. Try not to hang back or stay hidden behind gear, which can be surprisingly easy to do. If you’re playing with others, check your spacing so everyone has room to be seen.
The more comfortable you are in your spot, the more naturally you’ll command attention.
3. The obvious one – face the audience!
One of the most important things you can do is connect with your audience. And the easiest way to do this is by facing them, of course! It seems obvious, but avoid looking down or turning away.
Keep your focus forward as much as you can. It shows you’re present. One way you can take this a step further is to make eye contact with individual audience members. They’ll feel like you’re playing to them, not just performing in front of them. Don’t hold eye contact for too long – just a few seconds is fine to give each person a moment where it feels like the music is just for them.
You should also avoid staring at the floor or ceiling, as it can make you seem disengaged or nervous.
4. Move around
Sometimes staying in one place on the stage can work, particularly if you’re a singer-songwriter, but you should still show some movement and enthusiasm by leaning into the mic or strumming with vigour. Move with the music!
It doesn’t need to be dramatic; a simple sway can improve your stage presence!
5. Learn from other performers
There are some performers who also tick the box of “entertainer”. Think Beyoncé, Prince, and Freddie Mercury – these are some of the most renowned entertainers in history.
You can learn a lot from looking them up on YouTube and watching how they work the stage and crowd. They simultaneously manage to make the show a spectacle and connect with the crowd.
You should also get out to your local music venues and pick up some tips and tricks from fellow musicians.
6. Know your surroundings
As much a safety top tip as it is stage presence, knowing what is around you on stage is key. It reduces the chance of you tripping over cables or bumping into gear mid-set, and means you can move around freely on stage with intention.
Get to know your stage during setup and remember where your bandmates have put their equipment – you’ll thank us later!
7. Interact with your audience
Whether it’s a quick chat between songs or a call and response, Freddie Mercury style, engaging with the crowd is a chance to show your personality and make the performance feel more human.
A bit of light banter, a thank you, or a story behind a song can go a long way. You could also mention a new release or talk about your creative process.
8. Look the part!
What you wear and how you style yourself should reflect the genre of music you’re performing.
If you’re part of a metal band, you might choose to get out the black eyeliner, back-comb your hair (if you have enough to back-comb), and put on your best black attire. Conversely, if you’re a folk musician, you might go for a gentler, less aggressive visual style.
Some of the most famous performers in the world were instantly recognisable by looks, so define your image in a way that suits you and your music.
9. Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse
One of the key ways you can feel confident on stage is by knowing your material inside out. Run through the full set and prepare for any potential hiccups – you’ll be grateful for this if anything does go wrong.
The more prepared you are, the less you have to think about during the show. That frees you up to focus on engaging with the audience and enjoying the moment.
10. Look after and know your gear
“Without me, my instrument is useless. Without my instrument, I am useless.” It’s something a strict music teacher or drill sergeant might have you recite, but there’s truth in it. Your gear is an extension of your performance. If it’s not well-maintained or you don’t fully understand how it works, it can easily cause problems mid-show.
If you want to focus on putting on an excellent show, it’s incredibly important to trust that your gear will do what it’s built to do and you know exactly how to work it.
11. Have fun and don’t take yourself too seriously
It’s easier said than done, but try not to overthink these things. We know we’re giving you an 11-item list of advice, but one of the main things to remember is to just have fun with it. If you’re thinking about every aspect of your performance, you won’t fully let go on stage and be able to enjoy it!
FAQs
How can I avoid getting anxious when performing on stage?
A bit of anxiety is good on stage – it means you’re keen to put on a good performance. But to avoid getting too nervous, follow these steps:
- Practise over and over again – feel as prepared as you possibly can!
- Rather than thinking about what could go wrong, think about what will go right
- Avoid caffeine and sugar; these can increase anxiety and pre-show jitters
- Remember why you’re doing this – because you love it!
- Remind yourself that if something does go wrong, it’s not the end of the world; there will be more shows
How can the stage presence of a speaker be improved?
If you’re a speaker, you can improve your stage presence by making eye contact with members of your audience and maintaining a strong and clear posture. Make sure you’re always facing the crowd, and really command the space you’re in by moving around and holding yourself confidently.
What is the most important element of developing stage presence?
The most important element of developing stage presence is to engage with the audience, especially through eye contact and projection. It’s about making people feel included in the performance and aware that you’re playing for them, not just in front of them. Expression, movement, and confidence all support this connection, but none of them land properly if the audience doesn’t feel acknowledged.
Final thoughts
The ability to command the stage isn’t something that clicks overnight, but it can be built with focus and practice. We know it’s nerve-wracking to begin with, but knowing how to improve your stage presence is the first step. The more you perform, the easier it will be, but the most useful piece of advice we can give you is to rehearse as much as possible and just enjoy it on the night!
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