Using Stagecraft With Mediumship-PT2

When I bravely went into a Spiritualist church for the first time in 2001, I was not expecting to either stay or ever return again. I did though, both stay and revisit the church every week for the next few years. What changed my mind?

We all know the importance of first impressions. When someone sees us for the first time, in the first 10 seconds they have established an impression of what type of person we are. From then on, we either validate their impression or we change it. Our appearance is the first aspect of the impression we make.

When I arrived at the spiritualist church, nervous and alone, I entered the doors with so many trepidations, butterflies and fears of what to expect.

I was greeted by a smartly dressed committee member who welcomed me. I was directed to a seat and put at ease. In those first few minutes, I noted that all the other committee members were smartly dressed. The president was dressed in a suit and the chairperson was wearing a lovely dress with modest makeup and jewellery. These church people all looked professional and obviously took their roles seriously. That impressed and reassured me.

Some years later I moved to another part of the country further north. I went to my local spiritualist church to join. I was greeted by the sound of a transistor radio playing pop music near the door on the reception desk. The person sat there was wearing a tee shirt and had shorts on. They took my money and was left to find a seat. I was immediately noticing a difference to what I had become accustomed to in my previous Christchurch Spiritualist Church.

When the committee member took to the platform to chair the evening, they too were wearing jeans and a branded tee shirt with some slogan splatted across it.  I couldn’t help feeling disappointed and dismayed at this lack of edification for the role. This, I thought, was supposed to be a spiritualist church. Suffice to say that after a few more sessions going to this church, and for a heap of other negative reasons, I stopped attending this church.

You will only ever get that one chance to make a first impression on someone. It makes complete sense therefore to stack the odds in your favour and make extra effort with your appearance and your presentation. Jeans with rips in, shorts, action trousers, tee shirts, skirts too short, low cut tops & dare I say, tattoos revealed on females are not the way to present yourself when doing this work with spirit, whether in a public or private environment.

I’ve always been of the belief that if I dress smartly, with a nice clean shirt and formal trousers, proper shoes and am clean shaven, I feel better within myself as well as being comfortable that I’m presenting myself more professionally.

One exception to this rule happened when I went to a theatre to watch the American medium John Edward work.

He came onto the stage in a tee-shirt and jeans carrying with him a stool and a glass of water. A part of me was disappointed by his appearance, but when I witnessed his mediumship, his style of dress no longer mattered.

It’s his trademark casual way and he is one of the finest and most well known mediums in the world today, so he isn’t seeking to make an impression based on his appearance. He doesn’t need to!

When you’re a well known medium, you can present yourself how you choose, though I still believe being professional is respectful to the work.

When you’re clean and smart you often gain more personal confidence. When you step onto the platform, onto the big stage, or open the door to your client, you’ll immediately set the right intent and instil some confidence into your audience.

There are some people that will argue that we are all unique people and that how we dress shouldn’t be an issue.

There are two points in that statement. The first, that we are all unique – indeed we are and we’re not looking to create clones in mediumship. The second point is regarding dress style being an issue. Whether you want to accept it or not, the moment you appear in front of an audience, no matter how small or large the amount of people, each person with two eyes looking back at you are making a judgement of you in their mind before you’ve uttered a single word.

How you dress won’t bother some people, while it matters to others. Dressing conservatively satisfies the majority. If you make no effort with your appearance, there is a likelihood you’ll reflect that attitude in your mediumship without even being aware of it.

People are watching you because you represent a connection with the mysterious other world. They want to be able to believe, to trust you and to hear your words with confidence. Stack the odds and make effort with your appearance. Train yourself to become of a mindset that when the smart clothes go on, you mean business. After you’re dressed and ready to leave home or welcome your client, tell yourself loud and clear,

“I am ready to represent my work with the spirit world”.

 

|| ALWAYS STAND PROUD

Another important part of your appearance is the way you command the stage or floor space in front of your audience. Some people, like I used to, will take to that space with so much nervousness that it clear to see by all in the way they stand. Hunched shoulders, closed up body posture followed by stutters, ums and ahs and a complete lack of authority usually follow.

A prop, such as a tall stool, a podium for notes, even a mic stand, offer support in making you feel more secure. If they’re available and you’re nervous, use them.

The best way to learn about your posture and how you naturally stand on a stage is to get someone else to video you. Watch it back while you’re on your own. Get over the embarrassment of it – it’s an important part of learning.

Practise ways to stand when you’re alone with a mirror. Believe it or not, standing upright in a position that feels natural doesn’t come without experience.

When I was learning this, I noticed that the film star Tom Cruise looked cool when he stood in an award ceremony with no props. I observed how he did it, and in my own company, I practised it.

Now, when I remember to,  I do it too. I stand with one leg slightly more forward than the other placing some of my weight on that leg. Describing it makes it sound awkward, but it’s not – it’s actually very subtle and very comfortable to pull off.

You won’t look like Tom Cruise, but you’ll be standing comfortably.

If you’re a man, putting one hand in a trouser pocket is also an acceptable stance. It suggests to the audience that you’re relaxed and at ease, and oddly enough, you’ll feel that way yourself. I can’t offer much advice to ladies because most have a built-in self awareness anyway.

Here’s 7 things I’ve learnt to avoid doing in front of an audience:

• Talking over someone that’s talking to you.
• Looking elsewhere when someone is talking to you.
• Adjusting clothing or private body parts.
• Constantly moving around, rocking, fidgeting and turning your back on the audience.
• Sniffing, swearing, coughing into a microphone.
• Using too many filler words, ums and ahs, repetitive phrases such as ‘you know’ or ‘again’ or ‘I think’.
• Talking when silence would work better.

Here’s 3 magic tools to include in your presentation:

• Think of what it is you’re going to say, before you speak.
• Use the power of pauses and silence to buy some time.
• Maintain eye contact with who you’re addressing.

As with everything in life, especially stagecraft, it takes a lot of practise and gets easier with experience.