What has been your biggest audience?

[LaFemmeFatale_1]

Not including TV and social media, in real life I have only had an audience of 2300 people the most. That was back in my teens when I danced exotic dances, we used to have concerts in front of 2300-2500 people twice a year, that’s the most people I have performed with.

Then I quit dancing and went into public speaking and international youth politics, where I used to do the public speaking in front of 600-1000 people quite often.

Since 22, I haven’t done it anymore.

After that I have done some talk in front of small number of people of 100-200 but that’s all. I kinda forgot how it feels.

Now at the end of this month I am going to be a co-host of a Chinese ceremony where there will be 1200 people and I feel a bit excited.

Updates

+1 y

Oops, I don’t mean that kind of “exotic dances”, what I mean is some Eastern, Persian, some Spanish, some latino, some Greek, some modern dances from the different cultures. That was exotic to me and my country haha

Updates

+1 y

*Real life audience* I don’t mean TV, social media and so on.

And how did you feel?

I feel like TV and Social Media has a different feeling, I have had up to 300 000 people watch me talk in live on TV and then through social media but I didn’t feel a thrill or anything. I felt much better when I had an audience in real life, with all the feelings along with it.

[Lliam]

When I was Board President of an local environmental non profit that rented halls and theaters to host speakers and put on events, I had to get up to talk about the organization and encourage memberships and donations. The largest audiences were fewer than 500.

For about 15 years, I was invited to play a set of songs at a large St. Patrick's Day ceilidh ever year. It all ended in 2020 with the covid lockdowns.
I would cobble together a band composed of accordion, mandolin, bass, penny whistle, harmony vocals and sometimes another acoustic guitar. I played acoustic guitar and sang lead.
The audiences were probably around 300 or 400 people.

[LaFemmeFatale_1]

Wow, amazing! How did it feel?

What did you like the most about public speaking?

Didn’t it excite you a bit to see hundreds of people in front of you?

Even though in the past I often did public speaking, I always felt nervous before and during each time, however that nervousness kind of helped me, because It strangely aroused me, when I was in front of so many people and made me very passionate about it and I luckily managed get the audience on the same vibes, listen to me enthusiastically.

Even now when I remember the feeling, I don’t know why I felt that but I think aroused is the right word, I felt so mentally stimulated, with the butterflies in my stomach and my eyes being the liveliest I’ve seen. Gosh, I miss that feeling and I also disliked it, because I had to perform or talk and stay cool while I felt quite excited and nervous.

[Lliam]

I had spoken in front of much smaller audiences before - 50 to 100 people - starting in around 2003. I had never done it before.
The first few times I was really nervous and my presentation was stiff. But I gradually got better at it.
When I spoke in front of the larger audiences I mentioned, I was really nervous before I went on. But since I had already spoken publicly several times by then, I knew how to do it.

I played music before audiences since I was in high school and always got nervous before going on, too. I played lead guitar and sang in rock bands.

In both cases, playing and singing lead in bands, and speaking in public, the nerves got me pumped up and focused, exactly as you described. I think those feelings are essential for a performer. Virtually every professional feels the same way. I've heard of seasoned professionals who get so nervous that they vomit before every performance. But all that goes away once they are on stage doing what they know how to do. Then they make it look easy. And they feed off of the audience.

[LaFemmeFatale_1]

I get what you mean, for me it has never changed, I always get nervous. If I don’t get nervous, I also don’t do my best, I seem to do the best when I am the most mentally excited.

My grandma in her youth was an actress and she has earned the title of “The best female actress” in Soviet Union only when she was 23, she always told me she felt very nervous before each play. But she went on and rocked when it was her time.

For me it’s different, I think I am very emotional and passionate generally and it’s shown the best when I am on stage, I do get very nervous out of the immense excitement, kinda orgasmic feeling. That’s super weird.

But seems that it is not bad because I have been named as the best public speaker numerous times and have succeeded thanks to it.

I miss that feeling, I felt the most alive on a stage. And I think being emotional helped me to get the audience to the same wave and see their excited eyes and know that they’ve got goosebumps by listening to me. I feel excited just by remembering it.

[LaFemmeFatale_1]

I have been told I am born for that but I also think if I am born for that why does it feel like each fiber of my body is willing to explode from excitement?

[Lliam]

I know exactly what you mean and feel that way every time. I think even the most seasoned performers do. It's essential.

[molonski2]

I've done quite a bit of this also , I always found the smaller crowds 100-200 more difficult than the bigger ones , where it tends to be an agenda that is well prepared for , and an MC or host coordinating , but it is a great feeling to achieve and you are always hardest on yourself , people would say " You were great , funny , light " etc , but I'd always go to the negative and know I made 4/5 mistakes , sometimes a big one.

But , I love the feeling after , like completing a Bungee jump 55555 .

[LaFemmeFatale_1]

Exactly haha, the feeling after is just unmatched!

[molonski2]

My heartrate , its like running hard for 2k plus adrenaline.

[LaFemmeFatale_1]

Mine, as well! Isn’t it the best feeling ever?

[LaFemmeFatale_1]

I feel so invincible as If I just climbed Everest. And so energetic and breathing faster, I mean that’s just a crazy feeling and I miss it totally.

[molonski2]

I remember the first ever one , and honestly I was hopeless in hindsight , but I was so rapt that I finished , the feeling , can't really describe like floating on air or something , we had a big party that night , and I really partied hard , probably too much , but I was young and just kept going , it was like Superman effect or something.
I did improve from there , but more so just structure , technique , all the things you would know well , all the stuff they teach you. I look at all these television presenters differently too because I know how much training they get. I'd love to have done more TV , but never got the call up ! 5555555
You might thou?

[molonski2]

Yep , I know the feeling , racing heart , different rate of breathe , pumping , pumping.!!

[petitedollbabee]

600 people, watching me perform a 15 minute drum solo on stage. I had to do it in order to pass NCEA 2 in highschool. So nerve wracking.

[Nikki1989]

Just over 75,000 followers on Instagram many years ago.

[LaFemmeFatale_1]

That’s amazing. In real life?

[Nikki1989]

Yes, too much work though.

[LaFemmeFatale_1]

Wow! That must have been truly memorable to look at so many people from stage.

How did it feel?

[Nikki1989]

Overwhelming, to be honest.

[Gent207-2]

I gave a speech to over 200 - 8th graders on the realities of HS (back then they were in a separate building miles a part).

Their attention span is about 5 minutes and my presentation was at least 20-30 minutes. But according to a friend of mine, they talked about my speech for 2 weeks after I left. I remember one of them coming up to me afterwards, he was a little guy and I could tell he was in special Ed (just as I was back then), he walked up to me nervously saying "thank you, thank you so much".

It was a great experience. But in hindsight I really wish I had ran my slide show by another teacher. I think I could've made it so much better.

[AviatorTom]

When I was much younger, I was in a church choir. Between singing during church services and various concerts, maybe a few thousand people at a time.

[MementoMori777]

im more of the lurking in the shadows type of person, i can't do spotlights but it doesn't mean i dont enjoy being part of an audience, doing waves and shit 🙌🌊

[Sparkie460]

My biggest audience is 120 people. I belong to a business networking group that has 120 members and every weekly meeting we get up and talk in front of everyone

[exitseven]

For a live audience it was probably when I was in Glee Club in 5th grade. We gave a concert for all the parents. Maybe 4 or 5 hundred people.

[msc545]

About 10,000 people at a music festival.

[LaFemmeFatale_1]

Wow! I wish I could attend.

[Sharkstealth]

I have been in acting and singing solos. I don't have a clue what the audience sizes were.

[FunkyMonkee]

I have no idea, maybe 8 or 10 dozen.

[legalboxers]

20 people. on Traffic Control and Safety

[dinojames22]

75..

[LaFemmeFatale_1]

Wonderful.

[Christoff92]

Don't really remember. Really.

[BLP11520]

2500, I was part a HS Choir

[justabuddy]

Nothing that size.

[justabuddy]

A few hundred maybe.