The One-Word Secret to Great Performances

Yes, the title is true. There is, in my opinion, one word that leads to great performances.

That word?

Routine.

When I say “routine” I am not talking about structuring a routine, as in several elements of a cohesive plot in a magic or mentalism show.

I’m talking about consistency. About doing things the same way every time.

Before I continue, I’ll add that I was supposed to write about the third step in our 5-part success series today. But something happened at a gig yesterday that made me decide to postpone that topic until next week.

But if you understand what I’m going to share with you today, it’s super valuable. And a fundamental key to success.

Here’s the story. Yesterday I was booked to perform my science show at a school, I’ve done it a million times before. I can do my taxes in my head while I perform this show.

But yesterday, I changed one tiny thing about the show. And it came back to bite me.

In my science show, I have an experiment with a lever. I use a 10-foot-long piece of wood as the shaft of a lever. Underneath the shaft is a big block of wood serving as the fulcrum.

Three kids stand on one end of the shaft. One kid stands on the other…lifting the other three kids.

It’s a great visual and illustrates a lot of cool scientific principles.

This ten-foot-long length of wood is hinged in the middle, allowing me to fold it in half and place a five-foot-long length of wood in my SUV for compact transport.

I normally place the folded length of wood upright on the right side of my performing area.

I line up the kids on my left, go grab the wood from my right, and we are ready for the routine. I lay the block of wood as the fulcrum on the stage. I take the shaft, the longer piece of wood, and unfold it so it’s laying across the fulcrum.

Yesterday I only had access to my sound system on the right side of the stage. I use a Bose L1, which is a single-speaker system.

Because my system had to be plugged in on my right, that meant I’d have to walk right in front of my speaker to get the lever.

I’m a chatterbox when I perform, often making comments and such even as I’m grabbing props to keep the energy of the show up.

Here’s where I messed up.

I decided to place both parts of my lever on the left side of my stage. The opposite of what I normally do.

The result? When it came time to set the shaft on the fulcrum, my brain short-circuited. I inexplicably could not remember where to put the shaft on top of the fulcrum. (For this stunt to work, the fulcrum must be off-center. It’s a science thing.)

So, as I struggle to remember this simple placement, I had all four kids get on the board. Then off. And back on.

Three times.

I frustrated the heck out of myself.

Fortunately, I had two more routines following that one and the show ended on a high note.

But here’s the reason why my brain couldn’t remember where to put the fulcrum.

I had done it so many times before that once my routine was broken, I was in trouble.

I’m a big believer in routining your shows so you know exactly where everything should go.

I can’t stand breaking in new material. I like to have a show set with stuff that’s bombproof. I know the tricks work. I know what the reactions are going to be. I know which jokes will land.

While this might sound restrictive, it’s not. If you like to improvise or adlib during a show, having structure and a set place for every prop allows you to go on auto-pilot.

You know the moves and your script so well that half of your brain can be focused on the audience and their reactions. You can find places to insert a funny joke that you thought of on the spot.

But when you don’t have a set place for props, or your lines are not polished, it shows. The audience sees you thinking, which is never good.

And I know there are many of your reading this who don’t have set lineups for your shows. You create a show setlist based on the needs of the audience. Got 30 five-year-olds in the audience?

“Great,” you think. “I’ll use tricks A, M, N, P, V, and Z.”

Got a mixed audience of 300 people ranging from toddlers to grandparents?

“No problem,” you say. “I’ll use tricks, A, B, D, F, M, and Z.”

That’s wonderful. But the point I’m making is this…if possible, every time you know you are going to perform trick M or Z, you have a set place for the trick. You already know where your body has to be. Where you need to face. Which hand do you use to pick up said prop?

Without this kind of preplanning, the audience notices. Eugene Burger used to call it ‘wobbling.’

Me? I look at it like a scared cat.

Bring a new cat home from the SPCA or the pet store. Let it out. It looks around cautiously., You can see the cat thinking, trying to determine the safest place to go.

Contrast that with our stray cat, Biscuit. (I didn’t name the cat.)

The first night this stray cat decided to come into our new home and live with us, my dog Stanlee bolted after the cat. She immediately turned and ran up the stairs without hesitation. Like she had been there before.

Our theory is the former owners of this house abandoned her when they sold us the house and moved.

So, Biscuit the cat knew right where to go to escape my dog. No hesitation.

No wobbling.

If you’re building your routines, practice having them in the same place every time you perform them. You’ll get smoother over time. More professional.

It’s literally what separates good performing from bad performing.

Want to get a professional to review your show? I offer consulting services for magicians. Here’s what a recent client had to say:

  "I've found that sometimes when you're looking to learn more about something, you can save a lot of time and energy by asking for help, rather than doing tons of research and trial and error on your own. The problem is finding someone who's an expert at what you're looking to learn. Cris was exactly the expert I needed and was extremely generous with his knowledge and willing to help!

    I took a chance and contacted him directly to see if he might be willing to work with me on coming up with ideas for magic routines that incorporate a larger number of volunteers. I know a very important element in school assembly shows is lots of audience participation, and other than a mismade flag routine that gets three kids onstage, everything else I do only gets one or two kids up at a time. So, what I needed was a brainstorming session with someone who's worked in the market I'm looking to perform in, and who has had experience with tried-and-true routines and ideas that maximize audience participation.

    Cris responded promptly and offered some initial suggestions for me via email. We then scheduled a one-hour Zoom consulting session, which was exactly what I was hoping for. I came prepared with a pad and paper to take notes, and Cris came prepared with precisely the information I was looking for. I was scribbling furiously throughout the session, taking notes as he spoke, and adding multiple new ideas we came up with as we went. It was fantastic! Cris shared routines and ideas directly from his performing experience, and since he's done thousands of shows, he's got advice and tips in there that go far above and beyond anything I'd think up on my own.  It included simple things like audience triggers that set expectations for a trick and maximize the response, volunteer management, and hilarious ad-libbed moments that Cris came up with on his own during performances. He held nothing back, and I was able to ask lots of questions along the way. He also shared a routine idea for a trick I was already considering as a closer to my show, and it expanded the performance from being an already strong solo piece to an incredibly powerful show closer that gets 7 kids onstage to all be part of sharing a key message in the show. This alone was worth more than the cost of the entire session.

    Cris's consulting session was a hugely valuable experience for me, and I very much appreciated that he paid close attention ahead of time to exactly what it was that I wanted to walk away with after the session. He delivered all of that and more, and it turned out to be a genuinely fun experience for me, too! Even though we got straight to the point on what I wanted the session to focus on, Cris is just an all-around nice guy, and conversational in nature, so it felt more like chatting and brainstorming with a friend, rather than some sort of transactional scripted experience. And Cris even stuck around a bit longer than planned when I had a few more questions for him, as I could tell he really did want to make sure that I left with knowledge and direction that were beyond what I was expecting.

    I booked this session thinking it would be a one-time thing, but I can tell that Cris has plenty more to share, and I know I have lots to learn, so I'll definitely be back for more. Thanks again Cris for exceeding expectations, and to anyone looking for some one-on-one assistance and direction with marketing, school shows, and any of the myriad other things Cris specializes in, I'd highly recommend scheduling a personalized Zoom session with him for a chance to tap into his decades of experience (unless you've got a few decades to learn it all on your own!)."

-Tricky Tim

Want more info? Drop me a line at crisjohnsoninfo@verizon.net.

P.S. By the way…whenever you’re ready, here are 4 ways I can help you grow your magic business to book more shows at higher fees:


1. Grab my FREE report for professional working magicians.



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Not sure how to move your magic business forward? I’ll analyze your complete magic business (website, market, competition, and more) and give you a complete game plan for getting your performing business to the next level. Find out how by clicking HERE.


4. Work with me privately.


Need help in multiple areas? I can help you with your website, direct mail, email, or other marketing strategies. I also offer consulting services for crafting magic routines or even entire shows. Want to find out more? Shoot me an email at cris@theprofessionalmagicianclubpro.com.

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