Audience psychology

The five moves

Same rhythm, every week.

1. 1 — Study

   The first 60 seconds of ten specials.

   Watch on purpose. Specific comedians, specific reason.

2. 2 — Deconstruct

   Note how each comic asks for permission before they need it.

   Isolate one mechanism. Name it before you use it.

3. 3 — Write

   Your own permission move — the line that tells a room how to take you.

   10–25 premises minimum. Quantity buys quality.

4. 4 — Perform

   Use it at the top of your next set.

   Somewhere live. The classroom is useful; the audience is the laboratory.

5. 5 — Review

   Did the room relax? Measure by how early the first laugh came.

   Watch the tape. Log what the room did, not what you felt.