Last night I took my youngest son to The Wiggles concert in Vancouver. It was an absolute blast. There was dancing, crowd-work, acrobatics, costumed-creatures, and many smiling kids (adults too!). It was the kind of showmanship and execution audiences expect from one of the world’s most celebrated children’s entertainers. Here are five performance tips from the Wiggles that you can apply to your next presentation, meeting or halftime speech.
Perfect practice makes perfect
I never miss an opportunity to highlight a quote attributed to NBA superstar Larry Bird: “practice doesn’t make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect.” He’s right. When we practice something with mediocrity, like writing a blog post with 10 browser tabs open or public speaking while sitting in a chair and clicking through slides, we are more likely to perform in such a way. The Wiggles take performing seriously and clearly practice with perfection in mind – they missed few (if any) cues or transitions, timed dance moves gracefully, and did it all while managing an octopus, dog, dinosaur, unicorn, giraffe, and a malfunctioning sound system.
Improvise
Speaking of the malfunctioning sound system, the show started a bit late because of technical difficulties, but that didn’t stop the group from hitting the stage, engaging the audience without microphones, and working the crowd to buy some time. Simon, the red Wiggle, even high-fived my little guy. The show allowed for some improvisation, too, like reading cards from the audience and getting Captain Feathersword to echo funny phrases in funny voices (he clearly didn’t know what was coming, which delighted the audience and band members alike).
Improvising is a core leadership ability, especially as we are required to adapt faster than ever to the changing world of work.
Work with joy
Performing for kids isn’t for everyone. Most of us, really. The Wiggles, however, bring authentic joy to their work and it shows. Anthony, the blue Wiggle, has been with the group for nearly 30 years and, in addition to incredible residuals, brings joy to his work. On a night where there were unusual technical malfunctions and noticeable low energy from some band members, Anthony brought some contagious enthusiasm to the team and the crowd.
Serve your audience
Business is absolutely about employees, teammates and colleagues – Richard Branson even argues that employees come before customers. Engaging them with a great experience and compelling value proposition is critical. It’s also critical to maintain the virtuous circle of fans/clients and performers/business because without an audience there is no show. The Wiggles take their fans seriously. They presented handcrafted signs and art, read letters to the crowd, and took more time than expected to chat with kids and parents.
Bring a pirate
This is solid advice. Captain Feathersword, the band’s longstanding pirate sidekick, visited the upper balcony of Vancouver’s Orpheum theatre, did impressions of the group, was a good sport when asked to be funny on the spot, and was the best dressed person on stage. Your next performance might not specifically call for a pirate, but tomorrow is Halloween and having a pirate around is a good idea.
