Standing up before an audience of any type is hard. Love stand-up comedy, but not quite making it? Making them laugh can be a serious business, and if your act is not quite what you want, whether you are a professional or just do it for laughs – but don't get many – there is a solution to your problem.

You see, making people laugh is about how you behave on stage, and what you say and do – the doing can make people laugh as much or more than the saying. So how do you improve your performance?

Practice in Front of a Mirror

For a start you should practice in front of the mirror, making as much noise as you want, and moving around, too. What exactly does that funny face you pull look like? Funny or stupid? Actually, there is not much difference between funny and stupid, so one thing you need to do is be prepared to look very stupid – that has made some stand up comedians very successful.

You also need to master the art of looking totally self-confident whatever you are doing, even if it is being silly! Get totally immersed in the person you are portraying on the stage – don't just tell jokes. Of course, the jokes and stories are the essence of stand-up comedy, but you want your act to be a real act.

If you are one of those guys that relies on a certain set of clothing, and can just stand and talk, deadpan, or excited, or whatever is your style that is fine, but the important thing is to make what you do into an act.

Get a Method

To turn your act into a roaring success, you want a structure and method. If you want help to:

** Plan your stand-up comedy routine

** Avoid feeling nervous when you arrive on stage – and maybe even showing it

** Know when to speak and when to pause

** Remember your lines – it is fatal to forget the punch line and get it wrong

** Give your voice more strength, so everyone in the hall feels that you are someone!