The Benefits Of Silence For Your Magic

It was one month ago. I was sitting in a theatre watching a magic gala show. Some of the performers were really good; others were average. So far, so good.

At one point, a magician took the stage and started speaking. Ten minutes later, he was still speaking. I have no problem with long acts. But the words the magician uttered were pointless and uninteresting, and nothing magical was happening on stage. All of a sudden, a lady in the audience yelled: "Just shut up!"

Immediately, I felt terrible for the performer. 

Then, I mentally cursed the lady. 

Yet, I believe she said what everyone was thinking.

We couldn't take it anymore.

I pondered for a while what didn't feel right in that performance. Okay, that guy was doing no tricks, but people can be interesting even without performing magic. The atmosphere on stage was static, but not everyone had to use crazy electronics or a 100-member dance company to create a good performance.

Then, I reconsidered what the (rude) lady had said. Just shut up.

Amidst all that talking, that act needed a pause. Silence. To break the rhythm. Let the audience breathe and give people time to shape their thoughts.

How about silence?

I deeply love good storytelling and admire those with the skills to emphasize magical effects only with words. Yet, there are times when all magicians need to do is stop talking.

My two biggest loves in life are psychology and magic. I have been doing magic since I was a little kid, and my passion for it led me to compete as a finalist at the World Magic Championships. On the other hand, I am enrolled in a Master's program in clinical psychology.

I want to share with you what magic and my background in psychology have taught me regarding the use of silence and when, why, and how you can use it to enhance your magic tricks.

Silence and creativity

Nowadays, our hearing is constantly under stress: silence is rare. When it comes, it draws attention to itself. Silence allows us to embrace the present moment without any distractions.

Sometimes, external stimuli are too much, and all that is needed is to lower the volume.

One thing that struck me a lot is what happens to our brains during silence. The absence of sounds causes a positive stress response that stimulates the growth of new brain cells. The brain recovers some of its cognitive abilities and releases its constant focus. This leads to enhanced self-control, self-awareness, productivity, problem-solving, and - believe it or not - creativity.

Have you ever had trouble creating magic? Have you ever been unable to find the solution to an effect? Psychologists advise surrounding yourself with silence to make room for sparks of creativity and inspired actions. Find a quiet place, switch off your phone and allow your brain to create magic without distractions.

Silence is scary 

Why do magicians sometimes speak much more than necessary while narrating stories in their acts?

Once again, I sought an answer from psychology. I discovered that unnecessary words or the need to rush to speak come from our most instinctive side, from the legacy of our prehistory. In moments of silence, the brain mobilizes to survive, protecting itself from danger. Silence creates embarrassment, anxiety and concern. Automatically, we are driven to fill it with words.

For example, have you ever awkwardly paused during a performance? Whether it's because you messed up a trick or because the spectator was taking ages to get on stage, you may have felt deeply uncomfortable. That silence seemed to last minutes. You felt all the eyes of the spectators on you.

Because silence scares us performers.

However, sometimes, we need it to enhance our magic drastically. That's why I put together some tips on how to use silence to elevate your magic.

Tips from psychology: silence while talking

1. Like what happened with the magician at the beginning of this article, if our brain perceives a monotonous speech, it stops assimilating key concepts. When it hears silence, however, attention is activated. Pauses in speech should not always happen after the same amount of seconds; otherwise, the brain goes through habituation. Pauses should be scattered, creating a lively rhythm in speech. Our brain loves to play.

2. Try to pause after rhetorical questions: they stimulate attention and lead the interlocutor to reflect on what you have just said. Without pause after such a question, the audience wouldn't have time to assimilate it.

3. When I first started incorporating pauses in my performances, I was scared. During any pause, I felt like people were expecting me to do something. So, I counted to keep my mind engaged. During the silence, I would maintain eye contact with spectators and count (1 Mississippi, 2 Mississippi…), depending on how many seconds I wanted my pause to be. Maybe this little tip will help you, too.

Silence creates connections with your spectators.

Without pausing and allowing the spectators to be themselves on stage with you, they can sometimes feel like an accessory or a prop to the trick itself.

It's the same technique that psychotherapists use: instead of asking another question to the patient, they make a long pause. Usually, it is precisely in that silence that the patient opens up.

You can use the same strategy during your performance. The spectator might surprise you if you carve out moments where you remain silent. They may add something you can utilize for cold reading or to make a joke, creating more interesting situations for your audience, who might feel involved and react even more. 

And all of this can arise easily from a few moments of additional silence.

How do you remember to take pauses?

If you use written scripts, I suggest writing down the points where you should pause – mark them on your script.

If you follow an outline, you can take a short pause before keywords and a long pause right after them. The brief pause preceding creates anticipation. The following pause makes people reflect on what you have just said, solidifying your message in their minds.

Even if you improvise, try adding some extra pauses in your speech. Experiment, have fun. Furthermore, if you are not following a script but you are performing a magic effect, you could try to link pauses to specific physical gestures so that, every time you perform a certain action, you know you have to make a pause in your speech.

… Boo! 

Max Maven sometimes started his show in full silence. For long moments, all the audience's attention was entirely on him, everyone waiting for something to happen. After endless seconds, he would say: "Boo!" and the spectators would burst into loud laughter. If that's not audience management… 

Imagine if there was, within a show, an entire silent act. Not even with music. Just the pure sound of silence and your own magic. Wouldn't that be different from what we usually see in magic?

These are some psychological reflections from the time a (now cursed forever) spectator who shouted in the middle of a show. Magicians don't have to stop talking entirely, but it's good to learn how to use silence to keep the audience's attention high and to create vivacity and movement in our performances.

Let's try, sometimes, to close our mouths. Remember, we have hands, eyes, and shoulders. Our bodies can do the talking.

Perhaps in silence, we can communicate even more.