Recently I recorded a Youtube clip from an open mic set. It’s a good idea to have a recent clip of a few minutes to send to bookers or people thinking about hiring you for a gig. If you can do a clean set, be sure your sample is clean as well. I’ve mentioned many times how many more opportunities that will give you to make good money.
If you’re like me, you cringe the entire time you watch or hear yourself. I’ll admit, if I would’ve recorded and listened to a fraction of my shows as diligently as I should have, I’d be a much better comic right now. Today I found a loophole and thought of this week’s tip: Watch your clip with the sound off. This is the easiest way to identify your ticks and incorrect body language. If you stand there with your arms crossed too often, it will be blatantly obvious with the sound off. If you focus too much on one side of the room, it will stand out. Pretty much every bad habit will be much easier to spot if you turn the sound off and focus on your body language.
For other comedy advice read my book, Don’t Wear Shorts on Stage. It’s available on Kindle, iTunes, Nook, or by paperback.
At the risk of obvious jokes like “I’d cringe too” and “You should always turn the sound off” here’s me at this week’s open mic doing my demo set:
Don't Wear Shorts on Stage 
I like to listen to my videos or audio recordings for crowd laughs, and whether the laughs were strong or weak. I let the audience response guide what I keep among my jokes.
Yeah, I think we all do that (or are supposed to). This was an alternative suggestion to dig a little deeper into becoming a better performer.