# @colincloud on Instagram

- **Type:** Video
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DdWnzBTsDSW
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/70516660-colincloud-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/ae75c2676a.jpg
- **Posted:** 2026-09-16T15:40:19.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Colin Cloud (@colincloud) — https://gondola.cc/colincloud

## Caption

Day-of-show-routines are interesting.

When I’m somewhere remote, it’s easy to exercise, relax, write and generally pretend I have my life together.

Put me in a city, though, and I’d much rather get outside and absorb the buzz and energy of the place.

Unless it’s raining. This hair mustn’t get wet.

Then I usually spend an hour doing something that probably surprises people. I study. Not my material. Them.

I’ll deep dive into the company I’m performing for — their culture, what matters to them, how they communicate, what they’ve been talking about, and what the other speakers are sharing.

Not because I want to completely rewrite my show around them, but because understanding the mindset of the room before I walk into it helps me find the right tone.

And that matters. Yesterday was 400 people. Today is 40. That changes the dynamic massively.

Big audiences are often much easier to perform for. If the opening is strong and the content is solid, there’s an energy that builds almost automatically.

Smaller groups can be completely different. Especially when they don’t know each other.

There’s often a little more reservation at the beginning. Less collective energy. Fewer people willing to be the first person to put their hand up, shout something out or look like an idiot.

Which, ironically, is where I have the most fun.

Because then it becomes a game.

How do I unlock them?

I’ll get there early, watch how they interact with the other speakers, listen to the language they use, see what makes them laugh and figure out where their energy is sitting.

Then I adjust. Not the show. The approach.

Because performing to a room isn’t really about making 40, 400 or 4,000 people fit into your performance.

It’s about understanding the room you’ve actually got in front of you.

And the one thing I always remind myself before I walk onstage is this:

It’s not my job to force them to have a good time.

It’s my job to make them feel safe enough to have one.

Once they trust you, you can take them pretty much anywhere.

#life #tour #magic #comedy #speaker

## Stats

- **Views:** 0
- **Likes:** 71
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- **Comments:** 10

## Tags

magic, tour, comedy, life, speaker

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