Audience Feedback

There is an exchange between the storyteller and the audience. Audience members give feedback. Occasionally this is in the form of a very obvious verbal/audible response, like the one heckler, or people laughing or exclaiming something like “yes!” But there is also a lot of nonverbal feedback in facial expressions and the way people hold their bodies. Randy and Lance have both mentioned that this type of feedback can be deceptive. I loved Randy’s comparison to resting bitch face. Perhaps I can coin a new term: listening face. Some people have an attentive looking listening face. Others look bored or angry, but are engaged and enjoying the story. They just don’t look like it. This suggests that a lot of audience members are not consciously trying to give feedback through their facial expressions. In thinking about myself as a listener, I believe that I am often conscious of my end of the “conversation” and actively look engaged and appropriately responsive. I don’t think this is something that should be expected of audience members, but it can make a difference. I was in a storytelling practice group once where a storyteller suggested leading a workshop on “juicy faces” - training people how to be responsive audience members. In a different storytelling practice group, my friend admitted after telling a story that he looked more in my direction than in the direction of the other members of the group because I was more responsive. I don’t think I was taught to be a responsive audience member. I think it is a quirk of my personality or a result of my communication biases. I do think this kind of engagement comes from thinking of what is happening as a conversation rather than a “performance.” (In a staged theatrical performance the actors can not see the audience and usually will not change their performanced based on immediate audience feedback.)  What does it mean for reality storytelling events, where there is supposed to be a feeling of intimacy, that many audience members are not effectively communicating their engagement and interest?