Learning from Nightclub DJ’s
A long time ago, I visited the Spanish island of Ibiza. For those of you who do not know, Ibiza is known as the nightclub capital of the world.
I spent a week there, clubbing, drinking and eating vast quantities of unhealthy food. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life and I came away inspired by the DJs in the clubs. They were professional – no alcohol drinking, they were entertaining and they knew exactly what their audiences wanted and when to give it to them.
I came away so inspired that I began a mobile disco with one of my best friends and spent the next three years going round weddings, Christmas and birthday parties doing discos. It was one of the best times of my life.
Since then I have had a very big love for dance music and in particular with house music. I can listen to it any time of the day.
All professional DJs know about giving audiences what they want. They know how to begin a ‘set’ – the name they give to giving a performance – and they know when to build up to the climax of their particular set.
DJs also know what to play at different times of the night. If they are doing the early set, then they play slower music, building up the beats per minute towards midnight when the music becomes high tempo and their audiences are on the dance floor dancing and chanting.
As presenters we need to know how to ‘play’ to our audiences. We need to know when to give our audience the highlight of our presentation and we need to know when to slow things down or speed things up.
How do DJs do this? They practice. Almost all DJs I know, whether they are amateur, like I was, or professional like the DJ pictured about (David Guetta – one of my favourites) they spend all week practicing before an event – checking that the music mixes well and practicing set after set to make sure everything just works.
What we can learn from these DJs is how to get our audience’s attention with the right kind of information at the right time. maybe you want to begin your presentation slowly and build up to the climax, or perhaps you want to begin with something big and surprise your audience.
Whichever way you choose, as a presenter you have the power, but you also need the energy. It is no good just standing there behind a lectern or podium not moving. You have to show your audience you care, you have to show your energy and you have to show your passion for what you are presenting about. That is what makes the superstar DJs like David Guetta so successful. It is their energy and they knowledge of what their audiences want.
For those of you who enjoy a little dance music – take a look at the video below of David Guetta doing a set at le Redlight Nightclub in Paris. It is just so inspiring.
One more thing…
With all that technology they use, things do go wrong from time to time. All DJs I know have back up systems ready and waiting to start – just in case something goes wrong. Do you have a backup system ready and waiting?
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