I did my first public performance in 1951 at the age of 16, and, I was so nervous, my shoes wouldn't stay tied up.That went on for years, and, I would always ask myself, "Why are you doing this? You are as nervous as a Christian Scientist with a severed artery, quit doing this," Well, I didn't. One day about 15 years ago, I had a revelation from my higher power which told me that what I have is not mine. It is a gift which I am expected to share with anyone who appreciates it. I am nothing more than a vessel, a conductor, a messenger from God if you will. The day I stopped taking responsibility for what was not really mine, the nerves began to calm down. Now, I give thanks to the creator for that gift, and, I can, and have performed for large audiences, including The Today Show, and, On the Road, with Charles Kuralt.
One final thing, convince yourself that there are no enemies in that room, only friends, talk TO them not AT them.If there is one asshole in the room, you can bet the rest of the audience wishes it would leave too.
Actually, I've had a lot of fun with hecklers.. on those rare occassions when I did have one..as long as I have the mike, it's easy to make a fool out of one, most of them really dont need any help from me.
I didn't mean this to be a sermon, but, there are nearly 50 years of experiences here.