We all come along for different reasons...

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I signed up for Maggie’s comedy classes...

I hear this a LOT when I get new people coming along to my workshops, and it always makes me smile when they take something away; something unexpected...

Jo Baughan-Kiddle was one of those wonderful examples of those who have a 'ta-da' moment - an 'I CAN DO SOMETHING NEW AND IT WASN'T AS BAD AS I THOUGHT!'

At the beginning of my last 6 Week Online Comedy Course, Jo stated:

"I wasn’t sure what to expect when I signed up for Maggie’s comedy classes. I was a bit surprised at myself to be honest but I think I was looking for something different and something refreshing. It’d been a long time since I’d done anything like this especially when I realised I hadn’t done anything like this! Stand up comedy - me - are you serious?"

Yes - I am absolutely serious, that YOU can give new skills and talents a go, even if it's just out of curiosity or for fun. Not everyone I teach is a professional, or wants to learn comedy for performance. And that's why people are so surprised when they discover how funny they are, and why it's an amazing attribute which complements all walks of life.

Of course, there are stages to this discovery, and often it's a slow (sometimes challenging) process, as Jo explains:

"I’m the person who might be able to think of something witty to say the next day! Not helpful, yet with practice I surprised myself and I even felt I became more outgoing and spontaneous as time went on. The classes worked really well on Zoom. I didn’t have to go anywhere, just sit down and join in.

With Maggie’s structured lessons each week and her ongoing support and advice we all felt ‘just about able’ to face an audience at the end of the 6 weeks. For me it was ‘oh that’s weeks away I’ll worry about that nearer the time’ and then there it was and in front of people! Aaah! No!

But we all survived, and went on to join another class and do it all again! The classes brought a lot of fun and camaraderie, we all supported each other, and I really enjoyed meeting everyone each week. For me it gave a real sense of doing something creative and fun for myself and I love it! I’m signing up for the next class very soon - see you all there!"

I had asked Jo to write an honest account of her process during the course - a kind of case-study that gets to the heart of what I hope to achieve every time I open my computer, and in the past, when I have rocked-up to a venue to teach.

I just wanted to share this with you because I know that fear of the unknown can put a person off, from trying something out of their comfort zone... and come out the other side grinning :)