Bill Burr Quotes

If there were no rules about when to applaud, we in the audience would have the right response almost always.

I know two kinds of audiences only - one coughing, and one not coughing.

Ultimately, the best speakers are the ones who have put 10,000 hours into listening.

I once spoke to 9,000 people, but they managed to fit them all into a structure that resembled a Zeppelin hangar, so it was a contained space in which whatever laughter I generated could ricochet and hang around for a bit, encouraging others to join in.

I used to tell people when I preached at a church, 'If you want a great sermon, be a great audience.'

The idea of the show is that it's active and that children will become involved and watch the show, but also participate in the show. And I didn't know if that would work.

We like reactions - a reaction is walking out on us, a reaction is throwing tomatoes at the stage, that's a healthy psychological reaction.

If you lead with the anger, it will turn off the audience. And what I want is the audience to engage with the material and to listen and then to ask questions. I think that 'Ruined' was very successful at doing that.

When you meet people, show real appreciation, then genuine curiosity.

I can tell how I'm doing, and I can tell if the crowd is particularly dead.

I would love to do more on the stage; having actual contact with the audience is great. You can give them a good seeing to!

Listening to people keeps them entertained.

But communication is two-sided - vital and profound communication makes demands also on those who are to receive it... demands in the sense of concentration, of genuine effort to receive what is being communicated.

I loved the idea of touching base with an audience.

I think that if an audience is truly appreciative of a performance, they will show it. Sometimes though, there are little differences, and there are audiences that are very reserved even though they are enjoying the show.

I would rather speak to 500 men that would give me their attention that to 100,000 that would not.

It's essential that you make eye contact with your audience. You've got to know what's happening out there.

I feed off the audience a lot, their energy.

I generally enjoy talking with the audience - they give you so much. They've usually had a cocktail or two and they are wild, so it creates a fun environment.

I'm obsessed with audiences and obsessed with the journey that an audience goes on.

Whenever I speak at a conference, I try to catch a few of the other presentations. I tend to stand in the back and listen, observe, and get a general sense of the room.

I love performing in front of an audience. I like the questions; I like controversy.

I've worked in front of crowds of two hundred that sounded like a thousand, and I've worked in front of crowds of five thousand that sounded like two hundred. It really varies with the energy level with any given crowd on any given night.

The most important thing to remember is you must know your audience.

You watch the interview afterwards, and they didn't really say much, but it's interesting, funny, and engaging. Whereas I sit there and look a little bit too serious, and as soon as that happens then you're uncomfortable and you don't want to watch.