For example, when I perform at birthday parties, I'll typically do a very old routine, making spring flowers appear inside a chick pan. As part of that, I'll have several assistants from audience at various stage, including one where I use a breakaway wand. For uninitiated, that's a wand that, unless it's held proper way, seemingly breaks in your hand. Since we performers are ones who should bear blame for this, I take blame myself, handing a normal wand to child, and holding breaking wand myself. Who broke prop? Me! Who looks foolish? Me, not volunteer. He's there to enjoy birthday party, not to be a scapegoat.

In short, if only that magician had pulled 'underwear out of thin air' when he was holding scarfs, what would have been different? The child volunteer would have laughed as well (assuming that he'd previously had trick work in her hands), audience would have laughed as well, and magician would have been remembered a little bit fonder than he was.

As Benjamin Franklin said, we have to learn from mistakes of others; we won't live long enough to make them all ourselves. So, let's learn to make ourselves butt of joke, not our audience. After all, we're being paid to be foolish; audience's job is to enjoy it. Remember, joke's on you -- as it should be.

(originally published at http://www.clown-ministry.com/Articles/fear-of-a-clown.html)

Finally, think about your clown make up. Remember that purpose of clown make up is to amplify your own natural features. Do not overdo your make up -- remember, less is more. You want to entertain children, not frighten them.