The Wave is one way of showing group enthusiasm and support at any event—concert, cheering competition, sports event, and practically any event where a cheerful crowd is expected. There are many instances where the wave was done almost spontaneously, without prior coordination or order from a crowd leader.
It just came as a normal response to a happy event. But there are also cases where a wave has to be well-planned. Think of TV shows, movies, and other types of settings that require a visually perfect wave.
What if that task of planning and coordination falls on you? How are you supposed to coordinate tens and hundreds (or thousands) of people to do the wave? Easy. Learn how to do that by reading the tips below.
Understand how wave works
Before you do all the coordination, you must first know how a wave should look like. Visually, wave is an undulating movement that comes from sections of people who rise, raise and drop their arms, and sit back in a successive order. It got its name from that wavelike visual pattern.
Assign the people at the extreme left side of the bleacher to do the first wave. Wave is usually started at the extreme left side, so you must talk to the crowd on this side to do the first wave after the cue. The cue can take any form. It can be a fireworks display, a dance number, a celebrity, or a game.
Tell the crowd to pick up the wave movement immediately after the person before them. There shouldn’t be any break in wave. A crowd member should immediately stand and raise his arms as soon as the person next to him stands and raise his arms. There should be a continuous flow of movements, and one stalling from one member or section can affect the visual effect.
Do the backward wave
The people at the extreme right side of the bleacher will end the wave, but for a more exciting wave experience, tell the right side audience to start another wave.
So when the people in the last columns end the first wave, the people next to them should stand and raise their hands for the second time until the wave movement reaches back to the extreme left side of the bleacher.
Distribute props
If you want to have more exciting visuals, make use of props like balloons. Each member of the crowd should have a balloon, so when they make a wave, the balloons add up to the color and movement pattern.
If you want, you can also ask the crowd members to wear one shirt color, or you can assign one color to each section. This will make the wave movement sharper and more pleasing to the eyes.
It doesn’t take a lot of practice to perfect the wave. It is likely that most, if not all, of your crowd members have done it before and know how it works, so coaching is not that needed.
And even if some of them don’t know the wave, they can pick it up instantly by just joining in the fun.