Familiarize yourself with hypnosis techniques. Although it is not always necessarily required to learn hypnosis to be a stage hypnotist, it is important to be able to appear that you can hypnotize people.
Decide which induction technique you will use. Hypnotic induction techniques vary from the eye fixation method, which requires the subject to focus on an object like a watch, or the handshake method, where the hypnotist shakes the hand of the subject and while holding the hand, fixes his or her eye contact and brings the subject under hypnosis. (For more information on hypnotic induction techniques, see Resources below.)
Set up a live show. Once you are confident about your hypnosis techniques, set up a live show where you can practice and hone your skills. Community centers and schools are great places to book live shows, as they are often looking for live performances.
If you are not a professional hypnotist, insert planted friends into your audience. Call your friends onstage as hypnosis subjects until you feel more comfortable using strangers. Many stage hypnotists whisper a phrase to the extent of "Do everything that I say" into the ear of their volunteer before attempting to hypnotize him or her. This way, even if the subject is not hypnotized, he or she will still play along.
Hone your stage hypnosis skills. Several stage hypnotists make very good money teaching stage hypnosis classes. Although it's not necessary to take classes to become a stage hypnosis, it helps to get an idea of what the competition is doing and what trends are interesting in the hypnosis world. (To learn more about hypnosis training courses in your area see Resources below.)