That’s why this short email from Re/Max international made my day.  (I worked for them at their Colorado headquarters recently.)  It is absolutely current, and made me feel like a million bucks.  Aw Shucks Re/Max!

Brad, One of our executives came up to me yesterday afternoon and said – “Ya know, I judge speakers by the amount of times I look at my iPhone while they’re talking.  I did not look once – thanks for bringing Brad in, he was a great speaker and the timing was perfect – really enjoyed it”.

We’ve had lots of positive comments and in my HR meeting today with other HR Executives I will gladly tout you and your message.   Thank you so much!!

P.L

Senior Vice President, Human Resources

RE/MAX International, Inc.

Denver, Colorado

Aw Shucks, Re/Max   It was my absolute total pleasure.  Thanks for taking the time to make me feel great.

Looking for a funny motivational speaker to do your keynote speech? Looking for something different? Real Estate your biz or not, I’dI bet you want to create lasting change.  Want to make them laugh while they learn?  If you’re in Colorado or across the globe,  Contact me here.

Brad Montgomery
Real Estate Speaker, iPhone User, Fan of Re-Max

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A How-To video series about how to be a motivational speaker.   In this very informal video in which Brad Montgomery — a funny motivational speaker — Brad asks fellow motivational speaker and Colorado speaker Elaine Dumler for a killer tip for folks on their way to being a paid professional speaker.    She offers up some excellent advice about being yourself on the platform — something that is very hard to do, but is crucial for your success as a speaker.

Check out the video:

Interested in learning how to use humor in your presentation? Check out Brad’s Got Mirth: Milking Your Presentation for all the Humor It’s Worth.

Learn more about how to be a motivational speaker with my how-to audio here.

Related:
Blog Posts:
How to Be a Motivational Speaker (Part 1) | Get a Mentor
How To Be A Motivational Speaker (2) Choose the Right Topic
How To Be Speaker (3) Format of a Keynote. A Template!
Adding Humor (1) The Act Out
Adding Humor (2): Give the Audience a Voice
Adding Humor (3) What to Do When Your Humor Bombs
Part 7: How to Be a Motivational Speaker — Find A Niche to Make you Rich
Part 8: Be a Professional Speaker — Be Authentic On the Platform

On YouTube
Part 1. Find a Speaker Mentor
Part 2. Choose a Correct Motivational Topic (on YouTube)
How to be a Motivational Speaker (3) on YouTube
Adding Humor (1) The Act Out (On YouTube)
Adding Humor (2): Give the Audience a Voice (on YouTube)
Adding Humor (3) What to Do When Your Humor Bombs (YouTube)
Part 7: How To be a Speaker — Find a Niche
Part 8: How to be a Motivational Speaker — Be Authentic on the Platform

More interested in reading than going to YouTube?   We’ve got your back!  Check out this transcription….

How to be a Motivational Speaker – Part 8 (Elaine Dumler on Authenticity)

Brad Montgomery:         Hi, this is Brad Montgomery from bradmontgomery.com with the continuing series on how to be a motivational speaker.  As I said before, I don’t know – I don’t have all the expertise, but I know people who do and we’re looking at ****my pal, Elaine Dumler.  Elaine Dumler is a college speaker who speaks nationally to everybody, but specializes in military audiences and today she’s going to tell us at least one tip about how to be a motivational speaker.  Go Elaine!

Elaine Dumler:         I think the best thing that you have to always remember to do when you’re speaking, especially if you’re working to motivate other people, is you’ve got to be real.  I think a lot of times we see speakers on the platform who are not the same person as they are maybe off having a beer, a cup of coffee or something.  You have to be who you are.  You want that type of connection and rapport that comes from just being your true self on the platform and letting you come out in everything that you do.  I think that’s what makes you someone that someone wants to listen to.  And if you’re going to add humor, and kind of make it funny, or you know, work kind of natural humor into it, it has to come from who you are.  And if it doesn’t come from your heart, then I don’t know where it’s coming from.

Brad Montgomery:         I think – thank you, Elaine – being you is important.  That’s why when I’m a motivational speaker, I always strive to be Elaine Dumler.  All right.  More tips on how to be a motivational speaker.  Stay tuned.  Thanks, Elaine.

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This group was especially fun for me because right now I’m a foster parent.  I’m one of the families these people — ok, actually their peers in Colorado — work with on a day to day basis.

Check out this video I made about them:

My familiarity — in such an intimate way — with foster care made this event special for two reasons.  First, the audience knew I wasn’t bluffing when I said, “I understand.”   Audiences crave authenticity in their motivational speakers, and because I have two foster kids myself, it was easy for me to be direct and honest.   Second, because of my familiarity with “The System” it made for some REALLY funny jokes.  I could joke in VERY specific ways about their jobs, their stresses, and their joys.

Thanks Texas Foster Care System (Children and Family Services!)  It was my absolute pleasure.

Mobile Post: Posted on-the-go by Brad Montgomery from his iPhone.

==

For those who prefer to read, here is a transcript of the video:

This is Brad Montgomery from BradMontgomery.com.  What a really cool afternoon we had.  So I’m still in Texas, but today we worked for Child Protective Service of Texas.

This is a government agency entrusted with dealing with kids who need help, kiddos in foster care and protecting kids who are in danger. I love doing this for a million reasons, but one of the things I love most is, some of you might know, I’m a foster dad right now.  We’ve got two little foster girls and it’s a lot of work.

One of the things we’ve learned is the social workers involved, the peers of the people I just spoke with, are really, really hardworking people working in a system that doesn’t get enough support, is under-funded, is under-trained, and if it wasn’t for these people, these kids would be suffering.  So it was my delight, I was totally flattered to deliver not just a motivational speech, which we did, and not just an inspirational speech, which we did, but also a message of appreciation because these social workers work hard and rarely get a thank you.  So we made them laugh and we made them laugh hard and we did all the things we were supposed to do as a motivational speaker, but the best part for me was as a foster dad, is to be able to look them in the eye and say it and mean it; thanks for all you do for foster children as Child Protection Service social workers.

So we were in Wichita Falls, Texas for about 160 people, absolute total blast.  Folks, keep up the good work, you’re doing amazing things.  It’s a pleasure to be your motivational speaker, and keep your eyes out for those kiddos; they need your help and you’re making a difference.  Thanks!

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A How-To video series about how to be a motivational speaker.   In this very informal video in which Brad Montgomery — a funny motivational speaker — Brad asks his pal and fellow motivational speaker and Colorado speaker Fred Berns for a killer tip for folks on their way to being a paid professional speaker.    He has some great advice about getting deep with one industry.

Check out the video:

Thanks Fred baby!

Interested in learning how to use humor in your presentation? Check out Brad’s Got Mirth: Milking Your Presentation for all the Humor It’s Worth.

Learn more about how to be a motivational speaker with my how-to audio here.

Related:
Blog Posts:
How to Be a Motivational Speaker (Part 1) | Get a Mentor
How To Be A Motivational Speaker (2) Choose the Right Topic
How To Be Speaker (3) Format of a Keynote. A Template!
Adding Humor (1) The Act Out
Adding Humor (2): Give the Audience a Voice
Adding Humor (3) What to Do When Your Humor Bombs
Part 7:  How to Be a Motivational Speaker — Find A Niche to Make you Rich
Part 8:  Be a Professional Speaker — Be Authentic On the Platform

More interested in reading the transcription than seeing the video.  No problem baby!  We have your back.  Here it is:

How to be a motivational Speaker.  Fred Berns on Niches

Brad Montgomery:         Hi, this is Brad Montgomery from bradmontgomery.com with the continuing series about how to be a motivational speaker.  So, I know you want to be a motivational speaker.  You don’t know how.  You want tips.  Well, I don’t have them all, but I’ve got friends who have them all.  We’re here with Fred Berns, one of the top speakers in Colorado.  He speaks on a million things, including sales.  Fred, can you give the listeners what’s it going to take to be a motivational speaker?

Fred Berns:         Well, I think to be a successful motivational speaker, it’s very important to have a specific niche.  I think a niche can make you rich.  And if you can zero in on a certain type of group, a different kind – a certain type of industry, I think you become viewed as an instant expert a lot more quickly.  You can sell books and products a lot more successfully.  You can be booked more often with, for larger amounts of money if you become the number one name in a specific industry.  So, I think the key here, Brad, is to niche because it can make you rich.

Brad Montgomery:                  Rock on!

On YouTube
Part 1. Find a Speaker Mentor
Part 2. Choose a Correct Motivational Topic (on YouTube)
How to be a Motivational Speaker (3) on YouTube
Adding Humor (1) The Act Out (On YouTube)
Adding Humor (2): Give the Audience a Voice (on YouTube)
Adding Humor (3) What to Do When Your Humor Bombs (YouTube)
Part 7: How To be a Speaker — Find a Niche
Part 8: How to be a Motivational Speaker — Be Authentic on the Platform

Humor is relative. (No, I don’t mean your relative is funny. I mean that what is funny to some people in some circumstances isn’t funny to others, and that’s OK.)

I recently spoke in Colorado for the Kaiser Permanente Palliative Care department. We had nurses, doctors, administrators, chaplains, and hospice partners… the whole team gathered for a day of celebration and a much needed dose of perspective—through humor.

This is hard-working team of health care professional who are constantly dealing with a difficult heavy job. And, judging by the laughter and volume from this particular group they really needed a break.

So we laughed. We joked about everything from what was served for lunch, to the party going on upstairs, to the fact that they had an off-site on a Saturday. But we also joked about the difficult and serious parts of their jobs. We even joked about death, hospice, and used a bit of black humor. (Maybe not black, but certainly very dark brown.)

In my job as a comedian motivational speaker, I’ve found that the groups with the most grizzly occupations are the quickest ones to joke about stuff that makes most of us blanch. Cops, firemen, ER nurses, — and hospice and palliative care folks not only joke about stuff that many people would find “crosses the line” of good taste, they HAVE to joke about it. It helps keep them healthy.

Humor helps with stress. And folks super stressful jobs will often turn to gallows humor to help them stay sane.

So, after agreeing that the jokes would “stay in the room,” we went for it. And the laughter followed.

Often people complain about humor that is “in bad taste” without understanding that often that humor is “in good health.” I once worked for a bunch of intensive care nurses who finally put up a plaque outside of the ICU that said something like, ‘If you see us laughing please know that this is not evidence that we are taking the care of your loved ones less seriously. It’s our way of dealing with the stress that is inherent with this job. And in the end, our laughter helps us provide the care that your family deserves.” Brilliant. Beautiful.

Back to Kaiser: I was impressed with how quickly this group was to laugh. But as I lead them through some exercises to help them connect humor and levity to increasing their ability to provide care and to serve their folks — and how keeping themselves sane in the end serves their patients, I was amazed at how quickly they got to the point.

In other words, this audience didn’t just run through the humor in the workplace exercises and try to move on. They lingered. They enjoyed. And they went deep. I think I might have learned as much as they did. Scratch that…. I definitely learned from them.

Thanks Kaiser Palliative Care. It was my absolute pleasure.

Are you looking for a health care motivational speaker, or palliative care / hospice speaker? I’d love to be your speaker. Go to the contact page now.

Yours,
Brad Montgomery
Palliative Care Speaker, Hospice Speaker, and Fan if Kaiser Palliative Health

Related:
Hospice video on YouTube
Kaiser Health Care Speaker video on Youtube
Sex, Beer and Death : A blog being a speaker for another Hospice organization
Funny Health Care Speaker home on my main website.

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(Besides, there was powder.  Lots of powder. : )

Check out my video message from ski slopes at Copper Mountain, Colorado:

Looking for a motivational speaker for your event? Contact me here.

Mobile Post: Posted on-the-go by Brad Montgomery from his iPhone.

For those of you who prefer to read, here is the transcription:

Hey, this is Brad Montgomery from bradmontgomery.com.

I got a message for you related to skiing. So, I’m in Colorado. I’m at Copper
Mountain. We’re at 12,000 feet. I just skied down that cliff. Check that out.
Okay, I didn’t ski down it well, but I did ski down the cliff and I had a good time.

Here’s my point. I didn’t want to go. I didn’t want to come today at all. If it
was my choice after being on the road in Florida and Pennsylvania, as a
motivational speaker, I was pooped and I really would have preferred to stay home
and watch the Olympics, drink hot chocolate, and, you know, read a cheap novel or
something. But because of my wife and because of my kids, we came up skiing
and Iím so glad I did.

So, here comes the message. I tell my audiences all the time this. What are you
going to do to create joy and happiness in your life starting today? What are you
going to do? And my choice was to do nothing and that was a mistake. I got here
and I had a good time and it’s awesome.

So, what are you going to do? Are you sitting around reading a book? Are you
watching the Olympics right now? Are you doing something that could be more
productive, that could be more fun? I’m pretty sure the answer’s probably yes. If
youíre like me, get going.

So, have fun. Make life fun. That means you got to actually do something to get
involved. If you like skiing, go for it. If you donít like skiing, find what you want
to do, have fun.

Looking for a motivational speaker?I’d  love to be your guy. Right now, I’m
going down there. Take care.

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Today can be a great day at work — for you and the people you’re leading.  But the only way to guarantee that it is great, is to make it so.   What are YOU going to do to make your leadership style, your management techniques, and your time at Re/Max fun, meaningful, and successful.

Are YOU looking for a motivational speaker who can fire up your group?  Whether or not you are from Colorado, we should talk? Contact me here.

Mobile Post: Posted on-the-go by Brad Montgomery from his iPhone.

Re/Max….what did YOU get out of our time together?  Leave a comment below and I’ll send you something for free.  (Nope…not an Escalade…but’s it’s cool.  And it’s free, so what do you have to lose?  : )

Yours,
Brad Montgomery
Colorado Motivational Speaker, Humor at Work Expert, Fan of Re/Max!

A while back I saw my old friend and fellow Colorado speaker Steve Spangler tear up a group of 100 teachers.  And by tear up I mean he was terrific… the audience loved him.

Steve and I have been friends since high school — which is fun partly because I’ve seen him grow from just a talented guy to a famous talented guy.

I stopped by to see one of his projects in person:  he invites teachers to come to his Science in the Rockies program where he teaches them science tips and tricks, all backed by curriculum they’ll incorporate in the classroom.  Sounds good to me.

But seeing the smiles on these teachers faces AS they learned was a good reminder of the importance of engaging an audience.  They weren’t sitting taking notes:  they were actively participating, laughing, talking to each other and to Steve.

It was a great reminder that people — even audiences — can multi-task.  You might incorrectly connect a silent audience staring at the presenter with an audience that gives a darn.  They might be deeply engaged…. or they might be quietly going over their shopping list in their heads.

Steve calls it “hands-on science.”  His audiences learn AND have fun.  (And you can bet your bottom dollar that because they are having fun, they retain more.)  But professional speakers of all types — motivational, funny, whatever! — can learn from this Colorado speaker.

Our audiences can and should be engaged.  They should be laughing.  They should be saying to their neighbor, “Hey!  That’s cool!”  And at least some of the time they should be actively playing with some cool toy or thing.  [Provided there is a concrete connection between the activity and the desired outcomes of the meeting planner.]

Why is engagement so important for speakers  — and meeting planners looking to hire a speaker?   Because, my friends, it’s 2009.  Audiences just won’t sit still like they used to.  In these days were distractions are plentiful (iPhones, Blackberries, wireless in convention hotels) and ROI needs to be extremely high, nobody can afford to plop a mediocre speaker in front of an audience who just barely cares enough to sit there.

Meeting planners demand results;  results demand engagement.

My point? If you need a speaker ask this question:  What specific activities will you do to physically engage my audience, and how to you plan to connect that engagement to what I’m trying to accomplish at the meeting.

Steve makes it work at his teacher boot camps;   good speakers make it work in the corporate and association world.

Now… my daughter. I brought my 12 year old along to see my friend in front of an audience.  Steve brought her up on stage to demonstrate to the teachers how they might teach a kid.  (Lucky Steve, I basically brought along a prop.)   The teachers had fun.  But my daughter had a BLAST!     (And best of all, Steve sent her home with an armload of goodies.)

She may not be the best scientist in Colorado… but by my eyes she’s the cutest.   (Even when Steve startled her with some electric current.)

Need an engaging funny motivational speaker?  Go to the contact page now.

Thanks Steve.  It was a great day.  [Note to readers:   don't go to Steve's store.  You'll end up spending way too much time looking at all the cool stuff and you'll end up buying stuff.   Seriously.  Don't do it.]

Brad Montgomery
Father of a Scientist, Colorado Speaker, Fan of Steve Spangler

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Diabetes Speaker

I was flattered to speak at a diabetes forum in Canon City, Colorado recently.  I love my job as a speaker.  And I love being a Colorado Speaker because I live here.  (Yay, no airplanes today!)

But this one was personal:  my daughter has Type 1 Diabetes.  This is a big deal, requires constant vigilance, and is a huge part of our family’s life.  I don’t have diabetes myself, but because of my daughter our family has become experts in the management and lifestyle that is diabetes.

So speaking to a bunch of diabetics was very cool — and very personal.  I spend some time researching every audience.  But when it is as part of my life as diabetes, it’s easy to share my passion.

But what was fun for me was that I have almost no wisdom when it comes to staying upbeat in spite of the disease.  Or, more accurately, all of the wisdom I do have comes from my 12 year old diabetic.  I’m fabulously proud of her and her ability to adapt to this disease.  She is a rock star.  Sure, she is well aware that she has a health issue that makes her unique from her friends.  But here ability to shrug it off and just deal with it — without complaining….. much — is astounding to her mom and I.

When I asked her what I should tell this group of people dealing with diabetes, and what she would recommend they do to stay upbeat in spite of it all she blew me away.  She said, “Tell them that you pretty much have diabetes whether or not you like it.  And the only thing you CAN do about it is to take care of yourself.”   Such simplicity.  Such wisdom.  It ticked me off that she could be so articulate at 1/4 my age.

I was to speak to a bunch of folks are facing major life style changes.  They are going to have to give up (or severely limit) some of their favorite foods and find a way to like foods they’ve never met.  They are going to have to change the way they live — and I was tasked with helping them to make this transition with humor and grace.

So I took my daughter’s message… along with my own funny stories and humor … to this forum sponsored by St. Thomas Moore Hospital. And it went well.   The message was right on.  I only wish I could take credit for it.

Thanks Canon City!  And thanks Claire.  It was a blast.

Are you looking for a health care speaker for your organization?   Whether or not you need a diabetes speaker, I’d love to be your guy.  Go to the Contact Page now.

Brad Montgomery
Proud Father of a Diabetic, Diabetes Speaker, New Fan of St. Thomas Moore

Related:

Info about how this Health Care Speaker can help your group
See a video of Brad as a health care speaker here (from YouTube)
An article about being a diabetes speaker with my daughter
Another diabetes  article

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I just had a breakfast with fellow Colorado motivational speaker John Sileo. I thought it would be fun to ask him for a tip about how to be a motivational speaker. Check out the video tip (recorded with my phone.)

Check out the second video in this series  where I talk about choosing the right topic for your motivational speech.

Learn more about how to be a motivational speaker with my audio here.

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Mobile Post: Posted on-the-go by Brad Montgomery from my phone.

For those of you who prefer to read, or cannot see the video….here ya go!

Brad Montgomery: This is Brad Montgomery from BradMontgomery.com.  One of the questions that I get all the time is how to be a motivational speaker.  Well lucky for you we’ve got one of Colorado’s premiere motivational speakers with me.  He is holding the camera right now.  It is security expert and motivational speaker, John Sileo.  We are going to ask him how to be a motivational speaker and give us a top tip.  So we are going to switch this, watch this.  Quick move.  And say, “Hello, my name is John Sileo.”

John Sileo: Hello, my name is John Sileo.  What else do you want me to say?

Brad Montgomery: How do you get to be a motivational speaker?

John Sileo: You get to know Brad Montgomery.  That’s the honest truth.  If I had one thing to give to people it would be its all about the people you learn from.  It is not necessarily the people you network with it’s not that they’re getting you jobs.  It’s that they’re the ones that let you know you are doing a good job when you are doing a bad job.  Brad for me was the person who finally said, “You know what?  This part of how you’re speaking is crap.  And you need to be more yourself.”  Very honest feedback.  And that one on one coaching that you get, not that you pay for that you get from another speaker, from a close friend, a mentor.  That to me has made all the difference in the world and that is what has made my speaking career so much fun and decent.

Brad Montgomery: Rock on.  You want to learn how to be a motivational speaker?  We’ll see you at BradMontgomery.com.

Years ago I did school assembly program called the Magic of Books.  It’s a motivational literacy program —

I use magic and comedy to demonstrate the cool things you can learn through reading.

I did at least 800 shows, and over 200 schools — nearly all of them in my home state of Colorado.  Recently, I donated the program to my kid’s school.  It was a hoot to have 2 of my kids in the audience, one of whom got up and did a magic trick on her own.  (My other kid was a “star” in a trick I did.)   To be honest, I thought this was the end of the story.

Check out this video we did at one of the schools here in Colorado:

But then in a fluke, a school from a nearby district called and asked me to do it.  “Yes!” I said before thinking.  (The assemblies are fun, but to be brutally honest, my corporate groups pay better.  Hey!  Kids need new shoes!)  Then I noticed that I had a spring in my step the whole day;  I was THRILLED to have booked the show because I love doing it.  Love it.

Guess what?  I’m back!  No, I’m not a school assembly guy.  But I am a motivational speaker who occationally likes doing school assemblies.  Because I love them.

I guess I could do it as an add-on to one of my corporate road trips.  But I’m assuming I’ll mostly do them here in Colorado in between speaking jobs.

Ok clients…don’t sweat it.  I’m not a kids performer.  But yeah, I love doing it and I’m gonna do maybe one school assembly per month.

Hey Colorado Schools?  Are you looking for a fun school assembly?   Offered by a guy who does it because of his passion?  Contact me here.

Yours,
Brad Montgomery
Occasional School Assembly Guy, Lover of School Assemblies, Believer in the Magic of Books

Related:
See the School Assembly program on Youtube.
More info on this School Assembly

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I always enjoy my job, but this keynote speech was a treat.  Because it was personal.  As you’ll see in this video clip, I got to do what I always do…. write and deliver customized humor and motivation for my client.   But in this case I got to take the customization one step further.

Check Out the video:

My mom and grandmother both died this year.  And both went through hospice care.  And both were cared for by Denver Hospice, which just happened to have a few representatives in the audience.  They had no idea who I was. And I had no idea if they would be there.  But, as luck would have it, early in the keynote I called on a random woman, asked her who she represented, and she said, “Denver Hospice.”   Two thousand people at the convention, eight hundred in my audience, and the SINGLE woman I call upon is from the organization that helped my family… twice! … in the past year.  I just smiled, and said, “I’ll come back to you.”

I had planned to thank Denver Hospice for the amazing grace and skill they demonstrated while helping us, my mom and my grandmother.  But who knew it’d be this easy!  (And hard…. you saw the video.)

Hospice folks…you do amazing work.  I’m flattered to be part of your team in Colorado — even if just for the day.   And I’m more thankful than you might guess.

Hey hospice and health care organizations!  Do YOU need a funny health care speaker who can motivate, entertain and inspire?  And who can do it from the heart?  (Oh, and did I mention that laughter goes a LONG way at health care conferences.)  I’m your guy.  Go to the contact page now.

Yours,
Brad Montgomery
Hospice Speaker, Health Care Speaker, Fan of Denver Hospice

Related:
Health Care Speaker
Hospice Speaker on YouTube
Health Care Speaker on YouTube
Hospice Speaker testimonial on Youtube from a hospice organization in Florida

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To my not-so-sure-they-can-be-funny speaking colleagues:

Hire Brad. He’s a little nuts, and that’s what some of us “straights” need to loosen up. It absolutely amazes me that he can watch my damn-good-already keynote once, and just throw out a half dozen goofy ideas that will make it a solid 15% better the next time I deliver it.

And then, I can build in his input and send it to him for a peek, thinking he might put me on his calendar for a thorough brush-up in a week or so. But, an hour later he shoots it back. He’s added wacky ideas that are totally fun and I can see myself doing. Plus, he gives me great staging tips.

It doesn’t take him long, and he doesn’t say much. Because he has this uncanny ability to know just the right word to be funny. When he shot back further suggestions to improve my talk, he even suggested “one single word” that will get a great laugh. “Braces.” That’s all, just adding that one word to one of the already very funny bits he had already inspired me to put in. I can’t wait to use it.

I think that’s a big part of what Brad does. He makes you, the speaker, feel like it’s going to be such fun to say “braces” at just the right moment. And since you feel good, the audience gets that and they want to feel good with you.

Remember that story about the guy who charges a hundred bucks to fix someone’s car and he just taps it once and the customer can’t understand how it could cost so much for just a tap? The mechanic says the tap costs a buck but the “knowing where to tap” costs 99 bucks. Brad knows where to tap.

My advice is to try to wangle a deal where you can pay him by the word. Because he’s not going to give you paragraphs of funny stories; he’s going to give you just a word here and there on top of a funny idea, and you’ll have the audience thinking you’re brilliant.

I was inducted into the CPAE Speaker Hall of Fame way back in 1989, and I ain’t found a funnier resource than Brad ever since. Or before.

Call me if you want to know more about the brilliance you’ll be hiring by asking Brad for his help.

George Walther (never wore braces)

Thanks George. Ok, now I’ll buy that beer I promised.

If you’re looking for a funny motivational speaker for your organization, I’d LOVE to be your guy. Go to the contact page

And if you’re a pro speaker looking for coaching on how to be funnier (or a business speaker preparing for a big presentation) I’d love to help you too! Go to the contact page

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Okay, it was none of the above. But it was fun.

I recently returned from Kansas where I was tasked with being a motivational speaker for a bunch of farmers — all members of Offerle Coop. I’m pretty sure that I wasn’t what they expected — fast talking jokester with a message about enjoying life. But I can tell you this: by the end of the night everybody — including me — was pumped. It was a good time.

They were celebrating their 100 year anniversary as a Grain Coop and invited me to address the Kansas group after a big dinner.

I loved it for a million reasons. Ok, maybe not a million; how ’bout five:

• I enjoyed my drive in. It’s a beautiful part of the country, and because I’m a city kid, I really enjoyed looking at the feed lots JAMMED with cattle. (Check out the video.)

Why else did I love being a motivational speaker at this Kansas event? Here are the remaining four:

• This audience wasn’t jaded. They didn’t come in with that Los Angeles or NYC attitude that they’ve seen it all. They weren’t a push-over audience; but they were open to giving the speaker a shot. That’s refreshing.

• It was a fun event, and I was proud to be part of it. Members of the Coop drove in from the entire region to celebrate, to get a steak, to meet with neighbors… and to hear little ol’ me. I think I’m not letting the cat out of the bag to say that not a Offerle Kansas doesn’t have a ton of entertainment options. So just the fact that they were having some dude from Colorado was news in itself. And we were in Dodge City… a fun trip for anybody in in SW Kansas!

• We got to poke fun at the farmers. There I was, this chatty, fast-talking speaker from Colorado clearly out of my element. So I made fun of me and how they barely let me in the door because I’ve never seen a true soybean. And I made fun of some of the men — good, hard working guys who are way more of the strong and silent type than I am. (There’s a shock, huh?) They answered my good-natured questions with one word answers which I accidentally (??) misunderstood. The women howled. The men thought it was hilarious. And I had one of the best nights of the year.

• It was a return trip for me. I had worked with Duane from the Coop a couple times in the past… years ago. It’s flattering to work for anybody. But being invited back (three times!) is five times cooler. (I know, I know. It’s weird speaker math.)

Thanks Offerle! I had a blast. And yup, the steak was delicious.

Brad Montgomery
Kansas Motivational Speaker, Fan of Coops, Fan of Offerle

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My pal and fellow Colorado Speaker Jay Arthur and I are in the same mastermind group.   After a discussion about reading in one of our meetings, he wrote the following letter, and I thought it was absolutely right on.  Check it out:

Years ago, I listened to a tape by motivational speaker Brian Tracy.
He said that if you read an hour a day, that in five years you’ll be a worldwide expert in your field.
I listened and adopted his advice.

In 1976, my friend Dave told me that “Everything you need to know is written in a book somewhere; all you need to do is find an author who speaks to you.” At that time, I was three years out of college and hadn’t read a book since.
I listened and adopted his advice.

And, I rarely buy a book anymore. I check them out of the library.
I found that too many books are “all feathers and no meat.”
Every once in awhile I find a book that’s really meaty and I buy a copy to highlight and review.

I’m going to suggest, that if we aren’t reading in our chosen field and other fields that might have stimulating ideas, that we are becoming obsolete and irrelevant.

Jay

Then I responded:

I’d like to chime in.   I second Jay’s advice.  I read all the time.  I love novels, but lately have read books about everything from Base Ball Strategy,  gourmet cooking, New York chefs (—I was on a roll!), West Point, D-Day, and John Adams.  I like them and feel that I’m learning about the world.  I think this type of reading is important.

But at the National Speakers Association CSP/ CPAE summit (I have at least one of those) my main take away might seem relevant.  And I’ll save you the $1500 it cost me to get it:   become a thought leader.   This means reading in my field and related fields and then be able to think and write uniquely in my field.

Seriously, that was what I got out of the seminar.  ALL of the people making big money are big thinkers.  Period. Product, speeches, consulting etc follow….they don’t lead.

So I immediately bought six books.  Four of them blow, but I’m going VERY slowly and carefully through the remaining two, which are awesome.    (I need to start working the library like Jay).   I’m on a roll and already have several other books cued up.

There are two immediate results from my reading:

1.    I’m learning stuff that is applicable to my writing (blogs/books) and to my keynote.  I’m taking organized concrete steps toward increasing my expertise and ability to be a thought leader.

2.  I feel damn good about myself because I know this is a good idea.  And I’m taking the time to read, take notes, highlight, try to think of it thru’ my eyes as a ‘happiness/humor-at-work guy.”    Seriously, I feel great about doing this. I’m an idiot for not adopting it sooner.

I’m still reading about cool stuff that I love.  And I still love novels. But now, as part of my work week I’m reading.

My main goals in my work day include only 4 things:
1.  website improvement and maintenance.
2.  Work towards being a thought leader.   (Read now, write soon)
3.  Work all incoming calls/email leads to death.
4.  Build a herd.

Everything else is either secondary or a subset of one of the top 4.

Thanks Jay for starting the conversation.

Brad

So my question to you is:  what are YOU reading, and why?   Can you learn, as I have, from Jay and others like him?  Read now and you’ll be an expert before you know it.

Need an expert on how humor and happiness effect our productivity at work?  Go to the contact page now.

Note:  Dear Readers:  Please comment below and tell me what you are reading now!

Yours,

Brad Montgomery
Motivational Speaker, Reader, and…. Thought Leader!

PS.  Sign up for Jay’s ezines at Sign up for Jay’s ezines at www.qimacros.com/freestuff.html and www.qimacros.com/freeknow.html

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I had the excellent fortune of speaking to the Colorado Dude and Guest Ranch Association a few months ago. It was a fun gig: we were in the Ritz Carlton in the Colorado Rockies. A great group of people shared motivational laughter and fun.

One thing I love about my job is I get to learn bits and pieces of many industries. In prepping for the Association keynote, I was coached on how ranches work, what the loves and stresses are, and where the industry is headed.

Normally this would be the end of a good story: I love my job and love speaking. But the story is just getting started…

My family and I recently returned from a stay with one of the member dude ranches of the Colorado association. We went to North Folk Ranch, in Shawnee, Colorado. It’s known for fishing and horse riding. And for full-on gourmet food. It was a TOTAL blast being able to see and experience the very same industry I spoke to. I think I would have enjoyed any ranch. But the North Fork in particular was total first-class, top-shelf joy.

Let me qualify the following story by saying that I had an outstanding time. The staff, the food, the views, the facilities, and Karen and Dean May (the owners) absolutely rocked. I recommend that all of you pick up your phone now and make a reservation at the North Fork Ranch.

I’d only offer one piece of advice for you, dear readers. Don’t get on a horse. Seriously. Don’t do it. They hurt.

They put me on a horse that was apparently large. (From my perspective, they are all flippin’ huge. I’m a city boy and I’m afraid of big dogs.) I had to get on some ladder thingy to mount my horse. (This is only slightly embarrassing…. none of the real horse people seem to need a boost.)

An hour and a half of bouncy excruciating horsing later, I was convinced that the fine folks at Guantanamo have it wrong: they don’t need water boarding. Just put terrorists on a horse for 90 minutes and bounce them though the Rockies and they will give up their best friend. Seriously, it’s a slow torture.

I couldn’t move. My legs were frozen. My butt hurt more than you can say, “Oh my gosh this saddle is huge.”

The wranglers practically needed a crane to get me off. (Getting off on my own was out of the question: The Abe Lincoln at the Wax Museum could move better than I could at that moment. After I got off I stood very, VERY still. I waited. Some blood came back. In 40 or 50 minutes I was able to walk again. (Ok, maybe not that long. But in Horse Time, it had to be forever.)

The wranglers were kind; they didn’t laugh even a little. (Until I left.) They told me the horse was too big for me. I’m certain they lied to make me feel less like an idiot. (Nobody else seemed to be in agony. Every other guest seemed to jump right off, pat their horse and head in for lemonade. But try as I might, my legs wouldn’t budge.) My kids thought that the fact that I was stiffer than an I-Beam was hilarious.

Still, I had a total ball. Nobody made me go on another ride — though they did take me on a couple of shorter rides on a smaller horse. Yes, it did hurt less. The smaller horse was no longer like being drawn and quartered. It was more like being pulled like a wishbone.

We retreated to fabulous views, gourmet luxury, a wildly unique “Mountain Man,” wonderful company, and even a late night, after-hours-under-the-stars visit to the hot tub.

My wife loved it. My kids loved it. And I loved it. But please, don’t make me go on that big horse again— I’ll say anything. I’ll admit to any crime. I’ll give up any secrets you want. Just don’t make me ride.

Hey North Fork! You guys rock. You made our week. Thanks so much. Keep up the great work. It’s easy to see why you are so successful. Thanks for sharing the love!

Do YOU need a motivational speaker (and promise not to make me ride a horse afterwards?) Contact me now.

Yours,
Brad Montgomery
Colorado Motivational Speaker, Urban Cowboy, Flexibility-Challenged Dude

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Why is being a magician so cool? There are a few reasons, but one of my favorites is working for special people and wonderful groups.

I recently volunteered for the Jewish Family Services of Colorado and their residences at the JFS Group Home. It was just a casual deal with a couple of dozen folks. But the best part was working with the residents — awesome adults with special needs. By the looks on their faces they had a good time.

But I’m certain that I got the better deal. I was the one who felt great that night. I was the one who laughed the hardest. And I was the one who left thinking it might have been the best show in ages.

What’s my point? If you want to help yourself, help others. If you want to feel good, make others feel good. To be honest, this is a lesson I often forget. But those great people made my day.

Thanks Kids. It was an absolute pleasure.

Hey! Are YOU looking for a magician, speaker, comedian for your group? (I need a better job title!) I’d love to be your guy…. go to the contact page now.

Brad Montgomery

Colorado Magician, Magician Speaker, Fan of the JFS Group Home

More:

Brad as a magician? Click here.

Brad as a magician speaker here.

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I commonly take groups for a 1/2 of training and motivation.  But I was lucky to get this group for a fully day.  (From a guy who used to do 20-minute magic shows, this is a big change.)  But with a full day, we’re really able to create some lasting change.

It was an absolute hoot for a dozen reasons.  But top on that list was that this group of folks were ready to commit.  They were ready to give what I had a try.  And the result was awesome.

Not all groups are so willing.  With most of my seminar and training clients it takes me a while to get the group to trust me and to be comfortable.  Sometimes that takes a ton of time and energy.  Don’t get me wrong;  I love a challenge, so wary and skeptical groups bring their own rewards.

But this group from Colorado Mountain College was gung ho (whatever that means, but I’m pretty sure it means they were up for anything that seemed fun and valuable) from the start.  Heck, they were laughing while I was being introduced.  (It’s disturbingly hard to take credit for that…. but I’ll find a way.)    They were kind enough to write a very cool leter.  Check it out:

Hi Brad,

I had several people tell me that our retreat was the best ever. One woman told me she had been to 18 of them and this was the best ever. Everyone had such a great, fun and valuable time. I owe most of that to you. Thanks – you’re great.

While we had only two people in the whole room that sit on the “president’s staff” I thought it was hilarious that you managed to pick them both – our CFO within the first few minutes and then our head of HR, Kelly, who will now forever be known as Ruth.

Today was our president’s time to present to the group. He asked our VP of Academic Affairs, Brad Bankhead, to assist. This guy was not invited to attend the retreat -(there is a “student services retreat” that is geared to those who work more on the academic side.)

He was asked to be there at 10am. He arrived to hear everyone raving about the great day we had with you, the great dinner, the belly dance lessons, the magic, the hot tub parties, card games and the great breakfast this morning (more than the cheesy thing). He got up on stage and started pouting saying “thanks for inviting me to your retreat and be here at 10 after the great dinner, belly dancers” ….etc….. “I had to get up really early and drive 3 hours to get here by 10 . . . . .” and simultaneously our group yelled out “lame!!!”

After looking a bit startled he continued and said, “yeah, you all had this great breakfast and I get here for my choice of soda or water……” and our group simultaneously shouted “how cool is that?”

Again he looked pretty baffled and everyone laughed hysterically.  Brad continued on with his PowerPoint presentation with several somewhat boring slides of statistics and the audience of 1/2 hung over people were fidgeting in their seats and then one slide came up with one sentence that said “the success of our college is measured by the success of our students” and our group simultaneously shouted “How cool is that?”

You made a lasting impact.

Thank you.

Mollie

[Note:  I have learning-sections in my training titled "Cool or Lame?" and another called, "How Cool is That?!"   She was referring to those segments in the seminar.]

Aw Shucks.  I’m absolutely thrilled it went so well.  And to hear those words, “You made a lasting impact” is like winning the Olympics (except without the medals, endorsements or Wheaties box.)

Thanks for taking the time to let me know, Kids.  How cool are you?

Do you need some teamwork and fun for your group or organization.  Are YOU reading for a lasting impact that will energize and motivate your team?   Give me a call!  Go to the contact page.

Cheers!

Brad Montgomery
Keynote Speaker, Colorado Mountain College Fan, Proud That it Went Well!

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It was a humbling and exciting program.   It’s cool to be a motivational speaker, but it’s especially cool to speak to groups that clearly need motivation.

Can you imagine a more needy audience than a group recently rocked right out of their jobs?  Can you imagine a more jaded audience?  Each one of them beamed at me the attitude:   “Ok, Pal.  What have you got for me?“    Tough crowd.

But it was a blast.  Check out this flattering letter from my meeting planner.

May 8, 2009

To Whom It May Concern:

Brad Montgomery just rocked our audience at our first-ever Job Search Conference held on Friday, April 24, 2009.  I suggest you let him do the same for you.

As a government agency, we have some strict requirements.  And at this particular event, we asked Brad to speak to over 220 job seekers that required special sensitivity while being motivated.  They also needed to laugh.   In one single session, we got both from Brad.

What impressed us most was not the humor — though I saw people nearly falling out of their chairs and wiping the tears out of their eyes.  What impressed us most was how he was able to relate a relevant message that applied to our audience into such a fun experience.

To say that morale has been a problem for this group is an understatement.  They were stressed, emotionally sensitive, and absolutely in need of a positive and USEFUL upbeat message.  With Brad, we were able to give them both.

Brad gave us specific ideas about how to stay positive… and reminded us how staying upbeat is directly related to achieving with our jobs.  (And our families!)

Not only was Brad great on the platform, he was totally accessible and helpful during the whole planning process.

If you are considering using a speaker for any group, you definitely should hire Brad.  If you are a county or state government agency, you ABSOLUTELY need Brad.

It wasn’t two thumbs up. It was 500 thumbs up!

Sincerely,

Dena Jardine
Associate Director
Larimer County Workforce Center

Looking for motivational speakers and think I might be a good fit for your meeting, convention, or association?  Me too.   Employed or not, I’d love to be your guy.  Go to the Contact Page.

Brad Montgomery
Motivational Keynote Speaker, Humor-in-the-Workplace Expert, Lucky to Have a Job

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But Wii often miss that Wii not only need to spend time “not working”, but Wii need to spend time purposely “having fun.” In my motivational keynote speeches I encourage people to play and “Act Happy.” It’s  one of those Fake it Until You Make it Strategies. And it works.

My point? Pick something NOW that gets you physically involved in creatingf joy, fun or levity. It might be as simple as leaving a crank phone call for a pal, taking your dog for a walk, or stealing the neighbor-kid’s Wii for a couple of hours.

Wii don’t have a Wii at home, but recently tried one out with some Denver pals. Check out this  short video:

What are you doing today to physically get involved in creating fun?   Come one!  DO SOMETHING!

Leave a comment…. do you think this works?

Need a funny speaker who can inspire your group (with or without video games?)  Go to the contact page.

Cheers!

Brad Montgomery
Motivational Keynote Speaker, Joker, Fan of Wii

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Happily, it went well. Really well. It was a terrific group.

The best part of the motivational speech for me was watching these men and women change during our time together. Predictably, they started out pretty wary. “What?! A funny motivational speaker at a military conference?” But after the first few minutes they began to relax and get into it — and to laugh.

It was clear to me — even as an outsider — that this group NEEDED to laugh.

Does your group (military or civilian) need a speaker who can help them with perspective, morale and attitude? Wouldn’t it be cool if this motivational speaker was funny? I think so too. Let’s talk. Go to the contact page.

Learn more about this military speaker
Brad Montgomery
Military Speaker, Funny Motivational Speaker, Fan of the DAU

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More related links:

My most popular magician speaker topic, Ordinary Magic
Comedy Magic: My Funny Magic Show Freshly Brewed
Sample chapter from my book, Humor Me
Mile High Magicians Society
A blog post about a Colorado Magician
My work as a magician speaker for IBM
Video testimonials on YouTube about my work as a magician speaker
Video of Freshly Brewed, A sample of my magician speaker work.
Video of some of my work on YouTube as a magician.

What amazes me is how United Airlines and the other struggling airlines are the only ones NOT learning from Southwest.

Corporate espionage would never be so easy:  United should put a single employee on a Southwest flight, have them notice how the fun attitude of the employees translates to customer satisfaction, and then…. copy them!   No cloak and daggers needed.   It’s not even stealing.  It’s just common sense.

I was just on an United flight and was chatting with a flight attendant about the safety announcements, and whether she thought humor was appropriate.  I’m not at all sure what the “official” policy is, but her understanding of it is that fun is NOT encouraged… or allowed.  And she shared some anecdotal evidence about her UAL peers getting chewed out for trying to make the safety demonstration fun.   Hmmph.   Oh, and guess how her morale was?   Yeah, lousy.

She is a nice woman, but her loyalty to her employer and her customers ends at her paycheck.

I live in Colorado… and as it is a hub for United I fly them a lot.  An awful lot.  An AWFUL lot.  I’m stuck with them.   But I don’t like them.   It’s clear to me that their employee morale is rock bottom.   They are worried for their jobs and future.  They don’t feel like the carrier is on their side.  And their employee dissatisfaction comes through loud and clear to folks like me.  Their customers.  I have dozens of stories about how United could have easily earned my loyalty but instead made my life harder. It’s too bad.  Especially because it doesn’t have to be that way.

They need — to be frank — me.   Bad.  Really bad.  But they’ll never hire me to talk to their staff with ideas about how to connect enjoyment of their jobs to creating an outstanding airline.    They haven’t noticed that the ONLY thing that sets them apart from their competitors is their people.  And their people are unhappy.  Very unhappy.   Just ask that flight attendent.

I don’t hold out much hope for United Airlines.  But maybe it isn’t too late for your organization.

Does YOUR company need to invest in your people’s quality of (work) life?  Do you agree that NOW is the time to make sure they are at their best, because you simply cannot afford a staff that isn’t fully on board?

[Hey United Airlines! Honestly, you need to hire me, like, yesterday.   Give me a buzz and I'll help your folks which will help you.  Guaranteed.   Come on, I dare you!]

Go to the contact page and let’s talk about how to ramp up your groups attitudes and loyalty, and how that will create a great impact on your bottom line.

Now, for a contrast… check out what the wacky and  successful Southwest Airlines is doing on board with their customers. Do these customers look happier than those you’ve seen on any UAL flight recently. You betcha. That, my friends, is what you call “a hint.”

Do you need to ramp up the attitude in your organization? You don’t even need to sing.  Contact us now! Go to the contact page.

Do me a favor? If you liked this article, Digg it for me right here:

Digg it!

Brad Montgomery
Motivational Speaker, Humor in the Workplace Expert, Funny-ist

Related:
Brad’s Take on the Pike’s Place Fish Market
Hooked on Humor Audio Subscription Program
Laugh-O-Nomics: Brad’s Motivational Humor in the Workplace Breakout Seminar

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One of the most delightful sentences I heard from them when we talked about my fee was, “Would you be interested in bartering for a portion of your fee?”   Heck yeah, I love that question!

In the end, I did a really fun program for some great, fun-loving hard working people who are under a surprising amount of stress.  (When the team doesn’t win, the entire staff feels it, from the janitors to the receptionists to the grounds keepers.)

And happily, it went really well.   (Check out this video testimonial.)

But the fun didn’t end there. They hooked us up with 5 tickets for a couple of games, and dressed my wife and kids and I in a ton of Bronco’s swag. Jerseys, sweatshirts, hats… the whole thing. It was a blast.

What’s my point? If you’re booking motivational speakers and have something to trade, ask! Perhaps you’re a hotel property, or you make fancy furniture, or…. you’re a professional sports franchise. You might not be able to barter away the entire fee. But, like the Broncos, they got an easy discount and I was thrilled to trade.

Fees for speakers are all over the place. And my fees in particular flex wildly because what I offer my clients flexes wildly depending on what outcomes they are after and how serious they are about lasting change.

But one thing is certain: barter is cool. It’s fun. And if often makes sense for both of us.  Not sure if it is for you?  Just ask. 

Are you looking for motivational keynote speakers? Care to barter? Or not? I’d love to be your guy. Go to the contact page.

Cheers,
Brad Montgomery
Colorado Speaker, Bronco Fan, Lover of Bartering

Related:

Learn more about this Colorado Speaker
Learn More about Professional Speakers Fees & Rates

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Farmington Schools recently hired me to motivate their administrators. We brought them together for one huge team-building, morale-building, humor in the workplace fiesta. Ok, seminar is the proper term, but hey, “fiesta” sounds like better marketing.

We did Laugh-O-Nomics: my session for folks who really wan to create lasting change in their work culture.

It went great: check out the reviews in this very short video:

Are you looking for a motivational speaker for your school district?  Want to inspire and motivate your staff, your classified staff or your administrators?  I’d love to be your guy.

The main take away for me:  I was struck with how important it is to these educators to make their job fun.  They were craving both tools and techniques for bringing levity and lightheartedness to the workplace AND permission to use them.   In other words, one of the biggest things I provided by being there was encouragement and permission to bring the concept “enjoying ourselves at school will help us with our mission as educators” to each of these fine educators.

Many of them new HOW to lighten up;   they just had forgotten how important it was both to them AND to the superintendent.

It was a great day in Colorado.  (Which was weird, because the school district was over the border in New Mexico!)

Learn more about this educators speaker here.

Yours,
Brad Montgomery
Education Speaker, New Mexico Speaker, Fan of Farmington!

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Check out this short video:

My point? My point is that the best attitude in the world is not enough. We have to actually DO something to create joy for ourselves. For you this might mean anything from walking your dog to playing a practical joke at work or sports or collecting stamps. Whatever. My point is that you need to actually do something. Go somewhere. Get physically involved.

Your life at work is never going to be great until you have a great life at home. (Yup, all that “work-life balance” stuff actually works.)

So get out there, find some passion and follow it. One of my passions just happens to be skiing. If that works for you, great! If not, no biggie. Just find something and….. DO IT!

So… I dare you. Comment. What ARE you going to do today to make your life better? Do you agree that happiness at home leads to a better quality of work life too? Leave a comment.

Cheers,

Brad Montgomery
One of Colorado’s Motivational Speakers, Skiers, Crappy Film-maker.

Here’s a very cool letter from my meeting planner

Brad,

You had come highly recommended to us by a member of our Management Team who had seen you at a previous conference.  I am thrilled to report that we were not disappointed with the recommendation.  Everyone was so impressed with your energy, humor and talent.  The most common comments made were that your presentation was the best one yet (How cool is that?) and others were asking when we could bring you back.  You kept us laughing and we believe you missed your calling as a stand-up comedian.  Thanks for the message of making laughter a part of the workplace and more importantly our personal lives.  You helped to make our event a huge success!!

You are a wonderful, caring, funny person and our agency will long remember you!!

Cheryl Fabjancic
Administrative Asst. to the Director
Pueblo County Department of Social Services

Aw Shucks!   I was thrilled and flattered to be part of it. And very happy indeed that it was well received.  

Thanks Pueblo Social Services!

Does YOUR organization need a huge dose of morale, energy, positive attitude and motivation?  Call me. : )  Go to the contact page. 

Brad Montgomery
Colorado Speaker, Motivational Keynote Humorist, Social Services Fan

–

Howdy Folks! I’ll be your keynote speaker speaker for the Big Shin Dig on Feb 12th at the Lincoln Center in Fort Collins, Colorado.

Check out this video I made especially for you:

I’ve been a motivational humorist speaker here in Colorado for years, and absolutely pleased as punch to be part of your event. What can you expect? You can expect to laugh and have a great time. And because I’m a magician you can expect to see a magic trick or two. But most of all, you should expect to be reminded to take yourself less seriously — while still taking what you DO seriously.

You can learn more about me over at main site.

I look forward to being part of this event, laughing with you, and reminding each other in a very fun way to lighten up.

Questions or comments? You can contact me here.

Cheers!

Brad Montgomery
Colorado Motivational Speaker, Real Estate Speaker, Fan of Realtors

But I my journey didn’t really start until my mom and dad brought me — after much begging and pleading — to the magic club that met at least 40 minutes from my home.   There I saw magicians of all shapes and sizes, of varying skill levels, and from very disparate backgrounds joining together to “magish.”  I was hooked.  

And still am. I was one of the many Colorado magicians who performed last night at a meeting of the club — and was reminded how much I like it. As I become more deeply involved in the professional speakers’ world, I’ve tended to let the magician side of me grow still.  

But after last night, I’m buzzed and hooked again. One of my favorite reasons for loving this magic club is that it makes me — as a magician — feel as though I’m part of something greater than myself.  Magicians have a rich and fabulous history.  But so too does our Colorado magician club.   And performing on the same stage (if you can call it that!) as magicians I’ve emulated, grown with, and performed with for years made me feel like I was part of something special.

My point?  Find  your passion, and then find a corresponding organization to join.  It’ll make you feel like you’re part of a rich tradition.  Are you a Magician? Then for crying out loud join a local club (Society of American Magicians or the International Brotherhood of Magicians.)  Or if you’re from Colorado, by all means contact me and I’ll hook you up with our club.

Check out some (admittedly amateur) footage of the show last night below —  you’ll see that we had fun.  You’ll see how casual it was, and that we enjoy each other.  And that we all love magic.

Cheers!
Brad Montgomery
Colorado Magician, Member of the MHMS, Part of Something Bigger

PS.  Here’s the video:

I’ve been a motivational humorist speaker here in Colorado for years, and absolutely pleased as punch to be part of your event in May. What can you expect?  You can expect to laugh and have a great time.  And because I’m a magician you can expect to see a magic trick or two. But most of all, you should expect to be reminded to take yourself less seriously — while still taking what you DO seriously. You can learn more about me over at http://www.bradmontgomery.com I look forward to being part of this event, laughing with you, and reminding each other in a very fun way to lighten up.  

Questions or comments?   You can contact me here.  

Cheers!

Brad Montgomery
Colorado Motivational Speaker, Fan of Aurora Mental Health

My daughter has Type 1 Diabetes and because of that, our family has become involved with the Colorado chapter of the American Diabetes Association.  And through her involvement with a diabetes summer camp, she was invited to speak for a few minutes at a fund raising event about her experience as a camper at this camp.

Guess what?  She killed!  It wasn’t easy:  the event was super high end, with heavy production.  Fancy spot lights, fancy staging, professional sound people ushering us around the stage… the whole shebang.  After this elaborate video was finished, they turned a spotlight on Claire and me.    Again… a fairly high psych-out value for a 11 year old.  I spoke for about 20 seconds, told a joke and introduced Claire.  She spoke for about about five minutes, (which is roughly the same length of time as the ice age if you are a kid on stage speaking to a bunch of formally dressed adults.)

She rocked the house.  She was awesome.  She was a star.

What’s my point?  I got nothing.  I’m just a proud parent bragging about one of my perfect kids.

Read another article about my take on diabetes and speaking.  

Do you have an event where you need a speaker familiar with diabetes?  My kid is great, but if you need somebody with more experience I’d love to be your guy?  Diabetes Speaker?  Contact me here.

More info about my work as one of  the Colorado Speakers

Brad Montgomery
Diabetes Speaker, Dad of a Diabetic, Proud Papa

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Wearing skate shoes is a naughty nasty thing to do in a grocery store. And no, my kids and I didn’t play with them at any Denver, Colorado area Safeway’s or King Soopers. No. We didn’t.

I’ve wanted to try Heelys for some time, but was chicken. I was afraid that I’d be lousy at them. I was afraid I’d never use them and they would sit in my closet mocking me. I was afraid that even if I did wear them in public, I’d feel like too much of an idiot to actually “skate.”

But like so many things in my life recently, my kids influenced me. They looked like they were having fun… and I love playing with my kids… and … and … and…. hello Heelys!

I have used them. I learned them fairly quickly. I wear them a bunch. I notice that adults to gawk and gape when I skate, but (perhaps I’m a fool but) I think they admire me for having fun. I think they think, “That looks fun but I don’t know if I could ever do that in public.” I imagine that a few people must think, “Look at that rolling idiot!.” But I also imagine that more people think, “Cool… there’s another adult on those cool skate shoes.. I wish I had the guts to try that!”

And the cool bonus is that the skate shoes work right into my philosophy I share as a motivational speaker. Much of what I teach is mental / attitude. But I also talk about the importance of DOING things that help us ramp up the fun at work. I hate to mention the “P” word (play) but let’s face it, it makes sense. Of course the definition of “play” for a business audience is tricky, but the concept is solid.

There is NOTHING more playful than skating through a Wal-Mart. It is impossible to be bummed about the sale that didn’t happen, your over-full inbox crammed with emails, and the super-long To-Do list your fretting over. When you play, our stress goes down, our creativity goes up, and we are better able to tackle whatever comes at us.

My point? If you want to make your life — and your job — more fun, and if you believe that if you enjoy your work more you’ll be more productive, than you need to ACTIVELY search out activites that physically engage you in life. You need to find ways that appeal to you.

I’ve found one that works for me: Heelys. I don’t care if you buy these cool shoes or not, but if you don’t, I ask you this: What are you going to do today to actively ramp up the joy and fun in your life? Come on…. do something!

Brad Montgomery
Motivational Speaker, Parent, Heely Wearer, Rule Breaker

PS.  Seriously, do not wear these shoes in public.  It is against the rules.  Seriously.  Don’t do it.  Really.  I’m not kidding.

It turns out that as I was returning calls and answering emails for motivational speaker job here in Colorado, I was totally silenced.  There was some warranty work that had to be done to correct an error on our house.  We were surprised one morning when two huge guys with jackhammers just showed up and created the symphony of chaos.  (Hurry!  Somebody trademark that…. what a great name for a band.)

Anyhow, it cracked me up.  Hope you enjoyed the video.

If you’re looking to HIRE a motivational speaker (with or without the jack hammer) I hope you’ll contact me here.

Brad Montgomery
Colorado Motivational Speaker, Home Officer, Love of Jackhammers.

I had a ball…. and let me tell you why.They took the time to coach me about their corporate culture… which helps me a great deal. And then, even better, I had a chance to visit with their executive chefs and General Managers before my keynote speech.

Better yet, I ate in one of their restaurants 3 days before my keynote speech.  I met the executive chef and the general manager.  They let me tour the kitchen and take photos.   (And they treated me and my pals great…yum!)

[ Actually, there is a cool story there too.  I was there with a few pals who happen to be professional speakers themselves...so some of the funniest ideas came from my humorist pals.  Colorado speaker and humor pal Steve Spangler took the photos.  It was a fun night.) ] 

But best of all, I got to hear THE founders ( Mr. McCormicK and Mr. Schmick — yeah, I know, who knew they even existed!) address the audience for about an hour before I went on.

It was like a gift. A perfect storm of great info from the right people.  Now, I have to admit it; sometimes the info I get from my clients doesn’t lead anywhere. Sometimes it isn’t funny. And occasionally it is hard for me to really tailor what I do for their group. But in this case it was the total opposite. It was as though everything I said made it’s way into the presentation.Even the little details.

For example, when I was in the restaurant I ordered salmon that was cooked on a plank of Cedar wood. It was delicious. (The fish, not the plank.)  But when I retold the story, and showed (via PowerPoint) a photo of me trying to eat that silly plank, we got the audience rolling. Then I followed with jokes about the creativity about adding secret ingredients to their dishes…. like wood. Again… more humor.

I showed photos of me stealing their stuff…and of me doing their dishes (from my visit to the restaurant that week.)   Trust me… it was funny.  Best of all…it was humor all for and about them.  

What’s my point? I have two.

First: if you are looking for motivational speakers, have some long and hard conversations about tailoring and customizing. Your group — especially in this day of instant everything ‚ will be turned off if the speaker doesn’t “Get” them. Make sure your speaker does.  Professional speakers who tailor or customize the message for your audience will make that crucial “connection” in a meaningful and solid way.

Second: From my perspective as a humorist and speaker, 

the tailoring is one of the absolute joys of my job. If I HAD to give the same cookie-cutter presentation every time I might shoot myself. The real fun is in making sure it is “just for them.”  Thanks McCormick & Schmick’s! I loved it.  Learn more about my keynote speaking here.
 

Do  you have an event where you need to motivate and fire up your troops?  

Think a funny motivational speaker who can translate humor into business wisdom makes sense?  Me too.   Contact me here for info about bringing me to your event.

Brad Montgomery
Motivational Keynote Speaker, Humorist, Fan of Las Vegas, and Lover of Fish! 

PS. Here is a bootleg video of me as speaking for them in Las Vegas, Nevada. Check out the customized jokes…they might not make sense to you, but to THEM they were fun. (And I had a blast.)

Technorati Tags: McCormick & Schmick’s, Motivational Speakers, Las Vegas, California, Customized Speeches, Humor

1. Am not burnt out.

2. Still have family members that talk to me.

3. Still have that vest (I think – - or is that what I saw the kids lining the doghouse with?).

4. Still have my dignity. A little. Ok, not much.

5. I’m still learning. 

See, my first full-time performing gig involved the Colorado Renaissance Festival. I was fresh-faced, on-stage, making people laugh and getting PAID! I made a whopping $30 bucks a day, plus tips, which mostly totaled to about $35/day. (OK, I didn’t say I was good, just that I got paid). Although I didn’t get rich, it was an awesome learning experience.   Although working at the Renaissance Festival was often hard on my self confidence, (I considered quitting about 5 times a day) but with hindsight it was a killer experience every speaker or entertainer should have.  (Though for your sake I hope you don’t have to wear the vest.)

The festival attracted people from all over Colorado, of course, but also from places all over the country. Being on stage and in front of audiences at a young age allowed me to really, really hone my craft in those early years, and it has paid off. A lot of times, when we’re young we don’t realize that what we do then can affect us 10 to 20 years down the line.  I was performing and doing what I LOVE(D) to do and making money at it. (Barely…. can you say, “Brad lived with his parents!“)  And doesn’t it look like I’m having a great time?

It was a tough job — 6 shows a day in 95 degree heat for the TOUGHEST audience Colorado had to offer. I was horrible, but luckily, despite all the evidence to the contrary, I didn’t understand how truly horrible I was.  I can tell you this:  there are techniques I use in my current comedy and humor that I KNOW were influenced by those early years working outside.

The best part of this job was that it provided instant feedback:  the amount of tip money in our hat was evidence enough of our success — or in my case, failure.   I knew the instant I looked in my hat after my comedy and magic show and saw 59¢ and a piece of gum that I wasn’t getting the big tips that good performers earned.  I new I sucked.  I knew that I had to improve fast.  (Because that gum just wasn’t that filling.)  Again, I knew I was weaker than the other performers, but luckily I just thought I needed to get a bit better.  I don’t think my ego could have taken the real truth that I was absolutely horrible.  But I did know I was bad.   And that (limited) self knowledge and a desire to get better created a pretty steep learning curve.

I see WAY too many speakers, comedians and magicians who would never last in an environment like that because they have no idea about how weak their product is;  they don’t know how much they suck.  One show at the Renaissance Festival where 1/2 of your audience leaves and the other 1/2 gives you a 25¢ would give them the slap in the face they deserve.

Let’s admit it:  most audiences today are formal enough that it feels awkward getting up as a group and leaving shouting, “You stink.”   They stay in the audience whether or not the speaker is mediocre.   Even in a comedy club, the audience will put up with some pretty poor comedy.  That’s why that Renaissance Festival  job was so great for me;  it was great precisely because it was so hard and because it created that instant and negative feedback.

After performing and speaking for twenty years some of what I do feels pretty easy and natural.   I’d love to tell you that my current ease with audiences is a natural extension of my “gifts.”   Ha! It isn’t.  It’s the product of a gazillion shows, a shocking number of were horrible failures, hundreds of embarrassing on stage disasters, and well… twenty years of getting it right.  

My point:  If you want to be a motivational speaker, remember to give yourself time to develop, and find a place where you can develop your material safely.   And if you are looking to hire a motivational speaker, make sure your speaker has years and years and years of experience under his … er … vest.

What was your first job? Has it helped you in the profession you’re in today? Do you have an ugly vest in your closet too?  Share your stories!

Are you looking for a comedian speaker for your event?  Pick somebody with years of experience.  Pick me.  Contact my office here.

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Mike is a great guy, and definitely one of the best Colorado magicians I’ve ever seen perform. (You should see this guy with a deck of cards.)

But check out what Michael told me about how he uses his magician skills in his role as a teacher: he uses his magic to “bribe” his students to get their work done. Which is a win / win for everybody.

But more than that, he uses his magician skills to connect with his students in a way that wouldn’t be possible otherwise. His students respect and admire him. And because of that, they are more willing and able to learn from him. We all know that the best teachers:

• Know their stuff.
• Are able to communicate
…. and, perhaps most importantly,
• Have a connection to their students

You can be an average teacher with just one of these three things. You can be an good teacher with two of these three skills. But to be excellent you have to have AT LEAST these three traits.

And what’s so cool about my magician pal Michael is that he makes sure he knows his stuff and is a good communicator. But, thanks to his magic “chops,” he is able to connect like very few other teachers.

I’m glad to be a magician. But mostly I’m proud to know magicians like Michael. Way to go brother!

Technorati Tags: Colorado magicians, magician speakers, teachers Del.icio.us Tags: Colorado magicians, magician speakers, teachers

I got to see one of her two breakout sessions (on networking) and she absolutely killed. She is a charming and wonderful trainer, and the audience totally responded.

She is skilled, articulate, agreeable, talented, lively and experienced. But to be honest, my favorite moment had something to do with her hair. She was making a point for her audience when she made a gesture with her hand to her hair which resulted in her hair style looking a bit funky. Not bad… but not as perfect as I bet Susan would have liked it.

A few women from the audience (who loved her, I remind you) laughed with her and pointed out the hair foul.

Now a less relaxed and professional speaker would have freaked. But not Susan. She just said, “Oh, what? My hair is goofed up?” They nodded. She fixed, smiled, laughed, thanked them, and went on with her breakout session.

What was the result? The audience loved the fact that she was so “normal.” All of us get our hair messed up, our shirt collar bunched up, a bit of broccoli in our teeth, whatever. And most of us would prefer for these kind of things NOT to happen in front of an audience.

We loved Susan because she was so like us. She has the same problems that the rest of us have. And she handled it so gracefully that we loved her all the more for it.

What’s my point? If you’re looking for professional speakers pick one that the audience can relate to. Speakers who are “too perfect” and “too polished” may have great speakers’ skills, but if they don’t connect to the audience they leave everybody with a hollow feeling. Audiences today are way to sophisticated to be fooled by people they perceive as plastic.
But when pro speakers demonstrate their human-ness (is that a word?) the way Susan Carnahan did, the connection is solid, strong, and totally attractive and lovable. We connected to Susan because she proved she is so much like us.

We all can learn from Susan. Next time you have something go wrong, just remember that we all goof up. And what will separate you from the rest is the way you handle it. Just be humble, honest, and smile. And the world will love you for it.

Way to go Susan!

PS. I am great at making these human mistakes. But to be honest, I’d KILL to have a bad hair moment like Susan. I’d kill to have hair. Period.

Looking for Virginia Speakers or Colorado Speakers? Look here.
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My wife and a pal of hers are Girl Scout troop leaders for some very cute Brownies, including our six year old.

Recently, we had a magic “unit” (do they give patches for that?) where I got to work with the troop and do some magic. After learning (and seeing) what real magicians can do, my daughter showed some magic tricks she and I had been working on, proving that kids can be magicians too. (Can you say, “Proud Papa?!”)

But then we taught them a magic trick I learned from a book years ago called the Mystic Finger. Basically, when the “magician” opens a jewelry sized box a life-like “mystic finger” is revealed. If you like, you can paint fake blood on with a Magic Marker. “Look Mom! It’s bloody!”

The afternoon was a gas. It was fun to see these sweet little girls turning themselves into a cross between magicians and gross-out-artists. And I was lucky to be part of all of that positive and fun energy.

What’s my point? Part of the reason I had so much fun is that (although it was under the guise of “teaching” them how to become Colorado magicians) what we were REALLY doing was playing.

And I had a ball. I found myself being silly. I found myself smiling and laughing. Basically, by playing with the Girl Scouts I went from being a serious grump to a pretty fun-filled guy? (I had a tough day at work that day.) So…. do you need a lift? Do YOU think you could benefit from more smiles and laughter? Of course you could.

If you want to have more fun, you have two choices:
1. Cut off your finger. Or…
2. Play. Just play.

(The second on is less messy, and won’t affect your health insurance. I’d go with that.)

Thanks Brownies! It was a hoot!

Need a magician speaker or Colorado based magician for your event? If you can’t book the brownies and their Mystic Fingers, I hope you’ll consider booking me.

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He is in my mastermind group of fellow Colorado Speakers. We met yesterday, and — as usual — Jay was able to help me see my speaking business in ways that help me more than I can say. I’m lucky….what he does for me and my fellow speaker pals is what he does for big and small businesses across the country and around the world.

Before I met Jay I had no idea what Six Sigma was. In fact, if you would have asked, I’d have guessed it was a micro beer. (Or perhaps I was just hoping.) Jay has turned me into a Six Sigma fan.

Jay Arthur is to Lean Six Sigma, what I am to comedy and humor…an addict.
As much as I hate statistics, Jay loves them.
In a day, Jay can turn Lean Six Sigma Black Belts into Money Belts and find ways to pack more money into your bottom line. Jay is the author
of 650X">Lean Six Sigma Demystified.

Besides all of this. He can crack a good joke. (In fact his wrote a killer book about thinking like comedians with another pal and fellow Colorado motivational humorist Karyn Ruth White) He also knows a good glass of wine. And is always ready with a smile and a laugh.

What’s My Point? If you want to succeed (in just about anything) you need to surround yourself with people who think differently than you do. And then listen to them hard. If they are half as smart, fun and generous as Jay, you’ll be lucky.

Thanks Jay! I’m glad we’re buds!

PS. I’m not a six sigma expert yet. But I’m up to about two and a half sigma and working hard.

She taught the audience how to increase the interactivity in their programs, and I gotta tell you, the room was packed with some of the top professional speakers in the business trying to learn from my pal Sarah.

She did a killer job. I learned a lot that I’ll incorporate into my program. It was a great job delivering great content. I was proud of you Sarah.

What’s my point? If you are a speaker — or if you are HIRING speakers, you should know that interactivity is crucial. In this day of multi-tasking, insta-media and fast-paced EVERYTHING, in order to really connect to a modern audience, successful speakers cannot just talk AT the audience.

They need to talk WITH the audience. Interactivity is no longer a “spice” that speakers can choose or not. Top professional speakers must connect with their audiences in a special and concrete way. And Sarah Michele — and the high-powered audience learning from her — helped ram that important message home.

Sarah…you did great. I’m proud to be one of your students… and your pals.

Congrats, Girl
Technorati Tags: Sarah Michel, Colorado Speakers, National Speakers Association, Interactive

Why do I like being a high school speaker? There are a ton of reasons, but one of them is Skills USA. This is a terrific group of high school (and some college) students who focus toward preparing for careers in trade, technical and skilled occupations.

I was hired to these high school kids’ motivational speaker to kick off their big conference in Colorado Springs, Colorado recently. In order to get to this conference, the students had to “opt in.” I’ve worked for schools as a whole, but I admit to not loving that back row of slackers that hates being there. (Does anybody love that back row of slackers?)
The greatest part of audiences like this is that there ARE no slackers in the back. They all want to be there. They have all taken steps to make make sure they are there. And, in this case, they had already won a contest to get to this district convention.

There is no greater pleasure than working with a wonderful audience of talented folks who want to be there.

Thanks Skills USA. It was my total pleasure. Technorati Tags: High School Speaker, youth speaker, Colorado speaker, Skills USA Del.icio.us Tags: High School Speaker, youth speaker, Colorado speaker, Skills USA

I was honored to be part of this group, even if just for the day. They were a special group of people who do amazing work for people who are unable to help themselves… kids.

It was a hoot…we laughed about everything from lawyers to the foster care system to the fact that they are not paid enough. (They are volunteers — they aren’t paid squat!)

But best of all, I think it was good to take that audience who does so much good for the world, and give them some tools to take that laughter BACK to their families, and back to the kids they are serving.

It went well. Check out this testimonial from their meeting planner about my motivational keynote speech:

Looking for a humorist motivational speaker? I hope you’ll pick me.

Technorati Tags: CASA, Children Advocates, Colorado Speakers, Motivational Speakers Del.icio.us Tags: CASA, Children Advocates, Colorado Speakers, Motivational Speakers

If you’re looking for a keynote speaker for your group, I hope you’ll consider me.

Steve is one of my fellow Colorado speakers. He and I met in high school when we were both magicians… we have a long history. He speaks to all sorts of groups now, but his start came from the education market. (He has been a magician, scientist, teacher, TV news guy, and motivational speaker at different points of his long career.)

What happened in California? He killed. He absolutely killed. They loved him — which shows the audience’s good taste; he did a great job.

What made him so terrific on that particular day? I could go on about his charisma, his preparation, and his right-on-target content. Or maybe it was because he was truly funny. Really funny.

But mostly, I think the reason Steve did so well is that he invested years — decades! — of effort in order to make that event rock. He has done everything from magic shows to class room demonstrations to science elementary school assemblies to huge education associations to his growing business of public seminars (where he teaches teachers how to rock their classrooms). Oh, by the way, he’s been on a Colorado news show for several hundred appearances, and has recently been featured on Ellen. Three times. Yes, that Ellen. (Sheesh.)
In other words, he spent twenty plus year preparing for that 30 minute keynote speech that shook up the National Speakers Association.

Do I hate him? Darn right! Who can like anybody with that much talent? I’m kidding! — I don’t hate him … I’m just too jealous and bitter to care.

Kidding! I love this guy. We’ve been pals for years, (he is part of my book, Humor Us) and it was a total pleasure to see him doing his thing at the top of his game. It’s fun to see a friend succeed. And it’s fun to see a genuinely nice guy get the credit he deserves from his peers.

I don’t hate him. He’s a great pal. I admire him. He rocked. He deserved every laugh and bit of applause he earned. And I was the one clapping the most.

What’s My Point?: When you hire a truly professional speaker you are not paying them for their 45 minute keynote, 90 minute motivational speech, or half-day seminar. You are paying the TRUE professional speakers for their lifetime of experience and practice.

The reason you can be so certain of your level of guarantee is that pro speakers have done so many things in so many different situations and had so many things go wrong — and right — that by the time they get to YOUR audience, they are ready to deliver. They are ready.

Steve Spangler was ready. And the audience loved him for it.

Way to go Steve! I’m proud of ya! Who could possibly hate such a nice guy who positively drips with talent? Not me brother… I’m a huge fan.

Care to comment? Does experience guarantee success? What do you think?

Technorati Tags: Steve Spangler, Colorado speakers, motivational speakers, California Speakers

A while back I worked for a hardworking team at Arcadis US.

My job was to help this small team  – there were only 12 of us – find specific ideas to take themselves less seriously at work, find ways to incorporate more levity into their work relationships and basically boost up the fun quotient at work.

What I love most about these facilitated session with smaller groups like this one is that I get to do more leading and less talking.  Generally the best ideas come from them.  And this group was awesome in that they did come up with some great, specific and killer ideas about how to find and incorporate more humor in the workplace.

So what, you might ask, were their great ideas?

To name a few:

They decided to create a wandering kaleidoscope.  Because of the way kaleidoscopes help us see life with a different perspective, their plan was to pass this kaleidoscope to people who needed a gentle reminder to lighten up. (Way better than a slap in the face, eh?)

This department also had a huge white board, and based on our time together, they committed to use the white board to celebrate each other as well as to create some fun.   They adapted one of our creativity exercises into a white board project. 

As a team, they committed to “write” a story one word at a time.  One person would start it with one word, and then leave the board.  The next person to walk buy would add the second word, etc.    This team building activity seems way more cool  – and workable – then falling backwards into a team-members waiting hands.

And finally, the committed to pick a single song as their Marketing and Communications anthem.  They would use that song to “push” each other into more cooperative moods and to generally remind each other of their mutual desire to make work fun.

But I think the coolest outcome from this Aracadis team was non-specific.  Together we spent three hours brainstorming ways to be more glad at work.   Ways to make our time in the office more fun.  And when they saw how badly tghe reset of the team wanted what they wanted – to enjoy work more – they felt better about themselves and their relationships to each other and to their jobs.

As for me, don’t get me wrong, I love working with large groups.  But there is something very cool about taking a small team and moving them closer to a happy, mellow, and respectful work environment.

Thanks Aracdis!

Think your team could benefit from a very funny motivational speaker who also happens to facilitate team building events?  Hire me.  Go to the contact page. 

Brad Montgomery
Colorado Speaker, Humor in the Workplace Expert, Fan of Arcadis US

I know, I’m supposed to be Mr. Look At The Bright Side, but come on…sometimes it ain’t that easy. (Can you say, “United Airlines Stinks!”)

I was in line — a LONG line – to buy a coffee and generally feeling grumpy. As I stood there a little kid, maybe two years old, was hoping from fossil to fossil in the concourse. You see, in the tiles at Denver International Airport there are decorative brass “fossils” embedded in some of the tiles. They are cool, but to be honest I can’t remember really noticing them since the new airport opened here in Colorado.

I had LITERALLY walked over them without noticing them. But not this kid. Each fossil brought on a, “What’s THIS Daddy?” And her exhausted dad trailed behind each time answering, “It’s fish bones.” (The fossils were of fish.)

“But what is THIS one Daddy?”

“Those are fish bones too.” On and on. Maybe a dozen fossils. And each time the kid was equally psyched to find them. To this kid, they were so cool.

Ok, so I know you’re thinking, “That’s when the motivational speaker in Brad noticed the wonder in the world and …blah, blah, blah.” Nope. I was an idiot.

But thank goodness I was standing in front of a flight attendent. She caught my eye and said, “Isn’t it cool to be reminded of all of the wonder in the world?”

I nodded. But I felt like a 2 x 4 hit me in the noggin’. This woman was right. The kid was wonderful. The fossils were cool. And I was grumpy about what? About a long coffee line when I had plenty of time? About the fact that I “got” to go to Las Vegas to make a bunch of Tax Preparers laugh their butts off?

I was an idiot. But happily, the flight attendent didn’t miss it. And luckily, her comment hit home. Suddenly I was in a good mood again. Suddenly I knew how foolish I was to be ticked at United Airlines. (Though they still stink.) I was just wasting energy being grumpy when, as this kid and the flight attendent reminded me, that life is fun, funny, and filled with magic. And wonder.

I love being a motivational speaker. But I need motivation too… in this case in the shape of fish bones.

Keep your chin up. It just ain’t worth being ticked off.

Cheers!

(Learn about the motivational speech I did in Las Vegas here.)

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As you might know, United Airlines has a posh “Red Carpet Club” where they dispense free coffee, offer comfy chairs, and work stations where you can charge your laptops and work in peace.

I wanted in. But I’m not a member. Yet I got in.

I just approached a guy entering the club, and asked him if he’d take me in as his guest. (Each member can take in a guest or two at no charge to them.) I smiled. I must have seemed harmless. So he agreed and took me in. And then we went our separate ways. (The club in Denver is BIG.)

What was the best part? The free coffee? Nope. The fact that I really needed to crank on some emails and now had the perfect spot? Nope. The fact that I had a peaceful retreat from the mahem of the airport? Nope.

The best part was the fact that felt like I “snuck” in. I loved it. I felt like a kid who was enjoying the euphoria of ditching school. I was just in a happy mood….for no good reason. I mean the Club is nice…but it isn’t paradise. But by sneaking in, it felt that way.

Do I recommend that you do the same. By no means. (Do it!) You should never be dishonest. (Do it!) That Club is meant for members and ACTUAL guest. (Do it!)

It’s fun. And it makes you feel like a kid.

Enjoy!

PS. United Airlines, if you are reading this, I didn’t really do it. Really. Seriously. I never would. Honest! (It’s hard to type with your fingers crossed.)

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Today I spoke for a bunch of social worker types (awesome people!) in Grand Junction, Colorado. These people work hard with out enough money, thanks, or laughs. So my mission (using the word “mission” makes it sound important, huh!) was to come in, make them laugh ’till their sides hurt, and to give them a message of humor and hope.

We started bright and early at 8 AM. (Can you say “caffeine?”) Plus, this is a group that has been hammered. Their work just isn’t that much fun. So the predictable result given the audience and the time was that this group was tired, quite, and subdued.

When I started my comedy motivational speaker thing (heck, even I don’t know what to call it) they were a great audience, but clearly we were starting at the beginning….they were laughing at the right places, nodding at the right times, but they were doing it fairly quietly.

But today was a great example of why I love being a speaker…. because by the end of our 90 minutes together they were animated, laughing VERY loudly, and afterwords that boost of energy was apparent. They were animated, chatty, and bouncy.

I was proud of my work today. I felt like I did a good job. And my reward was seeing the difference in their energy levels from the start to the end. Seeing their arms uncross, their faces light up, and then hearing their laughter is why I have to have one of the best jobs in the world. I know, it sounds like a big cliche’. But heck…. It’s true.

Learn more about the motivational speech I did today in Colorado here.

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Here’s the idea:

When somebody in the office does something well, or especially helpful, or especially noteworthy, they are awarded, “The Rock.” It’s just a painted rock on a plate.

They keep it on their desk, giving them bragging rights until the next employee, sometime down the road, earns the rock.

The result? Improved morale, laughter and fun, humor in the workplace, and employee retention. And all that with a budget of, get this, $0! Zip. Nada. Gratis.

Humor in the workplace for free? You betcha. What a killer idea. Effective and cheap.

It kills me when I work with administrators and managers who are willing to improve morale and WANT to improve morale, but have no idea how to do it. Yet this great Colorado group came up with an awesome idea that has lasted for years ‘d1 and is still going strong ‘d1 for free.

Need some humor in YOUR workplace (and don’t like painting?) Learn more about my keynote speeches and motivational programs here.

Cheers.

Brad Montgomery
Colorado Motivational Speaker, Humor in the Workplace Expert, Fan of Rocks

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I thought it would be helpful to publish this advice, figuring that professional speakers often are faced with what might be the most horrible situation motivational speakers can face. I found the responses amazingly warm and wise. See if you don’t as well.

Hey dude,
I read your CSPlink post this am. As you saw from the responses we have all been there. I spoke right after 9/11. Was speaking the day of the terrorist attack in London two years ago. Several years ago, I was interviewing one the top agents at State Farm in preparation for a program I was doing for them. She consistently ranked in the top 1% of agents. Half way through her best year ever, her husband dropped dead of a heart attack. She was relating this story to me and told me, “On the other side of adversity is ALWAYS something better”. I have quoted her many times with adding that it’s normal to have grieving and a period of suffering but at some point a silver lining appears. Perhaps more miners will be saved in the future, there will be an increased emphasis on safety, other employment options will be pursued, etc. I have done an exercise before (as part of a keynote) where I asked the audience was is the worst thing that they have ever experienced in their lifetime. The most common answer is 9/11. Then I ask them to come up with at least 7 positive things that have happened as a result of 9/11….lists include increased patriotism, higher respect for law enforcement, closer family relationships, etc. While the comedians were quiet about 9/11 right afterward, at some point people began to laugh again and laughter as you know is healing (BTW, this month’s readers digest is dedicated to humor). I think you do a piece on adversity and talk about coping skills that are available in dealing with adversity and go into your best stuff. People do need to laugh and even if for the moment, forgot about their troubles. YOU are the man to make that happen!

Tim Richardson
Author, Certified Speaking Professional http://www.timrichardson.com/

Brad,

I couldn’t do what you will be doing.

However, if is a help –
My Dad always said to me, as I was leaving to do a talk:
“I pray you do well”

As you are being introduced…vision the loved one in your life who gives you unconditional love. Their voice is a message from above:
Hear them saying:
“I pray you do well”

It worked for me June 28, I had a talk…the day my Mom passed away. I knew we were losing her, but didn’t know of her passing that morning.
The evaluations were awesome – though I don’t remember what I said.

“I pray you do well”
Carol
www.CarolRitz.com

One idea I heard on NPR the other day. (you can probably search the interview on npr.org) The miners apparently all have nicknames, one of the trapped ones had a funny one, I think is was “flash” but a fellow miner called him “flasher”…and they mentioned that humor is essential on a daily basis to miners and their families, they thought this miner was probably keeping the other younger miner, who had just been on the job only 3 days, keeping his spirit up thru his funny stories. You might “ask permission” as you did for 9/11 and you might also ask for them to gather in 2s or 3s and have them begin by telling you some funny miner humor stories, fond memories of miners above and below the surface, with you roaming the crowd microphone in hand facilitating the stories from them with a funny comment or two from you. This will warm the crowd to you, keep your performance anxiety at a minimum, and allow them to “teach” you the miner mentality toward humor. Then….ask if “we can all dedicate the next hour to all of our miners and their families in recognition of the life and humor and importance, etc.

Kevin E. O’Connor, CSP
kevinoc.com

Brad, I feel for you. I once spoke at a high school at Etheta, Wyoming. on a Monday. A student at that school had attended the Saturday dance, gone up on stage and blown his brains out with a gun in front of the student body. I can’t recall if it was the seventh or ninth suicide in that school that year. Anyway, it was a national record.

I pretty well did my regular presentation. First I addressed the issue. Said something that I felt their pain and it was not easy for me to make this presentation today. If I was about to do a lot of humor I would preface it with the message that humor has a sort of healing power and that you hoped that somehow your message might in some way ease their pain. That you have discovered that sometimes when you are hurting the most by personal problems that somehow laughter helped you see things clearer and if for only a moment, somehow there was a real healing power in humor.

Some folks might say that there is a time to laugh and a time to cry and that this is not a time for laughter but that you have discovered that we must learn to mix the laughter with the tears and that is all a part of growing up.

I’d work in the thought that for every bad thing that happens there is somehow an equal force for good within that tragedy and just maybe this horrible tragedy might become a blessing in the future for other miners as this nation reacts and demands new safety standards in all of this nation’s mines.

My talk went OK. I had written down the wrong time for the ending of the school day and ran a few minutes into overtime but the students were patient and polite and fairly responsive. I then did a teacher program. At the end of that day the Asst. Principal who had been serving as Acting Principal for over two years took me aside and said that I had been an inspiration to him and that the next day he planned to quit his job. The Superintendent had refused to promote him to principal because he was an Indian. A few weeks later I received a letter from that man. He had prevailed at that meeting the next day and was promoted to principal.

So Brad, that day that I dreaded might become the worst in my career turned out to become a happy memory. Much luck and success to you. If I can be of any further service at this time just contact me. Positively,
—Art Fettig CSP
http://www.qmediagroup.com/

Brad,

You’re right. It is different. Right now they are entering the anger stage – yet still in the hope stage. Think ‘Jerry Maguire’ when Rod Tillman is laying on the field and his wife is kicking the shit out of his younger brother. The anger is over the manager/owner and the BS he’s been feeding the news and family. People are beginning to suspect that he has been operating out of self interest more than their interest.

The reality is I doubt anyone with a direct relationship, wife, daughter or son, of a miner/dead rescuer will be there. Doesn’t make sense they will go (we’re not that special to them that they have to attend our programs). So what you will have is people that will be secondary grievers (Well my cousin’s daughter’s, step-father uncle is in there) and they will want a chance to laugh as long as they are given appropriate acknowledgement as a griever.

Trust your instincts (they’re really good) and have a few scripts as go to ones if you need them:

1. asking permission is one…. it still works

2. dealing with some honest issues like – mining work is dangerous and they know it and did it for their families and loved ones

3. taking the perspective that they will be rescued and when they are they will laugh is another…

you got some other good suggestions from your request…gentle humor…asking them what they want to talk about…. etc.

My final suggestion is to contact Jeff Tobe directly. I just had the chance to see him in action and he is the person most likely to come up with a genuinely creative solution that will work. He’s extraordinarily good.

I know you’ll do great.

Jeffrey Hansler
oxfordco.com

Brad – I had the same situation – one week after hurricane Iniki tore through Kauai, I was scheduled to speak at a hotel. I tried to cancel, but management wanted me there. Mine was also supposed to be funny… The majority of these people either had lost a home, or a relative had. People had died in this small community, and the only place we could hold the program was outside in a pavilion that had lost its roof. The hotel structure wasn’t safe and had closed for repairs. The whole island was a disaster.

I felt just like you as I flew into my beloved Kauai and saw the destruction from the air. The airport was partially operational and National guardsmen were everywhere. All the way to the event I kept muttering, “Thy words, my mouth.”

I decided to just be honest. I got up there told them my heart went out to them and I was their servant today. “What do YOU want to talk about?” I switched my topic to stress and change, let them talk about what was going on, and injected stories, humor, and information I thought would help. It doesn’t have to be rolling on the floor funny, but gentle humor is needed and called for in a tragedy.

IMHO, these are exactly the situations every one of us is called to do. The rest of the gigs we do are just practice. It’s no accident that it’s you who is scheduled to be there. And not only will they benefit from having you there, you’ll have a new experience of who you are that will inform every program you do forever. That’s what happened to me.

Blessings,
Beth
www.BethTerry.com
www.CorporateCowgirl.com

Dear Brad,
It’s really difficult not to get sucked into the pit of despair when
such a horrible event is going on right where you are to people you are
looking at.

Here’s an option; frame your light-hearted presentation as a means of
helping people cope with what is going on – a way to keep their spirits
up and to help others have the strength they need.

It’s even more important now to do what they can do – and keeping their
morale up is instrumental to being able to do that.

Good luck,
Shelle Rose Charvet
Successstrategies.com

I feel for you.
The late, great, Robert Henry was on stage when the audience began to learn of the Challenger disaster. He stopped, addressed he matter than proceeded. Grady Jim was introduced during a big game for the local Big League playoffs. People had little TVs on their tables. Danged if Grady didn’t borrow a TV and do a color comentation during the last few minutes of the game.
Also, I reminded of the people over the years who have come up to me–and surely to you–and told me, “I needed that. My husband (son, wife, daughter, etc) died two months ago and I haven’t laughed since ’til now. You can deliver what they badly need. In fact, you might have the introducer mention that you are going to provide “something we all really need, let us laugh a bit.” I think that’s basically the way Robert handled the Challenger disaster.

In the meantime, good luck and I hope you knock ‘em out. They need you.
Ralph Hood
http://ralphhood.com/

Couldn’t be put any better, Beth. A wise and meaningful response. I
had one of my audience drop dead from a heart attack the morning I
was speaking and those of us who have faced these situations know how
on target your advice is.

You’ve got a big community behind you Brad – all sending love and
energy. You’ll do what is needed; and what you are called to do.

Ian
Ianpercy.com

Brad: You’re a professional but, more than that, you’re a human being. It’ll work out and, when the time comes, you’ll know how to handle it.

Beth is so right.

I had a similar experience in April. I was to speak in Lynchburg the day after the horrible shootings at Virginia Tech just a few miles down the road in Blacksburg. There were folks in the audience from Blacksburg. I started the program acknowledging the situation and went from there.

But I wasn’t brought in to do humor, Brad. That would have been more difficult.

“Your words; my mouth.” I like that.

James D. Sutton, EdD, CSP
http://www.docspeak.com

I was in the audience when Zig Ziglar was presenting and a person had
a heart attack and someone screamed for a doctor. Zig stopped, found
a doctor, made sure someone had called rescue, and dropped to one
knee for a moment of prayer.

Then he got up and went on with the show.

The lesson I learned was that the audience needs to know you are
aware and care. After that, life goes on.

Steve Waterhouse
waterhousegroup.com

Brad:

I’ve been faced with this situation several times.

It’s important that you don’t try to gloss over or ignore the crisis that
has occurred.

I explain to my audience that the reason some people can’t or aren’t ready
to laugh is because they are not done crying. The two are actually very
closely related.

I also explain that while humor is recognized as a primary coping mechanism,
it is NOT the be all, end all.

In my experiences with working with dying patients and their families, or
groups that have experienced tragedy–it’s evident that there is still a lot
of humor-frequently dark. I think we need to give people permission to
laugh-many times people are admonished for laughing at such a serious time.

One of the techniques used in helping people heal after tragedies is
something akin to what we call “reminiscence therapy,” that is, recalling
times that are happier, and even funny. (Most, if not all, have experienced
laughter at funerals-people start telling funny stories that related to the
deceased. It is a part of the healing process.

People find things funny when they can emotionally detach-these folks are to
close to the situation to laugh about anything that is even remotely related
to it. But they can laugh about other situations-you just have to lead them
there gently.

A quote that I frequently share in these situations: “Life does not cease to
be funny when people die, any more than it ceases to be serious when people
laugh.

Speak from your heart, not out of fear, but out of love and support and you
will be great.

Yours in laughter~

Karyn
Karyn Buxman, RN, MSN, CSP, CPAE
http://www.humorx.com

Brad,

Just a quick thought that came to my mind – the importance of honoring the
situation and setting the right context.

So., maybe you want to:

- get them laughing right away.

- Then, pause to acknowledge and honor the families.

- Then, set the context that laughter is the best medicine.

- Then, rock n’ roll!

For whatever that’s worth. Just being who you are is the real key, because I
know who you are!

Ed

Ed Oakley, CSP
Denver, Colorado
www.enleadership.com

Hello Brad!

So glad you are coming to Emery School District Monday. YOU, perhaps, are just the medicine we need. You will find this community to be warm and very receiving of you and your “humor.” Please allow me to give you some inside information.

I spoke for Emery School District (Superintendent Kirk Sitterud) 2 years ago for this same district event (roughly 90 teachers, educators, janitorial and educational staff). As you know, Brad Barton followed last year and now you! The timing is just right and I believe they do need YOU now. This WILL be one of the most piercing speaking engagements of your life. I spoke for this community just last Tuesday night at a Non-denominational Christian service. As you mentioned, Huntington is a very small community. However, at last Tuesday night’s religious event, 2200 (people came from all over the country) packed into a small chapel to show support for one another. They did not come to see me, Governor Huntsman, or the other mine official/Bishop that spoke. They came because they wanted to feel ‘a healing’; a sort of “it’s okay to move forward and to yes, ‘laugh’.” They did want to laugh, and they do want to move forward. On the front two rows sat members of the 6 trapped. Of course we had not yet lost three more miners at that time. Since the additional fatalities, I think these key components of healing and remembering are even more vital, and you’re the man to deliver them! They need to hear you, and more importantly FEEL what you are. You are a fit for them-

One more small note: My family and I attended last night’s Opening Emery High School football game. I got to be on the sidelines with the team. Before the game, the opposing team presented Emery High with a HUGE bouquet of flowers and a check for $2300 that their team had collected for the affected families’. It was most incredible. After a brief moment of silence, THE GAME WENT ON! Not forgetting those that we have lost. Re-read Steve Waterhouse’s response. He hit the nail on the head.

Give them you. Recognize their pain. Laugh with them! And you’ll walk away having given them more that you thought you could! You’ll be impacted as well, perhaps more than you ever have before at any of your other events.

To my knowledge there will be two in your audience who have lost someone very close to them due to the mining tragedy.

Bell well Brad~

Chad Hymas

Chad Hymas, Certified Speaking Professional (CSP),
Inspirational Speaker, Author, World Record Wheelchair Athlete
President, Chad Hymas Communications, Inc.
Proud Recipient of the Superior Civilian Award
Past President, National Speakers Association-Utah Chapter
www.chadhymas.com

Brad — for six years I have been speaking at an annual conference for
Survivors of Homicide — people who have lost a loved through an act of violence. My
job is to make them laugh.

I first acknowledge what an injustice they have to endure — some of the
worst one could imagine. This is my way of honoring them.

I then talk about the fact that my youngest son was killed in a work
accident; and while he wasn’t murdered, I too know what it’s like to have one’s world
brought to a screeching halt.

From there, I discuss that even though they must endure such pain, that the
resilience of the human heart is absolutely amazing. For this group, there is
no closure. That’s one of the things I’ve learned.

And then I describe some of the stupid things people say when they try to
offer comfort. Some of them are so stupid they make people smile.
And how so many people in our culture complain about things that matter
so little and they haven’t a clue how trivial it all is.

From there, I go into some of my stress/change/grief material — some of
it very funny, some of it bittersweet.

As has been said, bring your humanity out, express your empathy, give hope
and you will bring many gifts to this audience.

I’ve written a book on grief and loss and will be happy to send you a copy.
I will also give you a copy of the handout for the homicide group if you’d
like to see it — maybe even use it. The handout isn’t funny — it’s designed
to bring comfort and outline the process of healing.

My experience — it’s pretty early in the grieving process to use much humor,
but some will be appropriate. Mainly your audience needs hope for a better
day, ideas for honoring their loved ones, and a few minutes of relief.

Next April I go back for a seventh year with the homicide group. It’s one of
the most important speeches I do every year.

In support, Leslie (Charles)
LeslieCharles.com

Dear Brad

With the greatest respect to you, this is not about you and how you
feel. Consider this: what if your God has sent you to these people
at this time? Your God trusts you to know what to do. Your peers
trust you to know what to do. The people of UTAH trust you to know
what to do.

Now trust yourself and go be the amazing man you are and bring those
people back from where they are, and give them our love as well.

Best wishes and admiration

Paul

Paul CSP FPSA MBIC
Past President of the Professional Speakers Association in UK
www.paulbridle.com

I wasn’t going to respond…but after Karen posting her article…I went
‘over the top’ with the ‘awe’ of the rich resources we have through our
collegiality!!

And…I will ‘add’ reference to my most difficult experience….

One week after 9/11 I spoke in upstate N.Y. to a convention of Medical
personnel form the state of N.Y. Obviously they were grief stricken, as many of
them had been involved with the disaster personally.

About 10 minutes into my presentation I stopped and openly recognized
the emotion in the room…
the emotion in all of our hearts. I stepped off the platform, into the
audience, and asked them all to stand..
take the hand of someone near them, pause for a moment of silent
reflection (and prayer if they so desired) and
started singing ‘God Bless America’. It was an amazing transformation
in the room from ‘tight—to relaxed’,
somber to released….etc.

Blessings, Brad….I know you will be the messenger with ‘the message’
that they need to experience.

Naomi

Naomi Rhode, CSP, CPAE Speaker Hall of Fame
Past President International Federation for Professional Speakers
Past President National Speakers Association
Past President International Federation For Professional Speakers
www.smarthealth.com

What can I say? I’m flattered. I’m touched. And I’m amazed.

Want to be a professional speaker? Join the National Speakers Association, (NSA) and strive to be a CSP (Certified Speaking Professional.) Want to be a REALLY great speaker? Learn from peers like these amazing speakers and we can help but be better.

Thanks guys! Love ya right back.

Want to learn about my keynotes and speeches? Click here.

Brad Montgomery
Motivational Speaker, Sometimes Speechless (Rarely!), Proud Member of the NSA.

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Many of my readers know at least a part of this story. Here it is from start to finish…. thanks for all of your emails.

I’m back from Huntington, Utah where I was invited to speak for the Emery School District. I was hired way before the mining disaster to be there for a teacher in-service. My job was to fire up the troops, motivate them for the new year, and make them laugh. And laugh. And laugh.

I’m a motivational humorist speaker…. so making folks laugh is a huge part of the job. As far as I’m concerned… if they aren’t laughing, I’m bombing.

To be honest, though I knew I had a job coming up in Utah, I did NOT connect the mining tragedy I saw on the front pages to my job. It never crossed my mind.

And then I get an email from my client tipping me off that their school district is in the heart of that community; and in fact at least a couple of the people in my audience would be directly affected by the tragedy. They had lost family.

So quietly, I began to think it through. Then I got nervous. Then I freaked out.

What in the WORLD would I tell these people,? And how was I supposed to make them laugh. And if I could make them laugh, should I?

After 9/11, a bunch of my humorist and comedian pals and I all shared strategies about how to handle humor after that tragedy. With the advice of many of these funny speakers, I ended up adopting the tactic of “asking permission to leave our grief behind us and using laughter to feel better.” I talked about how we might all need a break, and — with no disrespect to the victims and their families — it might really help us to laugh.

But this mining disaster was so different: when I went out after 9/11, a couple or three weeks had already passed. And during the first few speaking engagements I had after the event, I never went anywhere near NYC. I was all over the country, but not in the backyard of the tragedy.

But this time I was headed right into the storm. And the disaster wasn’t even “closed” yet. (Families are still hoping to find their loved ones. Hope has continued to fade, but their grief has really just started.) The disaster was still, in many ways, in progress.

So… again… I was tense. I was nervous.

I can’t remember thinking about a job much as I thought about this job. I was so eager not to be “inappropriate.” I didn’t want to offend anybody. I didn’t want to make it worse. And the thought of going in there, doing jokes about school kids, about new teachers, and then tossing in some audience participation just seemed so … well…wrong.

Can YOU imagine going into that group and cracking a bunch of jokes, and then tellin’ them to have a great school year?

I was nervous, but I have a secret weapon. I’m a member of the National Speakers Association, and am proud to be a CSP — Certified Speaking Professional. (It’s the highest earned designation from the association… it’s pretty cool.) The CSPs have a email list that we use to communicate with each other, and I used that list to ask for help and advice.

“What should I do?” I asked them. The responses I got were, as I told them, “Like a virtual hug.” The responses were diverse and varied. Some wrote that humor was too risky — that I should avoid it for fear of being inappropriate. Others wrote that I might be better off facilitating a discussion of how the miners themselves often use humor. One good friend wrote that I might discuss the healing value of humor. And still others wrote that I should talk about the positive effects that (eventually) are born out of tragedies. And more than a few told me to go for it… that humor was my gift and that laughter is perhaps what they needed most.

The answers varied, but one theme ran though them all: they were fantastically supportive of me, and of the ch