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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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

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 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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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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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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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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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

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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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.

In my job as a motivational speaker, I feel strongly that customized humor is an CRUCIAL way to “connect” with the audience.

The following article was written (and posted at Speaker Net News) for speakers who are eager to learn how to “foolproof” customized humor. The truth, of course, is that there is no substitute for experience and humor “chops.” But, having said that, there are ways to make sure your humor is funny before you go on stage.

The best shortcut to connecting with any audience are jokes or short stories about them — meaning your audience. Their venue, their industry, their lunch, their hotel, their whatever. If you can make a current, fresh joke about them you win.

When you start with a fresh and topical joke they know cannot have been written in advance, they appreciate the joke — and you — more than any other type of material.

In other words, new, topical and customized humor has a lower bar for success, and greater chance for huge payoffs.

Of course the biggest problem is that you don’t know if it IS funny or not. Good news folks… I’ve got a system for testing these jokes, and you can learn it faster than you can say, “I’m Scared To Try New Humor for $500, Alex!”

Here’s the deal: as the audience files into the room, mingle with them. Test your story, your joke, your quip. Don’t tell them you’re testing it, just do it. For example, if you all had some
chicken dish for lunch and you want to joke about it, now is the time to get a feel for it.

If your first group laughs you know you have a keeper. If not, move to the next group and massage the joke a bit. Take mental notes and move on. If you do it right, you might get to try that material several times.

When you hit the platform with that killer joke about the chicken lunch, you’ve got a joke (or story/bit/line…. whatever) that you’ve tested several times. And now you KNOW it’s good.

And that confidence will help you deliver on stage!

Get it? You can try out (tell) those fresh stories and jokes and bits you just thought of a few minutes ago. And you can audience-test them by using small portions of the audience. And you can do it last minute (for VERY topical stuff.) And in the end, you are brilliantly funny…. even if you aren’t.

Looking for a comedian motivational speaker? I’d love to be your guy. Learn more here.

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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?

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Check out this cool photo of two of my friends (and fellow motivational speakers) and I in between break out sessions. It’s motivational speakers Steve Spangler (from Denver) and Brad Barton (from Utah).

We have more in common than just the fact that we are motivational speakers. First of all, we all got our start as magicians. Steve has since moved onto other things, but Brad and I are still magician speakers.

But the coolest shared experience we have is that we’re all co-authors in my book, Humor Us: America’s Funniest Humorists On the Power of Laughter. I’m proud of that book, and we’ve been floored by the sales. But what is one of the coolest parts for me is introducing members of the authorship team, like Brad and Steve, who know about each other, are familiar with each other’s work as speakers, but haven’t yet met in person.

It was a cool moment.

[ Check out my work as with motivational speakers here. ]

Cheers!

Brad Montgomery
Motivational Keynote Speaker, Author, Humorist, Pal of Steve and Brad

Technorati Tags: Motivational Speakers, Magician Speakers, Brad Barton, Humor Us, The Power of Laughter

He’s also a friend. I was glad to see his new blog is up at dougstevenson.com. I was struck by the absolute truth in a recent post where Doug wrote about keeping our presentations simple.

I recently coached a fellow Colorado speaker who had a background in training. She is charming, talented, and smart. But I’m telling you, her keynote needed a bit of the Doug Stevenson approach… it needed some simplification.

She talked for 5 minutes when one minute would do. She talked for a long time when she didn’t need to. She just plain used too many words for no good reason. Doug wrote a great article… you should check it out. Thanks Doug!

Check out my speeches and programs here.
Brad Motivational Keynote Speaker, Colorado Speaker, Fan of Doug Stevenson

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We listened to small business consultant Mark LeBlanc talk to us about growing our business, and it was just terrific. He mentioned so many valuable things, but one of my major take-aways was that a huge key in business growth is to demonstrate and promote the RESULTS of what we offer in our business. Sure, we solve problems for our clients. Sure we satisfy needs for our clients, but in order to truly excel, we need to demonstrate what results we will create.

After his presentation, a few fellow Colorado speakers and I chatted about what ‘results’ we deliver to our clients. Would you like to hear mine? G you asked…

As a really funny motivational speaker I give an audiences a lift and a break from their lives; a 45 to 90 minute vacation from themselves, their jobs, their problems and even the convention. And the result of this humor break is that my audiences are ready to learn, ready to get back to work, and ready to bring a sense of lightness and joy to that convention, to their jobs, and to their lives.   (Gosh… that’s pretty deep for a comedian, huh?)

My clients have already invested a ton in the convention or meeting (with the expenses of travel, food, hotel, lost work, etc) with the goal of creating change.  In my estimation,  they cannot afford NOT to have their folks ready to learn and move forward.  They cannot afford not to get their people ready to learn, ready to move forward, and ready to adapt reasonable changes.
Those are the results I offer: I get convention, corporate and association audiences ready to work with a renewed sense of humor, perspective, and joy.

And you thought I was just a laugh out loud funny motivational speaker? Nope. Just ask Mark LeBlanc.

     My point:  Jokes asside, knowing and promoting your VALUE and RESULTS is an excellent idea, and the exercise was well worth the investment.
Thanks kids. Thanks Mark.

Check out how I can provide those RESULTS to you and your group here.

Brad Montgomery
Motivational Humorist, Creator of Joy, and Colorado – Based Speaker

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I’m flattered.

Why do financial and banking audiences need funny motivational speakers? Why do these serious folks need humorists? It amazes me that these groups don’t invest in bringing humor to their meetings more than they do, as I’m convinced that this group needs humor AT LEAST as much as other audience.

But sometimes I think that groups who work hard in industries that are filled with pressure and stress need more humor and most.

In any case it was a hoot.

“Really funny guy.” Had a fantastic message about bringing humor and lightness into your life.”

“I would book him in a minute.”

Click here to HEAR gus.

You rock, Gus! It was a blast.

Brad Montgomery
Motivational Keynote Speaker, Colorado Speaker, Financial Speaker

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But I admit that as much fun as my job is, and as much as enjoy getting a group like this that works together but doesn’t always get a chance to laugh together, wiping the laughter-tears out of their eyes, my favorite part of the day was hearing about their traveling garden gnome.

This is a very cool idea, and I bet they would be flattered if you stole it and used it in your office to brighten up the humor quotient. Here’s the details for the corporate culture-building technique: Anybody in the office is encouraged to write cards “thanking” or “recognizing” their co-workers, bosses, employees, … anybody… for doing a good job, for something special, or for just doing anything noteworthy.

For example, there might be a card written for doing something over-the-top amazing like saving the company a ton of dough, or for helping cover the work when somebody is out sick, or maybe for just being good at your job. Each person who has a card written about them receives a token cash gift awarded at the end of the quarter. (The CHFA give each person either $5 or $10 depending on what you dreaw out of the “hat.” Which, as my grand father would say, is better than a sharp stick in your eye.) I was told that CHFA gives out about $400 per quarter — a small investment for morale.

Every two months, the managers and supervisors go through the cards and select what they see as the greatest one.  This is where the Garden Gnome comes in. That winner for the two month period is “awarded” the garden gnome to put on their desk for that period.

It’s fun. It’s funny. It’s inspirational. It’s morale building. And, best of all, it works. Humor in the workplace? Try “gnome in the workplace!” What an awesome example of a concrete idea that works wonders at one workplace and can easily be incorporated into your workplace.

Do you have a similar — or totally different — story about what happens at your work? Leave a comment.

Hey CHFA! What was the one A-HA you got out of our program there in Denver, Colorado? What did you learn? What will you do differently? Leave a comment.

Special offer for CHFA folks only! Get a free audio of Brad by clicking here.

And your meeting planner (and rock star) Alison Medina asked me to include a link to my books. (I’m flattered!) Thanks Alison. Click here for some cool stuff.

Thanks Chfians — (which is what you call folks from the Colorado Housing And Finance Authority.) I had a hoot.

Cheers!

Brad Montgomery
Motivational Humorist Speaker, Humor In the Workplace Consultant, Fan of Gnomes

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What a blast… you folks flattered me by having me present a program on the top things I WISH I knew about this speakers business when I started nearly two decades ago.

I had a really great time; thanks Folks.

I promised a few resources:

1. Here is the link to the pool of Colorado Motivational Humorists.

2. This is the free copy of Hooked on Humor, which is a free audio program I’m doing with Scott Friedman. If you want to see some of the audio product I’m working lately, here’s your chance!
3. For those of you who asked me about the best way to get audio and video on your site, you should go here.

I have a favor for those of you who were there at the program in Denver, Colorado: Could you leave me a comment? What was the one (or two) things that made you say, “Ah Ha!” What did you take away from the program that was most helpful?

Thanks again… I’m proud to be part of the Colorado Chapter of the National Speakers Association.

Yours,

Brad Montgomery
Colorado Speaker, Sometimes-Teacher, Professional Goofball

Technorati Tags: How to be a motivational speaker, Colorado Speakers, Motivational Speakers, Humor, Comedian.

One such speaker is Rick Butts…. check out a new blog of his at http://www.motivationalspeakerdenver.com

Thanks Rick… I’ll be looking forward to seeing what you do with this site.

Cheers.

Brad Montgomery
Denver Motivational Speaker

In this podcast I interview fellow motivational humorist speaker and Colorado pal Scott Friedman. For years Scott has made it part of his life to give away $2 bills whenever possible. As tips in restaurants, for good service in airporats (where, by the way, tipping is not normal) and even for a just-for-fun gift for folks for no good reason.

This humor ritual helps keep Scott motivated. For him it is an important reminder of his brother. But it is also a way for Scott to give people a smile, to give them something unusual that they value, and to generally make their day

The premise is that the percieved value of the $2 bill is WAY more than just $2. Give somebody two singles and they shrug… and depending on where you are, it might be a lousy tip. But give that seame person a $2 bill and they put it in a special pocket where they “save” stuff. They won’t spend that… it’s just too valuable.

I caught up with Scott in Colorado where we recorded this podcast about giving and humor rituals. You’ll love it.

Check out my motivational speakers site.

Brad Montgomery
Motivational Humorist Speaker, Friend of Scott Friedman, Can Be Bought for $2

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Elaine Dumler is an expert at helping military families stay connected, even when one of the family members is away on deployment.

She has a wonderful book (I’m Already Home), and this book is chocky jammed full of great ideas from her military families about specific ideas they use to stay connected.

One of the ideas in the book is of the Flat Daddy. One military family uses a life-sized photo of their daddy around the house, at the dinner table, and even with the kids at play time, and this whole Flat Daddy concept is finally being picked up by the national press for the good idea that it is.

More on the Flat Daddy Story here.

What’s my point? I have two:

1. I’m psched for my speaker pal Elaine Dumler. It’s fun to see friends get recognition.

2. This Flat Daddy idea is not only great, it’s funny. Can you imagine taking family photos (at birthdays, at soccer practice, at school events) and having your Flat Daddy in the photo? Wouldn’t that help keep the tone at the next family event fun? Wouldn’t this type of humor be exactly what the doctor ordered? I love it!

Way to Go Elaine! Way to go Flat Daddy!

Brad Montgomery
Colorado Motivational Speaker, Fan of Elaine Dumler, Not-so-Flat Daddy

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