If this video doesn’t make sense… and it shouldn’t, don’t stop here. Read the blog about those jokes!

Related:
The original post about my Mayo / Minnesota trip.

I was recently working in Minnesota at the Mayo Clinic (How cool is That?!). Ok, so far, no big deal. I landed in Minneapolis and made the drive to Rochester. Again, so far no big deal.

In the middle of the trip between Rochester and Minneapolis — out in the middle of nowhere — I passed a shop called the Cheese Mart which had a big sign outside advertising cheese curds. It struck me as funny (and unlikely) that anybody would stop at this remote store to buy cheese curds.

Fast forward to my keynote at the Mayo Clinic: I made a bunch of jokes about this store. “Who in the world stops at a cheese store in the middle of nowhere?” I asked. “What is the big deal about these silly cheese curds anyhow?”

Well, it turns out that the joke was on me. A huge percentage of the audience had been to this Cheese Mart. They love it. They go there often. The result of my cheese ignorance from stage was fun and funny. Really funny.

I talked to my client after the keynote speech and they told me more about the Cheese Mart. They told me that the cheese curds (which I had never tried) were delicious, and actually squeaked when you eat them. (How weird is that?)

That got me. On the way back to the Minneapolis airport I knew I had to stop. I had to try these squeaky curds.

It was fun to visit the place I had mocked during my keynotes at Mayo. But it gets funnier. In some of my keynotes, including the one at Mayo, I sometimes demonstrate how to use a toy squeaker to play at work. How to make your phone squeak, your shoes squeak, your salad squeak… you get the idea.

So of course when this wonderful Minnesota woman helped me find the “freshest” cheese curds I asked if they really do squeak. “Of course they do, honey!” she said.

So I reached out with a squeaker hidden in my hand and “made” the bag of curds appear to squeak. It was fun for me, it was fun for the cheese woman. We both laughed.

What’s My Point? I have a couple. If you are a speaker, or if you HIRE a motivational keynote speaker, hire somebody who will customize the keynote with localized humor. The cheese curds and Cheese Mart jokes were some of the best moments of the program. And the use of customized, localized humor helped connect me to the audience and vice versa. And that connection helps the message to stick.

What’s My Other Point? I tell my audiences that if we want to be happy, sometimes we have to take action. Sure, it’s fun to NOTICE that life is fun. But sometimes we have to make an effort to MAKE life fun. And for me, the trip to the cheese store and goofing with the woman who works there was just that … it was fun.
My mood was awesome once I had those darned cheese curds in my passenger seat. Can a Cheese Mart make you happy?

What are the Cheese Marts in YOUR life? What are you going to do today — not watch, not read about….. DO — that will make today fun?

Do you think cheese curds can change your day? Let me know your stories. Comment!

I’m not sure if the best part of being one of the Minnesota speakers is the curds… but it sure was funny.
PS. Check out this fun sign about grapes. Oh, those crazy cheese curd folks! Have a grape day? Get it? Nutty curd people!

Technorati Tags: cheese mart, curds, Minnesota speakers, humor Del.icio.us Tags: cheese mart, curds, Minnesota speakers, humor

Why? There were several reasons. I really enjoyed that I got a tour of the Mayo campus from two of the top financial guys. They really helped me to understand the culture that makes their workplace unique. In addition, I got to share a couple of meals with Mayo meeting planners. Again, this time with them really helped me to connect with them and with the Clinic.

And they are great people. They taught me all about the importance of high school hockey, about the freezing winters and best of all, gave me some terrific tips for making Hot Dish. (Ahh…. the Minnesota favorite! Yum.)

It was a fun job: I was working for one of the most famous health care organizations in the world, but they didn’t want me for my experience as a health care speaker. They wanted me for my experience as a finance speaker; I was hired to speak for 1300 folks from their finance department.
The room where I spoke was beautiful. And I mean beautiful. It was open and spacious while at the same time cozy. And the huge cool banners of the Mayo founders was a fun touch. I know, it’s small, but speaking in a nice venue helps make my job easy.

What else? The audio visual stuff was perfect. This may sound like a small thing, but it isn’t. Having excellent lights and sound help make the speech a success in ways the audience will never understand. It’s crucial…and in Rochester it was perfect.

In addition, my brother was with me. He was working in Minnesota and managed to swing his business trip around my road trip. He was there at the speeches with me which was very cool. Hanging with the big brother? How Cool Is That?!

Mostly though, I’d have to end where I started. The people I worked with were first class, and I was proud as punch to be part of the Mayo team, even if only for the day.

Thanks Ted, Leslie, Mort and the rest of the Mayo Finance gang!

Cheers.

Brad

PS. Yup, I agree that it’s the can of soup that makes that Hot Dish sizzle. Making some tonight!

Technorati Tags: Minnesota speakers, Mayo Clinic, keynotes, comedian speakers Del.icio.us Tags: Minnesota speakers, Mayo Clinic, keynotes, comedian speakers

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.

Technorati Tags: How to test jokes, comedian speakers, minnesota

(Read about my experience with these high school students and the keynote here.)
What’s my point? If you’re looking to hire motivational speakers or humorists for ANY type of group… from corporate to high school to association to education…. check to make sure your speaker has a LONG list of happy clients with whom you can speak. You have a lot more at stake that the investment of the speakers’ fee; your meeting can get a huge hit from a lousy speaker, and get a huge boost from a great one. You don’t have to “guess” which speakers are good…. check up on them. Make sure the references are recent. (Have they done well in front of their last five audiences?) Make sure there are references from years ago. (In other words, is there a LONG track record?) And mostly, make sure that your speaker has a history of doing well for a group like yours.

Here’s what FBLA Wyoming wrote:

Thanks so much for your positive comments on the conference. It is fun to see what great kids we have in our organization and I very much appreciate your working with us on your fee.

I received the box of brownies in the mail on Monday and just tried one today. They are wonderful and I really appreciate them. They don’t really fit into my annual post-conference diet, but they are sure a treat with a cup of coffee after the rest of my family leaves in the morning! The box is really cool, too. My younger boys are fighting over who gets that when the brownies are gone.

Thanks again for a great keynote and workshop. Of course, I didn’t get to sit in on the workshop, but the keynote address was extremely entertaining. For me personally, it was just the comic relief I needed at that point. We will definitely keep you in mind for future conferences. I’ve been told by my “boss” at the State Department of Education that, compared to the other students’ organizations in our state, FBLA hires the best conference speakers, hands down. Thanks for helping me uphold our reputation!

K. H. FBLA Wyoming

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.

In this day of YouTube, I think it would be awesome. And more than a little funny.

What do you think? Comment!

My answer to our elections is to do “American President” similar to “American Idol”.

Think about it. Auditions are held across the country. We get former presidents or former presidential candidates as judgees and we get 30 really good folks - ya know, really good people, like school teachers, city council members, mayors, CEOs, average folks who are really good leaders - folks who really care about this country! They are all lined up and for 10 weeks they have debates and one-on-one interviews to really get to understand whether they have what it takes to answer the 3:00 a.m. phone call.

We all call the 1800 number every week and vote on who we want to be president! Everyone, theoretically, has a shot. At the very least, we can run the winner as an Independent candidate.

Do you think this would be at least as good as the goofy (and somewhat hilarious system we have now?) Comment…. I dare you.

Check out my impressions about this group in my recent FBLA post.

Thanks Guys! It was a blast being your speaker!

Looking for a speaker for your group? Link

The movie makes a decent point: aren’t motivational speakers predictable, platitudinous and (often) frauds?

And why do highly educated, well-travelled, sophisticate people need motivation anyway? Don’t they know what the speaker will say before they say it?

1. Have goals!
2. Try every mountain
3. You can be a winner!
4. Choose to succeed!
etc blah blah.
Well, yes. But if that is true, why do we need motivational speakers? Here’s what I think:

We all need regular doses of motivation.

It’s like a shower… just ’cause you’re clean now doesn’t mean you won’t need another shower later. Independence is a quality highly reveared in American society, so when someone thinks they can do it on their own, they sure will try. But, that doesn’t mean that everyone out there doesn’t need a slight kick in the pants every now and then. We can’t run on full steam all the time; so it’s never going to hurt to have the right person come in and help fuel the fire.

The good motivational speakers are those who can transfer this motivation in a new and fresh way. Something that appeals to today’s sophisticated audiences.

Audiences crave motivation. They WANT, and sometimes NEED, an outsider to help them see their life, job and troubles from a fresh perspective. The CHALLENGE is sometimes giving someone something they need (motivation) when these people might not choose it (a motivational speaker) for themselves.

So… if you are looking for a speaker, what should you do to make sure you don’t get Greg Kinnear and his silly 9 Steps?

How to choose a professional motivational speaker is quite simple. Just remember the basics. When you are looking for a speaker, find somebody who you know “gets” your group. The initial connection between speaker and audience is crucial, so make sure your speaker knows who they’re talking to from the get go. Make sure the program is customized to your people and that the speaker has a hook that can draw you people in. And, most importantly, make sure your speaker is a real person, someone who practices what they preach.

Greg Kinnear had his steps, but he couldn’t follow them to save his life. He was always preaching to his family about not being a loser, when he himself was the biggest loser of them all. A good speaker will have a list of references, so check them! And look for a LONG list of happy clients. Ask your perspective speaker how they plan to do more than just motivate you audience. How do they plan to motivate AND create actual, meaningful CHANGE in your audience? How will your speaker get your people to MOVE from point A to point B?

Your group will see through the 9 Steps. What does your speaker have to offer that is fresh and appealing? Is he authentic and real?

If not, just rent the movie. You’ll save enough green for the popcorn.

Wanna hire a REAL motivational speaker? Check out what I do in lieu of 9 Steps?

Brad Montgomery
Motivational Speaker, Humorist, Keynoter

Del.icio.us Tags: Little Miss Sunshine, Greg Kinnear, Motivational Speakers, 9 steps, Nine Steps Technorati Tags: Little Miss Sunshine, Greg Kinnear, Motivational Speakers, 9 steps, Nine Steps

Lucky me! I got the job. We were there for a half-day seminar and keynote, and we had a ball.

[Link to my post about the trip to this New Mexico College.]

Are you looking for a motivational speaker, keynote, seminar or humor in the workplace expert for your group? Wondering how you can tell if they can fit your specific needs?

Check out these testimonials for more info. My hope is that you’ll think I’m a good fit and you’ll give me a buzz. Link. In-Service Speaker? Pick me!

Yes, I understand some people think that if I endorse one candidate or the other, I could alienate part of my “audience” and the result would weaken my message on motivation, humor, and laughter.

I might not get the chance to help businesses increase productivity though levity if they do not agree with my choice for president.

I say, “Heck with that!” For the first time publicly, I’m revealing my choice in the photos below.

May the best man — or woman — win!

I don’t need your vote in the election. But I’d love your business. If you’re in the process of electing motivational speakers, I hope you’ll call.

PS. Hey Hillary! Hey Obama! Hey John! I just KNOW politicians need humor in the workplace speakers and motivational speakers too! Give me a jingle and I’ll come do a keynote for your campaign staff. (And dare I say…at the White House?) I’ll see you in Washington, D.C.!

I took these photos on a recent trip to Washington, D.C. where I got more than a few laughs and comments. Later we put the shirts on my three kids and had them walk around the Mall as tourists. What a hoot! If you need a laugh, this tee shirt thing was an easy way to brighten anybody’s day.

What we should have done is rent them to people to let them take a photo in the shirts. Can you say, “Daddy, lunch is on me?”

PPS. If you look closely, there is a hint in the photos above about which candidate I truly endorse. Can you tell which one? Comment below and if you are right (and know the the “hint” I’m talking about, I’ll send you a free digital copy of my book.

And no…it isn’t the thumbs up thing. WAY more subtle than that!

Technorati Tags: Hillary, Obama, McCain, funny tee shirts, Washington, D.C., Motivational Speakers, Brad Montgomery Del.icio.us Tags: Hillary, Obama, McCain, funny tee shirts, Washington, D.C., Motivational Speakers, Brad Montgomery Flickr Tags: Hillary, Obama, McCain, funny tee shirts, Washington, D.C., Motivational Speakers, Brad Montgomery

It was a total blast. There were many highlights, but let’s go over a few:

This group started of ticked off that there was no coffee service in the morning. Ok, that was a bummer. But it became really funny because I teased them about it. And teased some more. Sure, it was a bummer to miss our coffee, but it was hardly the end of the world. We joked about it. We started laughing. A kind woman from the food service staff got me a cup of coffee. I gave it to Reid, a fun guy from the audience to pass out little “sips” to the people suffering the most from caffeine deficiency. It was a small thing that turned out great. And very, VERY funny.
I often teach people to lighten up their business meetings by putting out toys for the attendees to fiddle and fidget with. San Juan didn’t need me to tell them this…they had pipe cleaners and Play Doh on every table, plus some other toys. Check out some of these photos of some of the coolest creations.

But perhaps the biggest highlight came from the creative people in this San Juan College Audience. They were tasked with coming up with techniques or tactics they would actually implement to make their office life more fun. They were challenged to come up with “to do” lists of what they personally would do differently based on our time together. Check out this awesome list of Humor in the Workplace ideas:

• Give candies to people who make you laugh. ( Keep ‘em in your desk and give them away as reward.)

• Change ring tone on other people’s phone. The folks at San Juan College are able to set their own ring tones on their office phones. Some man snuck to a woman’s phone, and recored his own voice saying, “Are you there? Are you there?” This was her new ring tone!

• Artificial cheese “to go with your whine.” I LOVE this idea. They had some fake cheese they got at a craft shop (what in the heck anybody really needs fake cheese for I’ll never know) and they ceremoniously gave the cheese away to anybody who whines. This is wonderful.

• Create and use nicknames for co-workers. Loving and fun nicknames can make people feel good and push up the joy-quotient.

• Throw stress balls when at people who start to get to negative.

• Hit negative co-workers with a foam sword.

• Give a toy bomb to somebody who is “Da Bomb.”

• Send memos via air mail. (Fold them into paper airplane.)

• Throw marshmellows at co-workers for “no good reason.” I’d love to see the janitorial staff after a day of marshmallow fun!

• Give “mini-sized” box of Frosted Flakes to co-worker with note, “You are Great!”

• Combat grumpy people with love and kindness. (Wow…what a deep and wonderful idea.)

• Make prank phone calls to co-workers.

• Silly String At Work. (I’m tellin’ ya… I’ve done this. Silly String is cheap, cleans up easy, and is absolutely fun. You can NOT be miserable if you are spraying Silly String! Or having it sprayed at you. It’s a no brainer…go buy some now.)

• Change a co-workers screen saver. (How creative can you get? What could you do to make this really funny?)

• Make a contest that whoever whines the most has to buy the monthly lunch your team shares.

• Contest: the most whiny person has to take take the minutes at the next boring meeting.

• Use tape loops to tape your workmate’s telephone receiver to their phone. (So when they try to answer the phone they can’t “pick up.”
• Put a small piece of tape over the laser on the bottom of somebody’s mouse. It will simulate a broken mouse. (I love this idea because it is a totally victimless practical joke or prank.)
• Change the height of a workmate’s desk chair. Do this one time and it’s funny. Do this twelve times over the course of two weeks, it’s hilarious.

Hey San Juan! I dare you… Let Me Know What YOUR Highlight Was! Use the comment field to tell me about your “Ah Ha” for the day. I dare ya!

Thanks so much for having me. You make me feel like the luckiest motivational speaker ever!

Brad

PS. Learn more about the seminars I did for San Juan here.

Let’s be honest… I don’t love speaking to all youth and high school groups. I don’t love it when the whole school HAS to be there, and the good kids are over-shadowed by the slacker kids in the back. High School audiences can be among the toughest, and to be honest I don’t speak to all groups who call.

But I LOVE speaking to FBLA and similar groups. (FCCLA, DECA, FFA, etc.) These groups have kids who WANT to be there, and have gone to some trouble to make sure they are in the audience. There are no slackers…back row or not. And trust me, it makes a huge difference to motivational speakers like me.

Ok..so back to Wyoming. We had fun. Lots of fun. The group was outstanding, and the quality of the students was first rate.

But my favorite part was related to the Holiday Inn where we all stayed. Before I went on, the students were reminded basically not to trash the hotel, to be respectful and polite, etc.

But when I hit the stage, I told them a story about how to turn that request on it’s head. Right now Holiday Inns give little stars and ribbons to employees who have a positive comment card turned in about them.

I was told earlier that day that these stars are coveted…that some employees work there for YEARS without getting a single star. I had already been responsible for 3 stars that morning, and took the idea to the high school audience.

I challenged them to fill out as many of the comment cards as possible. I dared them to find people doing good and get them a comment card. I challenged them to make the Holiday Inn run OUT of stars. Forget having a difficult group of youth! We would be the SINGLE most appreciative and thankful group ever.

And guess what? We were.

It was a blast and an honor. Thanks FBLA Wyoming! I love it!

Brad

PS. Learn about my work as a high school motivational speaker here.

I get a lot of calls like this.

“No sweat, Mr. President!” So we talked about some specific tactics and techniques he could use as a manager to help get his folks out of the “funk” and back into the groove.

It’s my job.  I help leaders who need to give their people a push start. Who need to rev up the fun so they can rev up the productivity. I speak to groups who are dealing with Change … and for now, so does President Bush.
It was a pleasure getting a call from the leader of the free world.

But after four hours, I made him hang up and get back to promoting democracy. I mean, procrastination is great, but even the President has to work now and then.

Thanks President Bush. If you need more help with a humor in the workplace keynote or seminar, feel free to contact me.

Cheers.

Brad

PS. Thanks to comicstripgenerator.com for the cool graphic. Does your newsletter or website need some spicing up? Think you could use some more humor in your job but don’t know how? Give this free service a try!

PPS. Do YOU have any cool resources for punching up the fun? Any weblinks I should know about? Share your best ideas in a comment!

There was recently a great National Public Radio radio show about magic that I loved. Link.

In this very cool call-in show, one of the many topics they cover is whether or not magicians are artists.

I’m not sure… in many ways I think that comedy and humor is more of an art than magic. The problem with magic is that it can be a bit like “paint by numbers.” Sure, there is some skill and stick-to-it-ness that is required to finish a complicated paint-by-numbers painting. But is it really “art” to paint in the the right colors?

Don’t get me wrong… I love magic. I love magicians. And, as I pointed out, I AM a magician. (Or at least a magician speaker — I use magic tricks to in my keynote speeches all the time.)
But is it really an art?

I suggest that the “art” is in the presentation. Any smart 13 year old kid, if he or she practiced enough — and had the right props — could do the same tricks as David Copperfield. But they will never be as good as Copperfield. Why not? Because they are not artists. They are just magicians. Copperfield is an artist for his performance skills…. but not because he can do kick-butt magic tricks.

Proof? I’ve seen a dozen or so movies where actors play the part of a magician, and more often than not these actors create way more of a presentation than most magicians I’ve seen. These actor-magicians are awesome. Not because they are magicians, but because they are not magicians. They are artists. They don’t give a darn about the tricks…they care only for the art.

What do you think? Art or Paint-By-Numbers?

Comment and let me know what you think.

The real story was that a while back I worked for a bunch of Microsoft managers in Dallas recently. You can check out the details of this presentation here.

What’s better than being a motivational speaker? Being a speaker who gets good reviews. This bootleg -video made my heart sing. Ok, kinda corny, but still, it felt great.

Thanks Microsoft!

Technorati Tags: Texas Speakers, facilitation, testimonials, Motivational Speakers

I’d want to know that, if he uses humor, is he really funny?

I’d like to know if humor is involved, is it business-safe? Is it appropriate? Will it get me fired?

I’d like to know that there is there a meaningful tie-in to my business? Sure, funny is good. But can this speaker help my organization do whatever it is we do better?

But most of all, I’d want to make sure that whichever speaker I ended up going with was a sure thing. A done deal. A guarantee. How could I know that? I’d check with as many past clients as I could.

I’d LOVE to be your speaker. Allow me to start by showing you this collection of video testimonials:

I’d love to be your choice? If you’d like to learn about how we can work together — which I’d LOVE — learn more here.

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

NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF A SMILE

I spent three weeks with my family in Guatemala over the holidays. (What can I say? I have a great job.) I learned about a million things: Spanish, Poverty, Geology, and Food. I also learned that you probably cannot spend too much time with your kids.

But the most surprising lesson I learned is about the power of the smile. And I learned that I have a lot to learn.

Let me explain. During my day-to-day interactions with people, I use a bunch of humor. I joke with everybody from my wife to the teller at the bank to the woman at the grocery store. I feel that I get more of everything when I joke. More fun, less stress, and even better service.
Rewind back to Guatemala. I don’t speak Spanish. And what little Spanish I know puts me well into the category of, say, an underachieving pre-schooler. In other words, my command of the Spanish language is … er … lame.

(I’m not kidding, I’m really bad at it. I probably know about 200 words, but only two of them are verbs.)

This means that my humor came to a dead stop. If you can’t use the language you can’t make jokes. There are no plays-on-words. No subtle sarcasm. No witty comebacks. My entire arsenal of humor was all wet.

To tell you the truth, I was so busy trying to just get by (”Where in the heck is the boat that will help us find the freaking market?” “No thank you, that big bag of onions looks fabulous but I’m trying to buy a banana!”) that I barely noticed that I had not even tried to be funny.

But then — and I know you’ve had moments like this — I got it. I mean, I GOT it. I finally realized that I was totally connected to some Guatemalans, and not others. Some of them seemed super friendly, super generous, and willing help me and my family in spite of the fact that I was butchering their beautiful language.

Why? I finally realized that when I was smiling (or better yet, laughing) I could get away with ANYTHING and people just got MORE helpful. They would laugh and smile back.

So….smiling helps. Duh. I can’t believe that after years of training how to make people laugh, I forgot about the power of laughter.

So… what did I do differently? From that point on EVERY time I interacted with a Guatemalan I made sure I had a smile plastered on my face. A big genuine smile. (Sometimes I faked the “genuine” part, but hey! Authenticity doesn’t have to be real does it?)

(Yes dear readers. That was a joke.)

The result was instant and obvious. When I smiled, people treated me better, I had more fun, and I got more of what I needed. Better directions? Smile. Need to find out what is that gross thing in the stew pot? Smile. Negotiating for that souvenir for your six-year-old? Smile!

So…what’s this got to do with you? When is the last time YOU worked — yes, I meant it: worked! — to make sure you were smiling? Do you laugh as often as you should? Should you smile more?

Don’t you think that smiling and laughing will help your leadership style? Won’t it help you manage others? Sell more? Communicate better? Darned right.

And the cool part is that even if you fake it at first, eventually enough good will result from your fake smiles that you won’t need to fake your happiness any more.

Now that I’m back among English speakers, I’m back to my sarcasm, wisecracks and jokes. But now I smile more too. And guess what? It works in English too.

ARE YOU SKIMMING? Then read this: when you smile and laugh more, you’ll get more of what you want.
What Do you Think? Share examples how how smiling has helped YOU get what you want. (In Business. At Home.)

Leave it in a comment. I dare you!

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… and the South Carolina Rural Health Care Association:

If you’re choosing between motivational speakers, I hope you’ll pick me!

I’d love to be on your team.

Here’s the link to my motivational speakers site.

Cheers,

Brad Montgomery
Motivational Keynote Speaker, Humorist, Proud of my Track Record

That’s my point: it was so easy for him to do, took just a couple of seconds, and got a HUGE reaction from his audience. From me.

Looking for an easy way to “break things up” or add a bit of humor to your workplace (or home?) Find a simple way to use a simple prop like my friend William.

Thanks buddy!

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There were a long list of highlights. Here’s a few:
• Immediately before my program I ate with (among others) Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Rodney J. McKinley.

He’s a very relaxed, very charming, and actually pretty funny guy. We spoke of many things, but when I asked him if uses humor in his position as a leader he was instantly animated and spoke of how he believes it relaxes his folks, makes him appear “more human” and less intimidating, and more able to work well. In other words, it’s a big deal. And so was he.

[Later, he flattered me by giving me his Military Coin, which is a TOTAL rush. Thanks Chief McKinley.]

What impressed me most with Chief Master Sergeant McKinley was the fact that he is a skilled practitioner of humor. He has a total natural and authentic gift for making others feel at ease. He pokes fun at himself, and his staff clearly responds to his authenticity.

It never surprises me when the most down-to-earth folks turn out to be the top dogs. It might be the very fact that they are leaders that enables them to “let their hair down” and be relaxed and at ease, and able to make those people around them comfortable and relaxed.

But I suspect it is the opposite: I suspect that the more “at ease” people are with themselves, the more likely it is that they end up in leadership positions.

Thanks Air Force Sergeants Association. I had a total ball being your humorist motivational speaker.

Cheers!

First of all…this is a big order. It was a room full of very educated, very busy, very motivated people. They did NOT want their time wasted.

Second, I was thrilled. Getting more time with a group enables me to facilitate a transfer of ideas. Sure, I’ve got a TON of ideas about how to inject more humor into their leadership style and into their workplace in general. But what good are my ideas if they don’t embrace them.

Third, I learned not to joke about “Blackberries” in a room filled with “Windows Mobile Powered Smartphones.” Seriously. I’m not kidding. Don’t even use the word. : )

The day was a success.

Why? I think there are several reasons for the success of the day. In no particular order:

• These managers committed to the idea of working to make their jobs more fun. They wanted to make work more joyful, and were willing to take it seriously. (Now there’s an odd sentence.)

• They were willing to learn from each other. Most of the ideas we ended up with were best practices from different managers at that meeting. No individual in the room had all the answers — including me. But as a group, we had some serious horse power.

• They needed it. They have had some trouble with some internal tools that haven’t been working as well as they would like, and the past six months have been more stressful than they deserve. So investing some time to inject some new creativity, positive attitudes and humor into this group was a welcome lift.

• Finally, it might sound small, the the room set up was great. My contact at Microsoft took the time to set the room right, seat the people correctly, and generally work to get the most bang from the buck from this event. It helps more than you’d think.

Ok, so what HUMOR TIPS did they come up with? Glad you asked.

Here are the groups’ TOP ideas for leading the way to humor at Microsoft (as selected by the groups themselves.)

1. Create a humor ritual of a “You Rock” rock. (This is a rock that moves from person to person. People “earn” the rock by doing something extraordinary at work.) Of course, Microsoft being Microsoft was eager to make the rock virtual. What a crack up.

2. Create a CFO — Chief Fun Officer in your team. That person is in charge of making meetings more fun by bringing toys, coming up with cool creativity exercises etc. One specific example is to buy a bunch of those Easter peeps. (Those horrible yellow marshmallow chicks.) We had made jokes earlier about the slang word for friends: peeps. So one idea would be to award PAM Peeps for excellent participation at meetings (Partner Account Manager Peeps.). Somebody makes a positive contribution to the meeting, and you toss them a Peep and welcome them to the team.

3. Put pictures of celebrities over your photo on your name badge. For example, paste a photo of Julia Roberts (cut from a magazine) over your own photo. See how long it takes for people to notice.

4. For smaller groups, take a Walking Meeting. Two or three people walking can create a special and positive energy that remains elusive in a conference room.

5. Have rubber rats available at meetings. When anybody at the meeting feels the discussion going down a dead end, or “rat hole,” anybody is encouraged to toss a rubber rat on the table. This is a fun way to keep the meeting on track. (And is WAY less negative than “whining” about the off-topic trend.) My group at the Dallas meeting loved this idea. When we broke it down, they decided that these silly and simple rats would:
- Inject humor into meetings.
- Help keep meetings on track
- Replace complaining
- And —most importantly — increase productivity. Wow…that’s a lot for a toy. Way to go PAMs!

I did your homework for you, Microsoft. Here is a link to some cheap rats! $1 for four rats! Get a few dozen!

6. Conference Call humor. There were two ideas for conference calls. The first idea is to “sign in” as an alias. For example, when you are prompted to give your name, give an alias. Brad Pitt. Bill Gates. Etc.

I had an idea that would be funnier…and more outrageous. If you’re a Microsoft manager, I dare you to sign in as Steve Jobs, or Michael Dell. I dare ya!

7. Conference call humor #2. The second idea was to create some sort of team building exercise for the people attending the conference. (I suspect this would work in smaller groups well, and that you might have to experiment with larger groups.) One idea was to start a song, and have different people take a verse. ie: John sings the first verse, Sally sings the second. I think a safe idea (read that: more likely for people to actually do) would be to tell a story one word at a time. If there are 6 people on the call, you’d say every 6th word. It might go like this:

First person: “Once”
Second Person: Upon
Third Person: “A”
Fourth Person: “Time”
Fifth person: “A girl”
Sixth person: “hated”
First Person: “Powerpoint”
Second Person: “Luckily”
Third Person: “She”
…and so on and so on.

8. Word Substitution Game. Need something to spice up a meeting? Choose a key word (or seven) and substitute wacky words for them. For example, instead of saying “PEG LIST” (or whatever it is you’re meeting about) you would instead say, “cauliflower.” Instead of “manager” you might use the word, “radiator.” This would keep people on their toes and increase the humor quotient.

9. Use Nick-Names at Meetings.

My audience at Microsoft laughed at an idea that…well…might get them fired. (I’m not even gonna write it up, but I can tell you that it was funny…very funny.)

The basic idea was that everybody creates a funny nick-name and is thereafter referred to by that name — at least during that meeting. Here is my much safer version of that game:

My Name is Dorfus Dottydunkin.

My 8 year old son LOVES Captain Underpants
(which is a very cool kids’ book). Heck, I love it too.
The following is excerpted from a children’s book, Captain Underpants
And the Perilous Plot of Professor Poopypants, by Dav Pilkey, in which
the evil Professor forces everyone to assume new names…

So:-

1. Use the second letter of your first name to determine your New
first name:

a = snickle
b = doombah
c = goober
d = cheesey
e = crusty
f = greasy
g = dumbo
h = farcus
i = dorky
j = doofus
k = funky
l = boobie
m = sleezy
n = sloopy
o = fluffy
p = stinky
q = slimy
r = dorfus
s = snooty
t = tootsie
u = dipsy
v = sneezy
w = liver
x = skippy
y = dinky
z = zippy

2. Use the second letter of your last name to determine the first Half
of your new last name:

a = dippin
b = feather
c = batty
d = burger
e = chicken
f = barffy
g = lizard
h = waffle
i = farkle
j = monkey
k = flippin
l = fricken
m = bubble
n = rhino
o = dotty
p = hamster
q = buckle
r = gizzard
s = lickin
t = snickle
u = chuckle
v = pickle
w = hubble
x = dingle
y = gorilla
z = girdle

3. Use the third letter of your last name to determine the second half
of your new last name:

a = butt
b = boob
c = face
d = nose
e = hump
f = breath
g = pants
h = shorts
i = lips
j = honker
k = head
l = tush
m = chunks
n = dunkin
o = brains
p = biscuits
q = toes
r = doodle
s = fanny
t = sniffer
u = sprinkles
v = frack
w = squirt
x = humperdinck
y = hiney
z = juice

Thus, for example, George W. Bush’s new name is: Crusty Chucklefanny.

My name is: Dorfus Dottydunkin

Microsoft! You folks were awesome. My one “take away” for you: in order to increase the humor (and attitude) at work, you DON’T have to be funny. You just have to lead the way to encourage positive humor to blossom.

I loved being on your team.

Thanks so much for bringing me into Texas.

Yours,

Brad Montgomery
Motivational Speaker, Humor Expert, Huge Fan of Microsoft Partner Account Managers!

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It’s cool.

What do you think? Is it magic? (No doubt a clever magician wrote it.)

Cheers!

Thanks so much KB. You made my day. And reading emails like this is the main reason why I love my job.

YOU rock! How cool is that?!

If you want to learn what KB is talking about by seeing my motivational keynote, click here.

If you’re interested in the article that she is talking about, subscribe to the HOW COOL IS THAT newsletter here.

Cheers,

Brad Montgomery
Motivational Speaker, Military Speaker, Birthday Singing Fool

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It was a special group; they were worried about their jobs. And immediately before my keynote the president of the college reassured them that layoffs were not imminent. The message was upbeat, but the tone was pretty darned low. (Here’s a hint to anybody who is going to say, “We’re not going to lay YOU off:” They aren’t gonna believe you. You just sacked their friends. So during your talk, you can at least mention that they may have some anxiety….but I digress.)

So seeing them go from “slow” to “go” was totally gratifying. And a ton of fun.

Another highlight was talking to a member of the audience about his experiences with his mom. He was a self-proclaimed “fun seeker” and told me about some fun rituals he’s shared with HIS family.

He talked about paying tolls for total strangers, and buying drinks ‘d1 or even dinner ‘d1 for couples he though might need it.

But my favorite was a story about how his mom used to get luck with bingo by saving it for others. Let me explain:

His mom would take him to the local bingo parlor to play bingo. Unlike most of the other senior citizens would by a single bingo card and win. And win often. More than she should really; she had great luck.

But what made it so special, (and so much fun) is that she wouldn’t yell, “Bingo” when she won. My new friend, as a boy would beg her to claim her winnings, and she would explain that she wouldn’t do it, that they didn’t need the money, and that they were “saving the luck for those that really needed it.”

It created a sense of fun and abundance for her and her family. It sounds awesome.

Apparently one old lady across the table from this lucky woman one evening noticed that she, with her single card, won. “Why don’t you claim it? You’re acting silly!?” She was apparently almost