Let’s face it: corporate meeting and convention audiences are filled with multi-taskers. A short time go, our greatest distraction as meeting planners and speakers was USATODAY. Now it’s the fact that there is free wireless in every ballroom, smart phones, and USATODAY.
That’s why this short email from Re/Max international made my day. (I worked for them at their Colorado headquarters recently.) It is absolutely current, and made me feel like a million bucks. Aw Shucks Re/Max!
Brad, One of our executives came up to me yesterday afternoon and said – “Ya know, I judge speakers by the amount of times I look at my iPhone while they’re talking. I did not look once – thanks for bringing Brad in, he was a great speaker and the timing was perfect – really enjoyed it”.
We’ve had lots of positive comments and in my HR meeting today with other HR Executives I will gladly tout you and your message. Thank you so much!!
P.L
Senior Vice President, Human Resources
RE/MAX International, Inc.
Denver, Colorado
Aw Shucks, Re/Max It was my absolute total pleasure. Thanks for taking the time to make me feel great.
Looking for a funny motivational speaker to do your keynote speech? Looking for something different? Real Estate your biz or not, I’dI bet you want to create lasting change. Want to make them laugh while they learn? If you’re in Colorado or across the globe, Contact me here.
Brad Montgomery
Real Estate Speaker, iPhone User, Fan of Re-Max
How To be A Motivational Speaker | Find your Niche Can Make You Rich
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.
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.
I just got back from Texas where I was the motivational speaker for a group of social workers for the Child Protection Services. These are the good people who look out for kids who need it most: kids in physical danger. They oversee way too many cases of abused and neglected kids, and do their best to get them into safe situations.
This group was especially fun for me because right now I’m a foster parent. I’m one of the families these people — ok, actually their peers in Colorado — work with on a day to day basis.
Check out this video I made about them:
My familiarity — in such an intimate way — with foster care made this event special for two reasons. First, the audience knew I wasn’t bluffing when I said, “I understand.” Audiences crave authenticity in their motivational speakers, and because I have two foster kids myself, it was easy for me to be direct and honest. Second, because of my familiarity with “The System” it made for some REALLY funny jokes. I could joke in VERY specific ways about their jobs, their stresses, and their joys.
Thanks Texas Foster Care System (Children and Family Services!) It was my absolute pleasure.
Mobile Post: Posted on-the-go by Brad Montgomery from his iPhone.
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For those who prefer to read, here is a transcript of the video:
This is Brad Montgomery from BradMontgomery.com. What a really cool afternoon we had. So I’m still in Texas, but today we worked for Child Protective Service of Texas.
This is a government agency entrusted with dealing with kids who need help, kiddos in foster care and protecting kids who are in danger. I love doing this for a million reasons, but one of the things I love most is, some of you might know, I’m a foster dad right now. We’ve got two little foster girls and it’s a lot of work.
One of the things we’ve learned is the social workers involved, the peers of the people I just spoke with, are really, really hardworking people working in a system that doesn’t get enough support, is under-funded, is under-trained, and if it wasn’t for these people, these kids would be suffering. So it was my delight, I was totally flattered to deliver not just a motivational speech, which we did, and not just an inspirational speech, which we did, but also a message of appreciation because these social workers work hard and rarely get a thank you. So we made them laugh and we made them laugh hard and we did all the things we were supposed to do as a motivational speaker, but the best part for me was as a foster dad, is to be able to look them in the eye and say it and mean it; thanks for all you do for foster children as Child Protection Service social workers.
So we were in Wichita Falls, Texas for about 160 people, absolute total blast. Folks, keep up the good work, you’re doing amazing things. It’s a pleasure to be your motivational speaker, and keep your eyes out for those kiddos; they need your help and you’re making a difference. Thanks!
If I were trying to pick one motivational speaker among many, I’d want to know:
1. Are they really funny? (Or do they just say they are?)
2. Will my group or organization feel like he “gets” us? Or is he just presenting the same old crap to my audience he delivered last month at the Rotary Club?
3. And finally, I would want to make sure he can provide a LONG list of recent and very happy clients. Seriously…they gotta be recent, they have to be real, and they need to rave.
And frankly, it’s kinda cool — though not a deal breaker — if your potential motivational speaker has spoken groups you’ve actually heard of.
Well…lucky me, because here is a video taken of the Boeing meeting planner in St. Louis Missouri where I recently presented a keynote. (It was 2 hours….so it was sort of a keynote speech on steroids.) It went well, the group was fabulous, and here’s VK with her words right after the speech.
Do you need a motivational speaker? Whether or not you create Space Shuttles, Space Stations or fighter jets, I’d love to help your team get to be where they need to be, and to energize your meeting. Contact me here.
Thanks!
Brad Montgomery
Missouri Motivational Speaker, Humor in the Workplace Expert, Fan of Boeing
For you readers, here’s a transcription of the video:
He far exceeded our expectations. It was funny and he was able to give us tips that we can use every day and we would definitely like to have him back.
He talked with me about our day to day job and what we do and he was able to use that and be relevant within his presentation and really talk about things that related with the audience and what they would need for their jobs and things they can relate to. And compared to other presenters, he did an awesome job at bringing humor in and really keeping it relevant. People enjoyed it but they did walk away with some really great information and tips that they can use.
Hey Boeing! It was a total blast to be part of your event in St. Louis. As a surprise to you, (How Cool is That!?) here’s a brief follow-up video to remind you of some of the fun stuff we covered when we were together on Last Tuesday.
Here’s an ethical bribe: leave a comment (scroll down and leave it below) and tell us what YOU are doing or thinking differently based on our time together and I’ll send you a gift. No silly….not a crystal bowl. But it’s fun. It’s free. And it’s my treat.
Here’s a very casual (which translates to “I made it with my phone!”) video I created in the St. Louis airport just for you. Thanks again… and don’t forget to comment. Cheers and thanks.
Looking for a motivational speaker for your event? Contact me here.
Thanks Boeing. It was my distinct pleasure!
Have a great day….. and don’t forget the bribe: leave a comment below about what you learned and are doing differently and I’ll send you a treat!
For those of you who prefer to read, here is a transcription:
Hi friends it’s Brad Montgomery from Bradmontgomery.com. I put together a special video just for you because I wanted to thank you for all of your time and attention today. But also to remind you of what we covered today because I know since then you’ve had some difficult times, you’ve had like what, 10,000 emails, all kinds of emergencies, let’s see if we can’t remind you how to connect happiness to your bottom line. Because remember the concept was that if we enjoy our time at the link we are going to be better and more productive and more efficient, more effective at Boeing. So how do we do that? You know how. Remember all that fun we had this morning? The laughing and the joking and the carrying on, that feeling is to go, you’re job is to bring it back home and especially bring it back to Boeing because it will make it you better and because you know how.
Here’s the 3 points we covered this morning. First, I want you to find happiness. Find things that remind you that life is good. I mean how cool is it to work for Boeing? You’re involved with the space shuttle. You know, you see planes landing every single day that you guys have a piece of supporting. How cool is that? How cool is it that you just finished up a really cool administrative admin week, how cool is that? How cool is it that you’re getting a reminder video from a guy, Brad Montgomery that you’ve already forgotten about? How cool is that? I’m at the airport in St. Louis getting ready to take off to go home and it’s going to be a Boeing plane. Woo Hoo! How cool is that!? So the first step is a gratitude piece, find things that remind you that life is good.
The second step is a choice. I want you to choose happy, think happy. Remember that if you want to enjoy your life at home and especially your life at work, part of the equation is deciding that you want to enjoy your time at Boeing. So either that has to be a conscious decision, do you want to have a good time or not? I’m thinking you do. I want to make sure you make that conscious decision.
Now finally, there’s an active piece. You’ve got to be physically active in doing something that creates levity, light-heartedness, joy, humor, fun at work. So I don’t know what this means for you. Maybe it means you really do put a magnet in your coffee cup and drive around St. Louis or maybe it just means you make a point to bring some humor to work. You play at work, you put a clown nose on, I don’t care, do something. Whatever it is, do something.
Finally, I just wanted to remind you how much I appreciated being part of it. It was very cool to be in the Boeing building with you guys in St. Louis. It was very fun to be your motivational speaker, but the coolest part was watching your faces start from kind of serious and busy and over-worked and end where you ended just feelings to go. You people deserve it, you’ve been working hard. Life has not been easy lately and I know you guys work hard at Boeing, you deserve to really enjoy it. So find happy, choose happy, act happy.
There’s more stuff at Bradmontgomery.com including a bribe. All right, so here’s the bribe, if you leave a comment, there’s a button, I don’t know where the buttons are. Look down, there’s a button and leave a comment and tell me what specific thing are you doing or thinking differently based on our time together. If you tell me what you’re doing or thinking differently, what I’ll do is I’ll send you a gift. No, it’s not a Ford Explorer. No, it’s not a space shuttle. But it’s cool and it’s my treat and all you have to do is leave a comment and tell me what you’re doing differently based on our time together.
All right, thank you so much, if you have any questions or comments let me know. You can contact me through the website right here Bradmontgomery.com and really thank you so much, just an absolute pleasure to be part of it. Have a great day Boeing. Thanks Admins.
How To be A Motivational Speaker | Reach Your Niche Get Rich
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.
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
Here’s a really cool testimonial from my peeps at the Southern Farm Bureau Casualty Insurance. It feels nice to speak for a client and know their happy afterwards. Thanks for taking the time, Kenneth!
Here’s what he said.
I’m Ken McCardle and I’m the Vice President Information Technology for Southern Farm Bureau Casualty Insurance. And we’re right here in beautiful Savannah Georgia at the Hyatt. And we just got done hearing Brad Montgomery speak. And Brad, you are a great investment for our people here. The economy on the downturn and the way it is, it helped uplift the spirits of our people with a tailored presentation. It picked us a little bit and some of the challenges we have in the workplace. But it helped us take these challenges and we’ve taken back with people who better uplifted spirits now. And can meet the challenges of the workplace with a better attitude. That reflects in productivity.
Well, one of the missions of this particular conference is for our people to have a chance to socialize with each other, to get to know their peers from the other states that they don’t get a chance to see everyday but they talk with them. And so it was a great opportunity for them to laugh with their peers to build that rapport.
We’re an insurance company too, much like AIG. And with the issues of AIG you know we’re looking for productivity. And productivity is a lot better when you have people who are smiling, has a ‘can do’ attitude.
Yes, you might be shopping multiple people but we had a referencing from our sales organization to use Brad Montgomery. And of course sales people are very outgoing people. So when we look at people like IT, accounting, human resources, and lawyers, you really need someone who can pick up the spirits of these people.
Aw Shucks Kenneth. It was my total pleasure.
Looking for a motivational speaker for your event? Contact me here.
Brad Montgomery
Insurance Speaker, Georgia Speaker, Fan of Farm Bureau!
Let’s face it: corporate meeting and convention audiences are filled with multi-taskers. A short time go, our greatest distraction as meeting planners and speakers was USATODAY. Now it’s the fact that there is free wireless in every ballroom, smart phones, and USATODAY.
