Brad Montgomery, Motivational Speaker

I need WHAT kind of comedian? What is a corporate comedian and why you need one!

By Brad Montgomery CSP

Let's face it. Life today is complicated at best. It's often difficult. And it is sometimes… well… yucky. All we need to do to confirm our stresses is to look over the front page of the newspaper and we know that what we really need is a good laugh.

Companies and associations turn to corporate comedians to provide their employees with a break from the difficulties of the times. Whether they need to give their folks a break from a day of learning important – but often dry – information from industry speakers, or they want to make them feel appreciated and valued, or if they want to kick off or close a convention with a bang, a corporate comedian can be the answer.

Brad Montgomery is a very funny corporate comedian and speaker. He knows how to take a group of well-educated, sophisticated, been-there-and-done-that people and shake them right out of their chairs.

What's the difference between a comedian and a “corporate” comedian?

That's an easy one. A corporate comedian is a comedian who is clean, safe and (Continue Reading…)

Selecting a Professional Speaker

by Mark Sanborn, CSP, CPAE

Oh no — you’ve been put in charge of the program for your company’s next out-of-office meeting! Your mind flashes back to the meetings you’ve attended that were a disaster. You remember all too well that monotone speaker who bored everyone to tears, that other speaker who obviously didn’t know the first thing about what your company does, and, worst of all, the speaker who thought the audience would learn a valuable management lesson by standing on their chairs and crowing like roosters!

You know that your boss is counting on you to pull together an interesting and valuable program based on a dynamic speaker. And even though the meeting is still months away, you’re already losing sleep over it. To help ease your anxieties about finding the best speaker possible, consider the following four guidelines. These guidelines are the result of my 11 years as a professional speaker and more than 1,300 paid speeches and seminars. Further, I’ve spent lots of time talking to other speakers about how to work most effectively with meeting planners like you — to ensure that your meeting fulfills attendees’ expectations and gives them the most for their (Continue Reading…)

How to Bring in Big-Name Speakers on a Low-Dollar Budget

By Laura Stack, MBA, CSP

“The Productivity Pro”
Chair, National Speakers Association (NSA) Meetings Industry Council (MIC)

Money is tight and times are tough. Meeting registration is down, and the budget isn't available for that big-name professional speaker you want to bring to your meeting. If you find a speaker you'd love to invite but can't quite swing the fee, you may want to try negotiation.

From the perspective of the professional speaker or bureau, the speaking fee represents both a paycheck and the value the speaker brings to your group. When approaching speakers for low or no fee arrangements, be sure to recognize them as valued partners critical to the success of your meeting, not a replaceable commodity. Be prepared with your negotiation ideas before calling the speaker, to show that you value their expertise and contribution.

Speakers must be fair to the clients who pay their full fees. So if you want a speaker to accept a lower fee, think about what you can do in return that goes beyond what clients paying full fees would do. “As a meeting planner, make it as easy as possible for the speaker to say yes without (Continue Reading…)

Choosing a Comic Speaker

by Brad Montgomery

Synopsis: If you're looking for an entertaining speaker to perform at your event, your first thoughts might be to look for professional comedians or humorous speakers. In this article Brad Montgomery, a corporate humorist and motivational speaker, explains why it's a good idea to pick a corporate comedian to make sure the presentation stays clean.

Comedy is a great way to entertain and motivate the attendees at your conference or event. There's a lot of variety out there, though, and I know it's really possible to hire a comedian and expect one thing only to find another. One big difference exists, and that's the gap between the world of stand-up comedians and that of corporate speakers.

Corporate comedians and stand-up comics have very different practices when it comes to language and the cleanliness of their humor. Comedy Clubs, the kinds of locations that are frequented by stand-up comics, have a much different atmosphere than a corporate gathering; you'll find comics cursing, using vulgar words, and just being generally free to have whatever wild antics they want to use to entertain their crowd. In a corporate setting, you probably want the same level (Continue Reading…)

Motivational Speakers: Tailor verses Customize?

Why Does Brad Tailor a Speaking Presentation?

Audiences get more out of a program where they are involved and engaged than from a program that bores them to tears. Duh. We all know this to be true…. If people are into it…they’ll learn and leave with value.

There are several ways to engage an audience. I use two huge techniques: Humor and Audience Participation. I know through experience from thousands of presentations that when groups are laughing, and laughing hard… they will sit and listen. And when they – and their friends and workmates – are directly involved in the presentation, they are on the edge of their seats.

But the last technique I use – as do most pro speakers – is to tailor my presentation to your group. By learning about the specifics of your group’s needs, successes, failures, stresses, job titles and functions, acronyms, problems, etc…. I can drop in specific references to your group.

Why? There are two reasons why tailoring a program is important to you. First, because it makes it more relevant and meaningful. Instead of, for example, talking (Continue Reading…)

Articles for People Who Want to Hire A Motivational Speaker

Book-The-Right-Speaker Course A Free Four Day Course sent to you in Seconds We think this might be the coolest thing on the website… a free and valuable 4-day course that will help assure that you select the right speaker.

Tailored verses Customized Presentations What you need to know about the difference, and why you should care. Do you even want your speaker or corporate comedian to bother?

Selecting a Professional Speaker Tips and ideas about selecting the right professional speaker for your event, convention, or meeeting.

How to Choose a Comic Speaker    Not sure how to choose a comic speaker?  This article will give you some excellent tips.

What is a corporate comedian? Definition of corporate comedians, and how that will help you select the right one.

Why choose Humorous Motivational Speakers over Corporate Motivational Speakers? Is there a difference between humorous motivational speakers and corporate motivational speakers? What is it? Should you care?

Why You Should Hire a Professional Emcee / Master of Ceremonies. Is it worth the investment to get a pro to Emcee your event? Why you might want to look very closely at hiring a professional (Continue Reading…)