I had a very bright high school student call me recently.  She kindly asked if she could interview me about my job as a motivational speaker for a paper she wrote.  She was a great kid on the phone, and as you can see by her email (and paper) below you’ll see that her teacher agreed.  

Emily:   you’re  a rock star!  Keep it up girl and let me know if I may be of further service.

Here’s her email

Dear Brad,

I am writing to you both, as you requested, to let you know about the outcome of my senior project about motivational speaking.  I wrote and presented a speech about technology to a retired men’s group, which went really well.  I wrote a paper about my research, and I mentioned both of you.  An attachment of the paper is included in this email.

The most nerve-wracking part of this entire experience was

(Continue Reading…)

This high-power magnet is your ticket to laughter and fun. While you drive. Just drop this baby in an empty coffee cup -Starbucks cardboard cups work well (leave the lid off) – put it on the roof of your car and drive around town. How you handle all of the helpful folks who wanna help you save your $3.50 mocha java is up to you, but you are guaranteed to keep you mind off the lousy traffic or how you’re late when you have one of these one the roof.

A couple of my favorite things to say to folks who point the cup to me include:
”Thanks! I’m cooling it off!”
”I know! I don’t really like coffee.”
“I’m trying to cut down on caffeine.”

But I gotta admit, I usually just wave back and act clueless. (Continue Reading…)

What is it

This little bad boy is your ticket to joy! It’s a security tag used to prevent shoplifting. This one has been modified by removing the permanent pin and adding a special clip so that you can safely put it on — and take it off! — your clothes. Why? Because it’s funny!

How to Use it

There are two ways to execute the gag. My favorite way is to wear the tag myself. I love to put it on the back of my clothes — the back of my jacket, the back of my pants, or the back of my shirt. This method takes more patience but it is funnier because people will eventually see it and wonder if you actually are unaware of the tag. Some people will see it, be (Continue Reading…)

You’ve got the talent! You’ve got the ambition! You’re sick of that corporate job! You’re ready to break out on your own as a professional speaker…or are you?

Things to Consider

Here are some things to consider before you leave that 9 to 5 job and segue into a professional speaking career:

1. Get real-world experience bfore you quit the employment ranks. People always want to know “how I got started” as a professional speaker. You don’t really j

ust “start.” I highly recommend you get some real-world training experience first. My first job in the training profession was as an employee with TRW Defense Systems. Understanding of the role of training vendors in a corporate setting is invaluable when you start approaching prospective clients, and you get paid while you learn. I then taught adjunct courses at the University of Colorado, which gave me skills in (Continue Reading…)

Do you have a presentation, speech, business meeting or other type of talk to give to a group? After speaking are you often left with the feeling that most of the audience was busy thinking about what they were going to have for lunch instead a paying full attention to what you were saying? When confronted with interviews, presentations, or public speeches, too many members of today’s business world are ill-equipped to speak their minds and engage an audience. Here are some tips to help today’s business person at any level speak better, perform better, and leave the audience remarking on the quality of the presentation rather than whether to have their bologna sandwich or go out for a cheese steak.

Preparation

Research The research tip can be summed up in three simple words: KNOW YOUR STUFF! “Stuff” should be replaced by whatever is appropriate (Continue Reading…)

You’ve reviewed all the promotional materials, you’ve watched all the videos, and you’re confident that you’ve picked the perfect speaker for your upcoming meeting. But you’re not quite ready to sit back and relax. There are still a few things you need to do to ensure that your speaker provides the kind of event that attendees will rave about for a long time to come!

8 Tips to Get the Most Out of Your Speaker

Once you’ve selected that perfect speaker, follow up with these eight tips for getting the most out of your investment:

1. Send your speaker lots of information about your meeting

Send your speaker lots of information about your organization and upcoming meeting.

Most professional speakers today provide pre-program questionnaires for you to complete. And while completing a lengthy questionnaire might seem like one more hassle in your day, it will pay (Continue Reading…)

Few things create a more vivid perception of an executive than his speaking ability. The higher execs rise in an organization, the more frequently they are called upon to address others. Ironically, little or no training is given hapless executives to develop this skill. If they become good at public speaking, it is either a gift of genetics, they get lucky, or a combination of both.

A disregard for time | Unclear purpose | Inadequate preparation | Failure to capture attention | Pomposity | Boredom | False endings

Increasingly leaders are realizing their need for skills development that falls outside of what is typically offered by their organizations. That is one reason why executive coaching has become so popular. Often one of the primary areas coaches focus on is communication, both interpersonal and public.

As a professional who makes his living giving speeches and seminars, I’ve sat through hundreds if not thousands of (Continue Reading…)

When Brad Montgomery graduated with a political science degree in 1988, he had the same plan as many fellow classmates: take a year off before heading to law school. But sixteen years later, that day still hasn’t come. Instead, Montgomery has taken a childhood hobby–magic–and turned it into a successful career as a corporate speaker and entertainer.

Brad’s History

Growing up in Denver, Montgomery did magic tricks in high school and during summers off from college. His venues ranged from children’s birthday parties to street performances to the Colorado Renaissance Festival, where he performed as a jester. “Looking back now, I was pretty bad,” he says with a characteristic laugh.

During that fateful year off after college, Montgomery entered a contest and won a booking at the renowned Magic Castle in Los Angeles. It was on the drive back to Colorado that he realized he wasn’t (Continue Reading…)

Everybody’s a comedian | Entertainers Go Corporate

By Courtny Lingle, Denver Business Journal

“I was always sort of goofy,” said Brad Montgomery with a genuine smile and a giggle straight from the gut. In his profession, being goofy is an asset.

Montgomery is one of a growing number of people around the country using humor to spice up conventions and the workplace and relay important messages to corporations via jokes, stand-up and improvisational comedy, humorous anecdotes and even magic.

Montgomery, a Denver local and self-proclaimed “funny motivational speaker and humorist,” says these days people seem to need humor more than ever.

“People need to be coached into remembering that life rocks,” said Montgomery, who has been speaking to audiences in Denver, Colorado and across the country for about 15 years.

With a bad economy, massive layoffs and the anniversary of Sept. 11 hanging like a thundercloud over people’s heads, a joker (Continue Reading…)

A few days ago, I was watching a video of one of my private coaching clients. Bill is a new speaker just getting into the business. As I watched the video, I followed along with the script he had emailed to me.

Discipline Pays Off

What strikes me about this beginner is his discipline. Although he is new to the speaking business, he’s an old pro in the insurance field. In his keynote, he talks about how his success in business is a result of simple disciplines that he had established early on in his career. Now, in this new field of endeavor, he has already written and nearly memorized a 45-minute keynote. Watching him speak, it is evident that his discipline will pay off.

I teach my students that the script shall set you free. I know it’s true from my experience in theater. I played George in John Steinbeck’s Of Mice (Continue Reading…)