Note:  just changed some settings with this podcast and iTunes.   Some listeners may find this a re-broadcast… please accept our apologies.   Or Bad!

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How Do You Become a Comedian? In this podcast we join corporate comedian David Glickman as he tells us about his first paid job as a comedian. Believe it or not, he got this job in the newspaper Help Wanted pages: “Wanted: Comedian.” Can you believe it?

What follows is a crazy and true story about the first of David’s 2000+ experiences as a comedian. The short story is that he was the “voice” behind a remote-controlled robot that visited high-end parties in Southern Florida in the 1970s. With a microphone and a headset, he could hear what people would say to this robot, and then with his microphone he could “answer” back. Wanna find out what happens when this budding comedian meats the ultra hot (at the time anyway) rock star, Meatloaf? I won’t give the story away, but suffice it to say that it was funny, and that it earned the comedian a raise.

Listen to the entire podcast. (Scroll down!) Thanks David!

Brad Montgomery
Corporate Comedian, Public Speaker, Fan of David Glickman

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I usually hate stuff that is forwarded to me via email. But I thought this was interesting.

Cna yuo raed tihs? Olny 55 plepoe out of 100 can.

i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheear ch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno’t mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt! if you can raed tihs forwrad it

So. Can you read it?

What’s My Point?  I’m not sure I have any brilliance today, but I can tell you that this cool paragraph would make a fun and funny meeting warm up.  Do your meetings lag?   Find you team checking their watches a bunch?  Feel like you’re not getting the most creativity out of your gang?  Then meeting warmups might work for you.

This would be a cool thing to pass out at the beginning of a business meeting. It’s fun and funny, would get people in a creative frame of mind. Have your team — as a team — write out the goals for that meeting in this style. Then go for it…. my guess is that meeting will be way better than if you just launch into it.

As a side note…this “warm up” is a great way to start if you’ve never done anything other than, “Ok, let’s start,” at the start of your session.  Don’t try some of the more “risky” games at first. Let your team get used to the concept of you starting with something fun and mind-rattling.  Then you can move on.  This wacky paragraph is a easy, safe and fun way to get them thinking, “Ok, now I’m ready to work.”

Can you read it?

Do you think this type of warm up would work for your group? Leave a comment with your best meeting warm up.  I dare ya!  Tell me what you think!

 

 

Need a funny motivational speaker who can spark creativity and fun in ANY group — with or without funny paragraphs.  How ’bout bringing me in to speak to your entire staff?   Go to the contact page.

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I was recently speaking in Virginia where I had the good fortune to be booked at the same convention as one of my favorite Colorado speakers, Susan Carnahan. (Susan is based in Monument, Colorado.)susan carnahan

I got to see one of her two breakout sessions (on networking) and she absolutely killed. She is a charming and wonderful trainer, and the audience totally responded.

She is skilled, articulate, agreeable, talented, lively and experienced. But to be honest, my favorite moment had something to do with her hair. She was making a point for her audience when she made a gesture with her hand to her hair which resulted in her hair style looking a bit funky. Not bad… but not as perfect as I bet Susan would have liked it.

A few women from the audience (who loved her, I remind you) laughed with her and pointed out the hair foul.

Now a less relaxed and professional speaker would have freaked. But not Susan. She just said, “Oh, what? My hair is goofed up?” They nodded. She fixed, smiled, laughed, thanked them, and went on with her breakout session.

What was the result? The audience loved the fact that she was so “normal.” All of us get our hair messed up, our shirt collar bunched up, a bit of broccoli in our teeth, whatever. And most of us would prefer for these kind of things NOT to happen in front of an audience.

We loved Susan because she was so like us. She has the same problems that the rest of us have. And she handled it so gracefully that we loved her all the more for it.

What’s my point? If you’re looking for professional speakers pick one that the audience can relate to. Speakers who are “too perfect” and “too polished” may have great speakers’ skills, but if they don’t connect to the audience they leave everybody with a hollow feeling. Audiences today are way to sophisticated to be fooled by people they perceive as plastic.
But when pro speakers demonstrate their human-ness (is that a word?) the way Susan Carnahan did, the connection is solid, strong, and totally attractive and lovable. We connected to Susan because she proved she is so much like us.

We all can learn from Susan. Next time you have something go wrong, just remember that we all goof up. And what will separate you from the rest is the way you handle it. Just be humble, honest, and smile. And the world will love you for it.

Way to go Susan!

PS. I am great at making these human mistakes. But to be honest, I’d KILL to have a bad hair moment like Susan. I’d kill to have hair. Period.

Looking for Virginia Speakers or Colorado Speakers? Look here.
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