The highs and lows of companies rely on their people. A business thrives if its workforce has a positive outlook. It suffers when they have low morale or a negative attitude towards their work. Your employees are a determining factor to the success of your company. It is important to foster positivity in the workplace.
Leaders
A good company makes a leader out of all their employees. They know how to initiate and finish tasks without as much as a push from their superiors. Teach your employees to become leaders. Let them develop the necessary skills, experience and attitude to go beyond their self-imposed limits.
Selected Posts from Brad’s Past
We found a few posts, videos and stories from Brad’s past, and thought it would be fun to re-publish them here.So pour yourself a cup of coffee, put on some classic rock, and check out this classic blog post from a decade (ish) ago.
Happy
Cheerful employees tend to be more productive. They are also the ones who will most likely stay in your company for a long time. Keep them happy by conducting activities that promote employee engagement. Let them share their feedback and suggestions regarding the improvement of your company. Recognize their achievements by rewarding them from time to time. Give them opportunities to advance their career in your company, which will encourage them to stay longer.
Committed
Successful companies stay that way because their people remain committed to the growth of the business. Their employees help the company achieve its goals. Share your company’s vision and mission to your people. Emphasize how they are important in reaching your goals. Give them challenges and rewards to encourage them to participate. Be open to your employees; transparency will help them know the company’s direction and their role within the organization.
Quality employees will help businesses go where they want to be. One way of fostering quality employees is through motivational speeches. Brad Montgomery is a renowned speaker who understands that people are your greatest asset. Hewill help you motivate your employees to drive your company towards greater heights.Get in touch with him to know more about transforming your company through motivational speaking.
https://www.bradmontgomery.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/motivational-speakers-o.jpg13652048adminhttps://www.bradmontgomery.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/footerlogo.pngadmin2018-12-31 00:00:192018-06-04 01:38:43Qualities of Employees in Successful Companies
Change? Laugh or Cry; Your Choice.
Selected Posts from Brad’s Past
We found a few posts, videos and stories from Brad’s past, and thought it would be fun to re-publish them here.So pour yourself a cup of coffee, put on some classic rock, and check out this classic blog post from a decade (ish) ago.
It isn’t always this easy, but it is (nearly) always this simple. When we as organizations or individuals deal with change there are two certainties. First, it’s going to be something new. Duh. Second, it’s going to happen whether we want it to or not.
Got a new organizational structure? Has has the shape, structure and content of your workforce changed? Or your uncertain about exactly how YOU will fit in with all these changes?
I’ve got a couple of thoughts about it for you, but they both start with the concept that it’s time to stop complaining, stop worrying, and start doing something that can help you. It’s time to start learning to laugh at change.
In my job as a motivational speaker I’m often asked to address the subject of change for my client’s audience. And my theory can be summed up quickly:
“Change? You might as well learn to laugh at it. It’s one of the few choices you have.” — Brad Montgomery
There’s an age-old law of humor and comedy, which goes something like:
Tragedy + Time = Funny
And it doesn’t take much thought to realize it’s true. That disaster family vacation in your teens? Hilarious! The time crazy Uncle Larry got his foot stuck in the chair and was howling in pain? Ha ha ha! The Thanksgiving dinner when the turkey was raw, the side dishes cold, and the in-laws psycho? Ooh, my sides hurt from laughing.
They were all lousy times. (Tragedy.) They were all a long time ago. (Time.) But now they are funny.
My suggestion is that all of the lousy things you are dealing with now are probably going to be funny if you let enough time pass. For some of you, that’s going to mean a LOT of time.
But my suggestion is simple: if it’s going to be funny later, why not (at least try to) see the “funny” in it now. See if you can shorten the “Time” variable in the equation from 20 years to 20 minutes.
Next time you are freaking out about something new at work, ask yourself if you’ll really care about this change in five years. Now go one teensy little step further and ask yourself if you think this change might be funny in a month or a week or a decade. If the answer is yes, you’re an idiot to dwell too hard on it.
It’s time to start laughing. Now.
Yes, it’s a simple concept. Which doesn’t mean it’s an easy concept. That new software package you’re sorting through IS a pain in the neck. The uncertainty of the merger IS a stress. The recent layoffs (or rapid growth) are difficult. But so what? Are you really going to let these things ruin your day? Your job? Your life?
Again, if the answer is yes, you’re a fool.
As a change motivational speaker, I teach my audiences this wildly simple concept, and then give them some simple — but seriously effective — techniques and strategies that they can start to implement right away.
The best way to deliver these messages of levity, humor and hope? Through generous doses of laughter.
If we make your group laugh — and laugh HARD — at some really funny and relevant discussions of change, they’ll listen. And because it is so much fun, it will help it stick. Making it funny helps with retention.
Looking for a change motivational speaker? You’ve found him. Contact us here and we’ll strategize the best way to get your folks laughing back their way to health.
https://www.bradmontgomery.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/motivational-speakers-o.jpg13652048Brad Montgomeryhttps://www.bradmontgomery.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/footerlogo.pngBrad Montgomery2018-12-26 00:00:212018-06-04 01:37:50Change? Laugh or Cry; Your Choice.
The second question I get from nearly every prospective client (after “How much do you charge?”) is “How do we know what YOU think is funny will be funny to us?”
There are several ways to ask the same question. But almost all of them lead to this hidden question: how do we know you won’t be offensive and inappropriate and ruin our event?
I love this question. And unfortunately, we live in a land where anybody with a Yahoo.com account can have a website proclaiming that they are a Top Motivational Speaker! and use “comedy” and “humor.”
But in my experiences, these speakers aren’t experienced. They aren’t genuinely funny. And more times than you’d expect what little humor they do have is inappropriate. And if any of these things are true then they haven’t been working much, and they won’t be working much longer.
So…how do YOU know if your speaker is clean? Safe? Appropriate? There are three ways to check.
1. Check the videos online. There should be MANY of them. Are they funny? Anything racy or edgy? Any hints about something that would make you uncomfortable? That’s what we call a hint. You can bet that you see a fringe of something icky, there is MORE that has been edited out.
2. Check with past clients. Ask for and expect to receive as many references as you want to check. Call them. It’s so simple. Just ask them if the humor was appropriate? Was that motivational speaker actually funny?
3. Have a conversation with your perspective motivational speaker. Just ask them straight out, “Tell me about your theories of clean and appropriate humor?” and sit back and listen. I could go on for HOURS on this topic. In my over two decades speaking I have hundreds of stories. During my years (18 plus years ago) in the comedy clubs I experimented with stuff I’d NEVER do now. I’ve written about it. Coached others on it. And had to walk the walk on stage for thousands of programs.
Selected Posts from Brad’s Past
We found a few posts, videos and stories from Brad’s past, and thought it would be fun to re-publish them here.So pour yourself a cup of coffee, put on some classic rock, and check out this classic blog post from a decade (ish) ago.
If the speaker you are interviewing says something like, “Yeah, it’s clean,” and ends it there… perhaps that speaker doesn’t understand how important this issue is to you (and should be to them.) Ask them a couple of more probing questions to learn more about their sense of clean comedy and then trust your gut. (But check references and videos too!)
I’d love to be your motivational speaker. I’m funny. I’m experienced. And I’m absolutely positive I understand how clean and unoffensive your professional speaker has to be.
Want to have that conversation with me? Contact us and we’ll chat!
Looking for a funny motivational speaker? I’d love to be your guy. Call us today.
https://www.bradmontgomery.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/motivational-speakers-o.jpg13652048Brad Montgomeryhttps://www.bradmontgomery.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/footerlogo.pngBrad Montgomery2018-12-21 00:00:212018-06-04 01:36:55Funny to You Doesn’t Mean Funny to Us
https://www.bradmontgomery.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/fact-2.jpg13652048Brad Montgomeryhttps://www.bradmontgomery.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/footerlogo.pngBrad Montgomery2018-12-18 17:49:292018-12-19 15:01:33Crazy Stories About A Crazy Job
We now present the seventh in a series of video articles about:
How to work with your motivational keynote speaker to get the most from your conference investment
Selected Posts from Brad’s Past
We found a few posts, videos and stories from Brad’s past, and thought it would be fun to re-publish them here.So pour yourself a cup of coffee, put on some classic rock, and check out this classic blog post from a decade (ish) ago.
Looking for a motivational speaker for your event? Contact me here.
For those folks who would rather read than watch, here is the video transcript:
Hey, it’s Brad Montgomery. Today we’re going to talk about getting the most from your motivational speaker, tips about how to work with a motivational keynote speaker. We’re going to talk about getting the most value from your speaker by asking them what else can they do.
So here’s the deal. I get calls all the time saying, “Tell me about your services as a motivational speaker.” I love that. Give us a call. But then when I ask, “Well what else can I do while I’m there to help you achieve the goals of your organization and your convention or meeting,” often on the other side of the phone all I hear is this, “Uh, I don’t know,” ‘cause they’ve never thought about it.
Think about how your motivational speaker can add more value to your meeting
So here’s my tip: think about it. If you’re bringing in a professional speaker that you think is good enough to bring all the way across the country and put them in front of your audience, what else could they do to add value for your and your meeting? It’s a great question. I’d love for you to ask your speaker about that, but since you get me I’ll tell you a little bit about some of the stuff that I do.
Yes, I love doing motivational or keynote speeches; but then in addition, I love following up with a breakout session or seminar. ‘Cause the speech is great for winding them up and making them feel great and giving them some of the stuff that you do to create change in their life, but then often what’s missing is the details about how do they do that. So following up with a breakout session with more details and more about how to implement the steps is a really cool idea.
Another thing I do for a lot of my clients is I MC and I like to the be the Master of Ceremonies, and they like it because it keeps the energy and humor on high throughout the entire convention, which keeps the learning on high throughout the entire meeting.
Get the most out of your motivational speaker with additional sessions
What else can we do? Some of you know that my background is in comedy and in magic, so some of my clients say, “You know what, we’re having Brad in to do keynote. We’re having a different timeslot where we’re bringing in some sort of entertainer,” – maybe for example after the banquet – “I wonder if Brad could do both.” Yeah, love doing that.
And the cool thing, there’s two really cool things. First of all, it saves a lot of money ‘cause we’re already there, it’s just a small incrementable – I don’t think that’s the word. It’s a small increase in fee to get both for one, right, and the advantage is two-fold.
Well my name’s Brad Montgomery. I would love to be your speaker. I know just how to make your conference investment one that will provide maximum value. Give us a call. You can find us at funnymotivationalspeakers.com or bradmontgomery.com. Thanks so much. Lets talk.
https://www.bradmontgomery.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/motivational-speakers-o.jpg13652048Brad Montgomeryhttps://www.bradmontgomery.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/footerlogo.pngBrad Montgomery2018-12-16 00:00:532018-06-04 01:36:12Ask What Else Your Motivational Speaker Can Do
How to make Michelada
If you’ve read my blog at all, then you know that last year I lived in Mexico for a year. While I was there, my Mexican pal Oscar taught me how to make a Michelada. It’s not one of those recipes that you can find on the internet. It’s a the genuine Michelada recipe, taught in the Michelada birthplace, Mexico, by a Mexican.
Selected Posts from Brad’s Past
We found a few posts, videos and stories from Brad’s past, and thought it would be fun to re-publish them here.So pour yourself a cup of coffee, put on some classic rock, and check out this classic blog post from a decade (ish) ago.
For those of you who don’t like videos, or simply found it confusing, here is the recipe.
How to Make a Michelada
Michelada Recipe
Ingredients:
Limes (You’ll need a ton!) Jugo Maggi Pacifico or Corona (Doesn’t matter which one) Tajin (A mixture of salt, lime flavoring and chile powder) Clamato (optional) Salsa Inglesa Hot Sauce. (Also optional.) Use Valentino brand…not the American Tobasco. They taste different. I like a couple of drops. My pal Oscar doesn’t like any.) Beer. Oscar thinks you should use Pacifico or Corona. But we’ve made them with a darker Negro Modelo and they are pretty tasty with that too.
Note: In Mexcio, most of these ingredients were pretty easy to find. But here in the States, it’s a wee bit trickier. I’m guessing that you could find any of these ingredients in a Mexican market or store. Go track one down and buy this stuff. You’ll be glad you did. Seriously, I cannot imagine a Michelada without the Tajin. It just plain sucks. Find Tajin!!! The lime juice and the Jugo Maggi and the Salsa Inglesa are pretty important. But the Tajin is crucial. Or some substitute brand. Tajin is simply the most common brand of the dried chili, dehydrated lime and salt mixture. There are many other brands, but they’re all good.
Make your Michelada
First, salt your Michelada glass, except use Tajin. Cut a lime and rub it around the rim of your glass. Then pour a bunch of Tajin (the chili / salt / dehydrated lime mixture) on a small plate. Invert your glass and rub the wet rim in the tajin, making it stick.
Add the juice of 2 or three small limes, or perhaps 1 larger lime. Lime juice is crucial, and it has to be fresh. You need more juice than you think. Now add some more.
Add a couple of Shakes of Salsa Inglesia. And a couple of shakes of Jugo Maggi. This is a “to taste” sort of thing. I like to add extra Maggi. But really, it’s up to you.
If you like, add some Clamato. (But only if you like Clamato.) Just about 1/3 of a cup. It’s a to taste thing, again. Go for it if you like more. Less? Fine! Not at all…. sure, no problem. It doesn’t matter. Do what your taste buds like. I like it with Clamato. Oscar doesn’t.
(I’ve seen the difference of “chelada” and “michelada” described as with or without the Clamato. My my pal Oscar, who was born in and lived in Mexico City for 20+ years thinks they are both Micheladas. So who am I to doubt him?)
Add ice. A bunch of ice. A lot of ice. Trust me. It’s good with ice.
Fill your glass up with beer.
Add a couple of pinches of Tajin.
Stir it up. Drink it up.
Repeat as needed.
Finally: You need the Jugo Maggi, the Salsa Inglesa, and especially the Tajin! It’s worth the trip. It will make your michelada genuine. And most important, it’ll make it tasty!
https://www.bradmontgomery.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/motivational-speakers-o.jpg13652048Brad Montgomeryhttps://www.bradmontgomery.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/footerlogo.pngBrad Montgomery2018-12-11 00:00:392018-06-04 01:34:55How to Make a Michelada
We now present the sixth in a series of video articles about:
How to work with your motivational keynote speaker to get the most from your conference investment
Selected Posts from Brad’s Past
We found a few posts, videos and stories from Brad’s past, and thought it would be fun to re-publish them here.So pour yourself a cup of coffee, put on some classic rock, and check out this classic blog post from a decade (ish) ago.
Looking for a motivational speaker for your event? Contact me here.
For those folks who would rather read than watch, here is the video transcript:
Hey, it’s Brad Montgomery from bradmontgomery.com and funnymotivationalspeakers.com with another video on maximizing your return on investment with your motivational speaker, your keynote speaker, inspirational speaker, whatever.
Here’s one of the things you want to do: you want to have a plan about how you’re going to use your speaker. And don’t worry, it’s not hard because your speaker should be doing most of the work.
But the question should be led by you, and the first question is really, “What should I have you talk about and what should we do?” And really the conversation I think should go around this, what are the problems your organization is going through, what are the stresses, what are the difficulties? What are the joys? What are the successes? And then based on that how can your speaker help tailor and customize a message that’s just for them?
That’s a really important deal, right? Because you don’t want your speaker just to come in and shoot from the hip; you want them to be providing a motivational speech that’s the kind of speech you’re paying for, that you want, right?
What I like to tell my clients is that if I were hiring a motivational speaker and I was sitting in the back room, I would much rather say instead of, “Oh wow, how lucky that my speaker touched on that, ‘cause that’s really important to my organization,” no. Instead I would prefer to be thinking, “Well of course my speaker just said that because that was part of our plan that we talked about ahead of time.” Get it?
Work with your motivational speaker to provide a relevant message
Plan ahead with your motivational speaker for maximum return on your conference investment
All right, so here’s the deal, you really need to have a plan with your speaker.
Sometimes it can be a very complex or sometimes it can be a pretty short game plan, but you want to talk ahead of time about, “How can you, Mr. Prospective Motivational Speaker, help me with my specific needs and my goals and the changes I’m trying to create within my organization? How can you help me get there? What’s your plan?” And then you’ll work on the plan together, deliver a speech and you’ll rock. All right, hope that’s helpful.
My name’s Brad Montgomery, and I’d love to be part of your team and I’d love to make a plan for how we can make your conference or your meeting or your whatever a big rocking success.
So give us a call. Reach us at bradmontgomery.com or funnymotivationalspeakers.com. Thanks so much for your time. Give us a call, we’ll talk. We’ll make it good. We’ll make it funny. We’ll make it relevant. We’ll make it funny. Did I mention funny? I think I did. We’ll make it funny.
https://www.bradmontgomery.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/motivational-speakers-o.jpg13652048Brad Montgomeryhttps://www.bradmontgomery.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/footerlogo.pngBrad Montgomery2018-12-06 00:00:022018-06-04 01:33:58The Importance of Planning Ahead With Your Speaker
We now present the fifth in a series of articles about: How to work with your motivational keynote speaker to get the most from your conference investment
Selected Posts from Brad’s Past
We found a few posts, videos and stories from Brad’s past, and thought it would be fun to re-publish them here.So pour yourself a cup of coffee, put on some classic rock, and check out this classic blog post from a decade (ish) ago.
Looking for a motivational speaker for your event? Contact me here.
Brad Montgomery, Motivational Speaker, Keynote Speaker, Totally Trustworthy Guy
==
For those folks who would rather read than watch, here is the video transcript:
All right, here’s the advice of the day: the advice is be very, very picky when choosing or selecting your keynote speaker, but then once you hire them I want you to trust them implicitly to do their job.
So what do I mean? What I mean is that so often I see this mistake: meeting planners or the CEO or whomever is worried about the motivational speaker hires them, which is good, and runs them through a complete gauntlet of a litmus test to make sure that they have the right person. That’s really good.
But then once they hire them, they continue the micro managing. That’s not really good. Hire a really good speaker and then once you hire them ask them what they need to deliver the best program for you. Get them what they need, and then – this is the point – let them do it. Let them do it. So let me give you a story, this really happened to me. I was working for a huge corporation in California. Not telling you who ‘cause I really like my job, and they really ran me through the gauntlet to make sure I was the right guy. I was very flattered to be chosen.
They spent a lot of time on conference calls with me. That was really great. They did more conference calls with me; that was great too. Whatever it takes.
And then once I got there I thought we were ready to go. We were literally ten minutes from the time that they were about to say, “And now please welcome our motivational speaker Brad Montgomery,” when the CEO, the very person who had spent all this time on the phone with me, came to me and said, “so you’re talking about this, that and this? Uh, I don’t, I don’t think so.” What? You’re kidding me.
So it did a couple of things. First it shook me up. I admit it, it shook me up. I’m thinking, “Wait, this is my client. He knows what I’m talking about, and before there’s time to make a lot of significant changes he’s telling me he thinks this is a bad idea.” This is not the way to get the most out of your keynote speaker.
Hire your speaker, then trust them to do their job
This is not a good idea. The way I handled it happily worked out. I just said, “Well here’s what I’m prepared to offer. You know, I’m going to do this and this. These are the things we talked about. I’m prepared to do it right now. You have a choice; you can either send me out in front of your audience and I will deliver that as we had planned, or if you like you can not send me out. But that’s what I’m prepared to deliver today, and you hired me either way so you can choose.”
You know, I sounded pretty confident when I said that, but I don’t mind telling you, I wasn’t that confident. I was really shaken up, and then when I went out on stage I was connecting with the audience, but in my mind I’m still thinking about the CEO, my client, wondering, you know… It was just not a good idea. So it works out fine in the end, but not as good as it could have if he would’ve sent me out there ready to rock.
Let Your Speaker Know You Trust Them
That’s my question for you, what are you doing to let your speaker know that you trust them, and they’re ready to go, and you want them to deliver their very best. Are you micro managing them? Are you talking a lot about what they’re wearing to the keynote speech? Yes, I’ve had that question. Are you asking them for a script about what they’re going to say? Yes, I’ve had that happen. Are you trying to approve the music that they’re going to use or whatever? Yes, I’ve had that happen. Don’t do that.
Of course I want to work for you. I hope you know that. I want you to pick me. I’d love it if you picked me. But once you go through the rigorous process of deciding who to choose, what I really would ask you to do is say, “What do you need to succeed with this?” help them get those things, and then sit back and let them do it. They’ll make you look good, I promise.
https://www.bradmontgomery.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/motivational-speakers-o.jpg13652048Brad Montgomeryhttps://www.bradmontgomery.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/footerlogo.pngBrad Montgomery2018-12-01 00:00:422018-06-04 01:33:10Let Your Motivational Speaker Know You Trust Them
