A while back I spoke at a huge Las Vegas conference for McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood Restaurants.
I had a ball…. and let me tell you why.They took the time to coach me about their corporate culture… which helps me a great deal. And then, even better, I had a chance to visit with their executive chefs and General Managers before my keynote speech.
Better yet, I ate in one of their restaurants 3 days before my keynote speech. I met the executive chef and the general manager. They let me tour the kitchen and take photos. (And they treated me and my pals great…yum!)
[ Actually, there is a cool story there too. I was there with a few pals who happen to be professional speakers themselves…so some of the funniest ideas came from my humorist pals. Colorado speaker and humor pal Steve Spangler took the photos. It was a fun night.) ]
But best of all, I got to hear THE founders ( Mr. McCormicK and Mr. Schmick — yeah, I know, who knew they even existed!) address the audience for about an hour before I went on.
It was like a gift. A perfect storm of great info from the right people. Now, I have to admit it; sometimes the info I get from my clients doesn’t lead anywhere. Sometimes it isn’t funny. And occasionally it is hard for me to really tailor what I do for their group. But in this case it was the total opposite. It was as though everything I said made it’s way into the presentation.Even the little details.
For example, when I was in the restaurant I ordered salmon that was cooked 
on a plank of Cedar wood. It was delicious. (The fish, not the plank.) But when I retold the story, and showed (via PowerPoint) a photo of me trying to eat that silly plank, we got the audience rolling. Then I followed with jokes about the creativity about adding secret ingredients to their dishes…. like wood. Again… more humor.
I showed photos of me stealing their stuff…and of me doing their dishes (from my visit to the restaurant that week.) Trust me… it was funny. Best of all…it was humor all for and about them.
What’s my point? I have two.
First: if you are looking for motivational speakers, have some long and hard conversations about tailoring and customizing. Your group — especially in this day of instant everything ‚ will be turned off if the speaker doesn’t “Get” them. Make sure your speaker does. Professional speakers who tailor or customize the message for your audience will make that crucial “connection” in a meaningful and solid way.
Second: From my perspective as a humorist and speaker,
the tailoring is one of the absolute joys of my job. If I HAD to give the same cookie-cutter presentation every time I might shoot myself. The real fun is in making sure it is “just for them.” Thanks McCormick & Schmick’s! I loved it. Learn more about my keynote speaking here.
Do you have an event where you need to motivate and fire up your troops?
Think a funny motivational speaker who can translate humor into business wisdom makes sense? Me too. Contact me here for info about bringing me to your event.
Brad Montgomery
Motivational Keynote Speaker, Humorist, Fan of Las Vegas, and Lover of Fish!
PS. Here is a bootleg video of me as speaking for them in Las Vegas, Nevada. Check out the customized jokes…they might not make sense to you, but to THEM they were fun. (And I had a blast.)
Technorati Tags: McCormick & Schmick’s, Motivational Speakers, Las Vegas, California, Customized Speeches, Humor
