When you see job listings for managerial and other leadership positions for different businesses across a wide array of industries, there’s one skillset you’ll always find on their list of requirements: communication skills. An integral part of keeping your company operating efficiently and productively is ensuring communication throughout the office is both open and constant…. Read more »
Why Inspiring Your Employees Should Be a Top Priority
We’ve all had one of those dead-end jobs where we can barely drag ourselves in every morning and then dash out the door when the clock hits five. When you feel like just another cog in the machine, your days become draining, you’re constantly miserable, and your productivity plummets. As a manager, business owner, or… Read more »
A Funny Motivational Speaker Adds Value
Okay, that sounds very self-serving because I’m a funny motivational speaker, but keep in mind that there are LOTS of hilarious speakers out there, like Judi Holler and Steve Rizzo. And having done it for more than 20 years, I’ve learned a lot and gotten so much specific feedback from clients that I’m convinced most conference attendees… Read more »
3 Tips for Building Confidence in Public Speaking
Professional speakers are some of the most deceiving people you will ever encounter. I’m not talking about the way we strategically tell stories and jokes to make our audience feel a certain way or see something from a new perspective. I’m talking about how we make public speaking look so easy! The fact is, everyone… Read more »
How Can I Become a Professional Speaker?
As a professional speaker, I get asked how one gets into this field so often that I’m providing some of the answers as a public service. There’s no need to bore you with my qualifications to convince you I know what I’m talking about (if you’re interested, you can check them out here). I’ll just… Read more »
The Designated Irritant
No matter how experienced a flyer you are—and I have enough frequent flyer miles to go to Neptune—you can always learn another trick that helps you avoid unwanted surprises. As every veteran passenger knows, for example, the seats in the last row don’t recline, the armrests in the Exit Row don’t swivel up, and if… Read more »
Hate to Exercise? Try this
Most of us dread and avoid exercise because it’s painful, repetitive, boring, and a time-suck. What a shame that it’s the only 100% effective way to improve your mental and physical health regardless of your age or physical condition. Since exercise is too bitter a pill for many to swallow, I’m going to give you… Read more »
How Comedy Cures Cancer!
When I worked in television, some vexing problem would cause us to angst and beat our brows for hours until someone would say, “Hey, come on, guys. It’s comedy. We’re not curing cancer here.” That put our Big Problem into proper perspective—and was probably scientifically incorrect. I used to be a bit embarrassed that I… Read more »
Staying Sane on the Plane
During a recent 7-day stretch, I performed in five states, from Virginia to Seattle, and MO, IN, and KY in between. I’d have been a cranky, stressed out mess before I discovered these Five Ways to Stay Sane on the Plane. Prep is Key: Hardly a Secret, it’s just common sense, but if you wait until… Read more »
Top 5 Ways to Kill a Joke
Guy walks into a bar, tells the bartender he wants eight shots of his finest bourbon, money is no object. Bartender figures he’s going to treat his buddies, but the guy plants his feet and knocks back all eight shots, bam bam bam. Bartender says, “Holy smokes! I’ve been a bartender for 20 years and… Read more »