Humor Power

“I’ve used humor as a defense mechanism for as long as I can remember,”  Steve Mertz shared with me.  I met Steve when he presented a program on Search Engine Optimization at the Las Vegas Chapter of the National Speakers Association (NSA).  “Humor is the universal language and it’s impossible to have a pity party and laugh at the same time.”

Steve walks with the use of forearm crutches. He observes that “this makes my upper body mean and lean–kind of like doing bench presses all day!  Because of spinal cord damage it’s necessary for me to use the crutches when walking. I have movement in my legs and love to swim.”

“Humor has been my favorite coping tool over the years. It’s diffused many an awkward situation and made many friends for me.  Combine humor with the ability to generate small talk and you have a powerful combination.”

“I also have found that my intention is to tell people what happened to me, without being dramatic, so they can focus on what I have to say.  Therefore, I tell them the facts and then try to interject humor to disarm them and let them know that I’m OK with my condition. I’m still the same person with the same heart–I just have this inconvenience to deal with!”

Here are a couple of examples of how Steve has used humor in his interactions with people:

  - People will often comment on my good-looking crutches.  They like the color.  If they comment, I may say something like, “It’s important for crippled people to follow fashion as well.”

  - If someone is rude, I might say:  “Don’t worry it’s not contagious.”

“At first, it really pissed me off that people would just stop, stare, point and ask ‘what happened?!’  I soon discovered that being bitter did me absolutely no good and I learned that a smile and some humor would immediately disarm the rudest of people.”

“I’m writing a children’s book to help young people with disabilities. It will be titled:  Our Footprints are Different–But our Hearts are The Same (www.ourfootprintsaredifferent.com).   One of the suggestions that I make to parents is to have their kids take an Improv class on humor–a little tamer than some of the comedy you see in a nightclub–but along the same lines.  The sooner we can start laughing the quicker the healing starts!”

Steve Mertz is the President, NSA Colorado Chapter, 2008-2009.  He can help you optimize your web site so that people can find you on the search engines.  One of his tag-lines:  “Fall asleep doing a Google search for your website?”  His program for our NSA Chapter was terrific, insightful and practical.  Check out Steve’s web site (www.seospeakers.com).

A book Review

Personal Development for Smart People is a new book by Steve Pavlina.  He explores seven universal principles that are keys to personal growth.  The book doesn’t tell you what to do, but rather helps you to discover your own truths.

A philosophy in the book is that exposing you to a wide variety of inputs and resources uncovers patterns that you would otherwise not recognize.  This opens your mind to new ways of thinking and doing.

I’ll share a couple of perspectives which I found interesting and valuable: 

About Relationships.
“People who are too different from you are difficult to bond with, and those who are too similar can’t teach you very much.  The best relationships provide enough common ground to form a strong bond while also stimulating growth in new directions.”

About Goal Setting.
“Whenever you consider a new goal, pay attention to the effect it has on your present reality.  Set goals that make you feel powerful, motivated and driven when you focus on them.”

Pavlina recommends that we apply a military battlefield triage system to set our priorities and allocate our precious resources.  I’ve read 50 books on time management and never seen this common-sense approach suggested in the way that he explains it.

About Security.
On security Pavlina points out that “safe” is both an adjective (free from danger) and a noun (a container with a lock).  “If you’re living the adjective, you’re living the noun…don’t trap yourself in a cage of false security.”

“The illusion of security is the primary aim of the false path.”  And he points you to finding your right path. 

It’s a book that I think most people will want to read more than once.  Insightful and practical.  Highly recommended.  You’ll find it on Amazon.

by Eric Feng, The Public Speaking Blog.

“It ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward, how much you can take and keep moving forward!”  Rocky Balboa

I have never watched a single Rocky movie even though my roommate and dad are huge fans. However after Monday’s presentation by a phenomenal speaker, I will most likely (more…)

Check out this satire on Palin/Clinton featured on Saturday Night Live. 

Four things that make impersonations work are:

1.  The look.

2.  The gestures and movement.

3.  The voice

4.  The use of key words/phrases/themes.

I’m a fan of looking for humorous signs.  I have my own collection of photos.  Some of my favorites from the Las Vegas area are:

1.  A sign from Itchy’s Pizzaria — Everything is made from scratch!

2.  A sign next to a casino parking garage:  No Stopping.  Just below that sign, a STOP sign!

3.  A freeway exit sign:  Las Vegas Boulevard (Strip).  Maybe that explains all the naked drivers in Las Vegas!

I captured photos of all three of those signs before they were removed.  All three signs are now gone.  You need to keep your radar tuned.  Sometimes the photo ops are fleeting.

Looking for humorous signs when traveling abroad usually offers something to smile about.  Here is a link to some signs which are lost in translation.  I’m sure tourists to the USA find humor in our signs which have translations in their native language.  Probably more so, because Americans are some of the least likely people in the world to be bi-lingual. 

When it comes to humor, keep your eyes focused on the signs around you…and always carry a camera.  Signs are a great place to find a laugh or two.

“You’re the average of the five people you hang out with most.”  I love that quote from Jack Canfield.

Who do I hang out with?  Let me introduce you to five of my friends.  We are disc (Frisbee) golf buddies.  Once a week we tee off at 6:00 am and spend two hours walking the disc golf course set up in a public park.  Here are our regular players:

Jim Jackson (Immediate Past President of Las Vegas Chapter National Speakers Assn)
Darren LaCroix (Winner 2001 Toastmasters World Championship of Public Speaking)
Steve Pavlina (popular blogger, Personal Development For Smart People)
Bryant Pergerson (Finalist 2007 Toastmasters World Championship of Public Speaking)
S Frank Stringham (Music Director of the Las Vegas Improvisation Players, appeared on the opening show of Season-One America’s Got Talent)
John Kinde (Little old me)

What does this group have in common…besides playing disc golf together?  They all happen to be speakers, entertainers or bloggers.  But more importantly, they all have a great sense of humor and are fun to hang out with. 

We take the game seriously.  We have spreadsheets with score averages and win/loss percentages.  But our primary goal is exercise and fun.

We didn’t break any records this morning…unless you count a disc stuck on an awning with two water bottles.  It wasn’t until Steve took off his belt, the closest thing we had to a rope, that a maintenance man came by with a golf cart and a rake to rescue us.  Once the second water bottle got stuck, I think we broke the record for laughs.

People either lift you up or drag you down.  Who do you hang out with?  Do they make you feel good?  Do they make you laugh?  Do they whine and complain?  Do you spend too much time with toxic people?  Does your circle of friends need an extreme makeover? 

What kind of a friend are you?  Are you a magnet for positive thoughts?  Do you gossip?  Are you an asset in other people’s lives?  Do you bring smiles to your friends?  Do you need to change your own behavior? 

Food for thought.  You become the people you hang out with…and the people you hang out with become you!

What an enjoyable morning.  I Played disc golf with my friends  Darren LaCroix and Steve Pavlina.  It was a close three-way match up ending in a sudden-death playoff.  Great fun.  It’s played on a special course with chain baskets and frisbees.   Las Vegas has a couple courses set up in the city parks.  We hadn’t played much since the weather cooled down and we look forward to getting back into the swing of things by playing weekly again as we have for the past few years. 

The best thing about playing is the joking around.  We encourage each other and at the same time kid around, poking fun at all aspects of our games.  We’re competitive and decent players, but by no means pros.  So there’s plenty of room for laughing at our game, while still taking the game very seriously.

I remember a TV interview where Christopher Reeve said that the true essence of life was our relationships…not our money, cars, houses and things.  One of the measures of our wealth is how often we laugh with our friends and loved ones.  That’s what energizes me.  I had a terrific time, in spite of losing on the first hole of sudden death! 

We joke about the discs which get stuck in the trees, the imaginary magnets planted on the course to mess up our competitor’s game, the wind that blows the discs off course.  On the sudden-death playoff we had color commentary on the Novice versus the Member of the Senior Tour.  There seemed to be something to kid about on every hole.

Looking back on my life, I have special memories of those who made me laugh the most.  My good friend from high school days, Ed Hunt.  We still talk about our funny stories and some of the really stupid things we did.  My buddy from my Air Force days, Charlie Bitner, with whom I would take my Charlie Breaks.  Who needs a coffee break when you can take a Charlie Break?  He could always bring a smile and a laugh to my face.  Not an easy task!  And my good friend Maureen Keene who recently moved to Phoenix.  I miss our laughter-filled dinners.  Her birthday is next week.  Hopefully we’ll connect and share some laughs if she visits Las Vegas this week.

I hope your life is filled with people who bring you sunshine.  We need to avoid toxic people as much as possible.  On my 30-minute drive home from the disc golf course, I had a guy honk at me (it seemed like 15 seconds) for making a right turn into his lane.  It was “my bad”…I didn’t realize that he was going about 60 MPH or that my Honda Civic wouldn’t have much zip on that upgrade.  I should have been tuned into those things, but I wasn’t.  But, it was obvious that he was in a big rush to get home to argue with his wife.  So I didn’t dwell on the incident…for more than 60 seconds.  He’s probably one of those toxic people that I’m thankful not to have in MY life.  If you run into someone who pushes your buttons…that’s OK…you’re normal…just get over it quickly.  And then hang out with the fun people in your life.  And never take them for granted.  They are a gift.

Related Article:  How Success in Disc Golf Relates to Public Speaking

Last September we published a post on the Last Lecture of Randy Pausch.  Diagnosed with cancer he gave his “last lecture” on Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams, encouraging people to dream big.  His talk was a model of being genuine and connecting with the audience.  Here’s an update.

He’s featured on ABC, The Last Lecture – A Love Story For Your Life, with Diane Sawyer.  The USA broadcast is Wednesday, April 9, at 10pm (or 9pm CST).

He has published a book:  The Last Lecture.

Darren LaCroix posted a fun blog entry today, in his In Between Stage Time.  This post would especially be entertaining to Toastmasters and fans of his.

Check out Darren LaCroix’s web site for outstanding books, audio & video products, workshops and more.  Darren is a Toastmasters World Champion of Public Speaking.

Have you seen, heard of, or created a great April Fools Day joke this year?  Tell me about it!  I’ll share the best ones in a future post.

Lightening Bug in the UK sends us this question:
“What would you say is the difference in consumer response rates between ’straight’ ads and humorous ones?”

There isn’t a black-and-white answer.  It would take a measured study to get a scientific answer.  Sometimes a humorous ad won’t out-pull a non-humorous ad.  There are always some non-humorous ads near the top of the polls after a Super Bowl game is over.  But here are some observations.

1.  Ads that attract interest will be more successful than ones that don’t.  When an ad makes people laugh, they’re more likely to pay attention to it.  Humor definitely attracts interest in this MTV/entertain-me world.  The most successful non-humorous ads are the ones that touch the emotions.  People want to be moved one way or the other.

2.  Viral ads are a plus.  People are more likely to tell others about the ad.  You can’t beat word-of-mouth to bump up the effectiveness of an ad.  Great humor ads create a buzz…and we see it happen on the Super Bowl.

3.  Memorable ads are more effective.  A high-quality humor ad is hard to forget.  I remember ads from  previous years.

4.  Generally speaking, humor increases trust and decreases skepticism.  Both are good factors when it comes to sales.  Even if the humor doesn’t directly sell the product, people like to do business with people and companies who have a sense of humor.

5.  Humor can be risky.  If the humor mis-fires, you could be shooting yourself in the foot.  To work well, the humor must be high-quality and tailored to your target audience.

6.  Many other factors come into play.  Humor may be great, but the product being sold also must stand out and be memorable.  Sometimes the humor totally smothers the advertising message, and that would have a negative impact.  I’ve frequently watched a funny ad, and when it was over I couldn’t answer the question, “What were they advertising?”