Humor Power

Darren LaCroix, the 2001 Toastmasters World Champion of Public Speaking, is a member of my PowerHouse Pros Toastmasters Club.  We’re fortunate to be members of a club with many outstanding speakers.

Darren captured a recent club meeting on video and posted 10 minutes of highlights on YouTube.  He included one joke from my Observational Humor monologue where I define the “sandwich technique” for speech evaluation.  The sound isn’t perfect but if you turn up the audio it can be easily heard.

If you’re ever in Las Vegas, visit our club on Monday night.  We usually have about six guests at a typical meeting and we’d love for you to be one of them!

I’ve done a lot of things to improve my public speaking skills:  Toastmasters, professional coaching, singing lessons, acting lessons, directing classes, dance lessons, studied foreign languages and sign language, and much more.  The single most important thing I’ve studied, the most challenging, the most exciting and the most fun…has been my study of improvisation skills. 

You might think that improv skills would primarily give you the skill of being funny.  But that’s not the number one thing it did for me.  The most important gift from the study of improv has been the skill of being connected to the present moment and, more importantly, connected to the audience.

In my opinion, the most effective speaker is the one who is truly connected to the listeners.  It’s the speaker who isn’t on auto pilot.  It’s the speaker who isn’t locked into speaker-voice.  It’s the speaker who moves and gestures with meaning and not in a rehearsed and robotic fashion. 

For me, this gift of connection was the most unexpected benefit of studying improv.  What is it about improv skills that help make you a very connected speaker or performer?

Improv Comedy or Improvisation for the Theater teaches you be in the present moment.  It teaches you to accept the gifts of the present moment and to react to what is happening in the here-and-now.  It teaches you to avoid pre-scripting your performance.  The great actors aren’t acting.  They are RE-ACTING to what is happening in the moment.  That is what makes them appear real and natural.

In improv we learn to work with the other players.  We always want to accept their offers.  We learn to avoid premeditation.  We learn to listen to our emotions.  We learn to have a sense of what a scene needs, and not just add what we want to add.

On the improv stage we play an assortment of games which COULD detract from being in the present moment.  In fact, that is what happens to the inexperienced improv player.  The game focus is often so strong that it kills the scene.  It prevents the player from being in the moment.  The skill that improv players learn is to play the game and really remain connected to the present moment.  That’s the same skill needed by speakers.  A speech is never a monologue.  It’s always a dialogue with the audience, even though the audience may have a non-speaking part.  Improv skills teach us to deliver a speech naturally without being IN THE SPEECH.  Rather than being a slave to the speech we are free to deliver the talk in a natural and connected way.

Improvisation principles helped me to raise my connection with the audience to a new level.  I highly recommend joining an improv troupe if you’re serious about improving your speaking skills.

Blog Carnival:  Humor In The Workplace (Premier Edition).  Many links to excellent humor sites.  Sponsored by Brad Montgomery, popular humorist from Aurora, Colorado.

Six Minutes:  Public Speaking and Presentation Skills Blog.  Terrific resource by Andrew Dlugan.

I Choose Happiness Ezine.  Ricky Powell’s inspirational weekly ezine designed to add happiness to your life.

A rich source of Public Speaking Articles from speaker and coach Patricia Fripp.

Using effective body language drives home your humor.  I’m not advocating that bigger is better, because often it’s the small gesture has a magical effect on the laughter you’ll receive. What you want is effective and meaningful gestures.  Here are some ideas for you to try.

1.  Watch a video.  Do you want to evaluate your physical motion while you speak or tell a story?  Watch yourself on video and turn the sound OFF!  It’s a quick check-up to let you know where you might need some work.

2.  Using gibberish.  For segments of your speech that need help on
the physical movement, try delivering that segment in gibberish (a
nonsensical, made-up language).  Since you won’t be working hard on
the word selections you’ll be able to focus on the physical
delivery.  When using gibberish, the physical language is critical
to convey the meaning.

3.  Mirror work.  Record your talk.  When playing the recording,
watch yourself in the mirror and lip sync to your talk. It’ll free
you from concentrating on the content of the speech and let you
focus entirely on your physical delivery.

4.  Mask work.  Some people find that mask-work, performing while
wearing a face-mask (sometimes a costume will have the same
effect), will free up their physical work.  In a sense, while
wearing a mask, they become someone else and are less inhibited.
Try it as an exercise.  A great source for information on Mask Work
is Impro by Keith Johnstone.

5.  Using an accent.  When going into character to tell a story,
try doing it with an accent.  An Italian accent, for example, may
encourage hand gestures.

6.  Link a physical beat to the punchword.  It’s often a great idea
to link a specific gesture to every punch word you use.  It will
help magnify this important word which sets the laughter in motion.

7.  Sometimes less is more.  There are times when a subtle gesture
with the eyes, perhaps the raising of an eyebrow, will have more
impact than a big gesture.  Bigger isn’t always better.

8.  Show rather than tell.  Look for descriptive gestures which
will show what you mean and create a picture, rather than depending
on the words to do all the work.

9.  Extend the gesture.  If you do not normally use big gestures,
look for one opportunity in a talk to use a broad extended gesture.
By forcing yourself to do this, it will hopefully become more
natural for you to include larger gestures automatically.

10.  Physical activity.  A speaking coach suggested that walking
was a great way to improve flexibility on the platform.  In fact
most exercise routines would probably have side benefits
which improve your platform presence.  Martial arts, Tai Chi, Yoga,
many sports and dance classes are all excellent avenues to enhance
the strength, grace and energy of your gestures.

11.  Sign Language classes.  Deaf people are master communicators.
They are especially talented and gifted in the area of gestures,
body language and facial expression.  Taking a sign language class
from a deaf person is a great lesson in physical communication.

Professional speakers who are at the top of their game are often known for their “signature stories.”  These are original, compelling stories on which reputations are built.

Signature stories are usually funny.  Often they are VERY funny.  But in spite of the power of humor, a signature story of the highest level must have more than just funny lines.  And they need more than a significant message.

The art of improv comedy teaches us that good scene work is
centered around characters, relationships and objectives.  So it is
with great stories in speaking.  In a great story the message is
built around drama, challenges or obstacles, relationships, strong
characters. 

A story which is relatively simple and predictable is less likely
to strike it rich as a signature story.  And a story which belongs
to someone else will never make YOU famous.  You want to work for
the original and compelling stories which have substantial real
life drama.  A bad relationship turned into a good relationship.  A
life-and-death situation survived. A dramatic or embarrassing
situation coped with.  A story with a strong colorful character
which teaches a great life lesson.

Here is a story which I really like.  It’s a true life experience.
But it lacks nearly all the critical elements of a GREAT story.  So
I rarely use it:

I was waiting at a red traffic light and my mind was wandering.
The car to my left started to go, so I automatically figured the
light was green and I started to go.  Then I looked up and saw the
light was still red.  The car next to me was turning left on a
green arrow.  So I slammed on my brakes. Unfortunately, the car
behind me, seeing that I was going, started to go.  And the driver,
not expecting me to stop suddenly, crashed into the back of my car.

A pair of assumptions caused an accident.  I assumed that the
person on my left was going the same place I was…and he wasn’t.
My assumption was wrong.  The driver behind me assumed that I knew what I was doing…I didn’t.  He was wrong.  We often make assumptions in life that lead us down the wrong path. We assume that what is right for someone else is right for us, when it may not be.  And we assume that someone else knows what they’re doing or possesses the truth, and sometimes they don’t.  We need to be awake and clear thinking in our choices and judgments or life will teach us hard lessons.

A good story.  Good lessons.  The lessons could probably be
expressed in a hundred different ways.  But it’s not a great story.
There is little humor. There is no drama.  There are no colorful
characters.  There are no substantial relationship situations.
There are no challenges or obstacles.   It’s a simple story and
some may say it’s predictable. 

But finding a great signature story is easier said than done.  It
may take years of searching and then experimenting from the
platform until the right story clicks for you.  My recommendation
is that you focus on your life’s experiences and primarily look for
situations which have obstacles to overcome, relationship problems,
and lessons learned.  Your story doesn’t need to be as significant
as surviving a hostage situation or a plane crash.  Life’s everyday
problems with interpersonal relationships can be just as dramatic.
You just need to tune in to your experiences so that you can
capture the magical story and put it into your speech.

What are the elements that make up a professional-quality speech?  What are the elements which would cause someone to watch a DVD recording and say, “I’d pay money to have that speaker talk to my group.”  What elements make a speech appeal to a business or corporate buyer.  There are many.

Some elements are significant.  Some are critical.  All are
important.

A significant element is a “Heart-Attack” element.  It’s something
that has a significant impact on the quality of the speech.  But a
shortcoming in this area COULD be survived.  It’s risky, but you
could live to tell about it.

A critical element is a “Cardiac-Arrest” element.  When your heart
stops, you’re in big trouble.  It’s critical.  A shortcoming in
this area screams Non-Professional.

Here are 12 important elements for delivering a professional-level
speech.  In my opinion, half of them are significant and half of
them are critical.

SIGNIFICANT ELEMENTS

1.  Be human.  Don’t sweat the mistakes.  Realize that mistakes
make you real.  A small mistake, here and there, isn’t going to
kill you.  Slick isn’t in.

2.  Be organized.  Have an easy-to-follow speech structure.

3.  Be energized.  Have a high-energy opening. 

4.  Be funny.  Humor is a terrific tool on many levels.

5.  Be silent.  Use the power of the pause.

6.  Be changeable.  Avoid sameness.  The key to vocal variety, for
example, isn’t WHAT you do with your voice, it’s how you CHANGE
what you do with your voice.

CRITICAL ELEMENTS

1.  Be connected.  Eye contact is the critical factor.

2.  Be conversational.  Speaking in a speaker’s voice, or with
sing-song delivery, or being on auto-pilot are the signs of an
amateur.

3.  Be yourself.  Trying to be another speaker is a mistake.
Trying to match the content or style of Les Brown, Suze Orman,
Anthony Robbins or some other successful celebrity speaker is
un-professional.

4.  Be original.  Do not give a book report.  Don’t share wisdom
that everyone has read in same best-seller books which you have
read.  Mine your own wisdom.  As Patricia Fripp would say: “Be
profound.”

5.  Be compelling.  Your talk must draw people in.  It should not
be a chore to listen to you or to stay awake.  Use stories to make
your points.  People will pay attention to stories and remember the
pictures you paint in their minds.

6.  Be clean.  Never use suggestive or off-color humor.

Let’s put this in perspective.  Both significant elements and
critical elements are very important to your success.  In my
opinion, it’s unlikely you’ll meet the measure of professional if
you’re missing a critical element.  On the other hand, missing a
significant element is not critical. 

For example, if you’re not naturally a high-energy speaker, having
a high-energy opening is probably not a good idea.  Although it
would be a good idea to put a touch of energy somewhere
in your speech!  The same with humor.  If you’re just not a funny
person, force-fitting humor into your talk may be a bad idea.  But
you should continue to work on developing your humor skills so that
you can eventually add a bit of humor into every talk. 

A speaker who is missing a significant element can often compensate
by being stronger in another area.  It’s difficult, maybe
impossible, to compensate for the lack of a critical element.

Good luck and happy speaking!

To explain the concept of book-ending your speech, consider the role of book-ends on a shelf.  Although they may look wonderful and accent the decor of the room, their job is not just to look nice!  Normally, their job is to support the books and keep them from falling over.  So it is with a good opening and closing for your speech.  Their job’s are to support the body of the talk and keep it
from falling apart. 

Although you could use non-matching bookends on your shelf,
MATCHING book-ends are much more striking, have more class and
provide their support with more flair.  Here are some ideas for
using matching book-ends for your speech.

1.  Humor.  I often open and close a speech with humor that
matches.  It may match in subject content.  The humor-closer may be
a delayed topper for the opening joke (not normally the placement
for the topper, as it would normally be placed immediately after
the primary joke).  Or, it may just match the theme of the opening
humor.  Let’s say you opened your talk with a funny line about
dogs.  Then close it with something funny about dogs.  I once
opened a comedy routine with a joke about 800 toll-free numbers.
So I closed it with a different joke about 800 telephone numbers.
Take a look at Observational Humor Case Study #6 for an example of
opening and closing a humor routine with the technique of
book-ending.

2.  A story.  You could open a speech with a story.  You could just
tell part of the story, not the whole thing.  This is actually a
good speakers technique:  “Let’s interrupt the story for a moment
while we take a side trip.”  In this case, you could choose to
complete the story at the end of your speech.

3.  Music.  You may open and close the speech with the same song,
maybe using different verses.

4.  Magic.  You may open and close a talk with magic.  I’ve often
used this as a technique with my comedy-magic.

5.  A quote.  You could open and close with the same quote.  Or a
different quote from the same person.  This could be an especially
effective way to support the central theme of your talk.

6.  The Past/The Future.  You could open with “this is what our
association used to look like” and close with “this is what our
association will look like in the future.”  Or using this technique,
make reference to the talk which preceded yours and how it relates
to your talk.  Then at the end of your speech, make reference to
the talk which follows your talk, and how they both relate to the
central theme of the conference.

7.  A Prop.  Use a prop at the start of your talk.  Come back to
the prop at the end.  Or maybe at the closing of the talk, give the
prop away as a prize to someone in the audience.

8.  A Challenge.  Open with a challenge or problem facing the
audience.  Close with the solution and call-for-action.

9.  Tie The Ribbon.  Get the idea?  Relating the opening and
closing of the talk is like wrapping your speech in a nice ribbon
and tying a bow to make it a total gift for the audience.  It looks
professional.  It’s memorable.  It helps you to deliver a message
that connects and makes a difference.

Here are some excellent resources you’ll enjoy.

Take a look at David Zinger’s List of almost 300 Bloggers Who Inspire Me.  You’re sure to find many links that you’ll love.

You’ll enjoy an article on using humor to build business relationships by USAToday.com columnist Steve Strauss.  Ask An Expert: For Serious Results, Bring On The Funny.  Steve also has an excellent Blog about developing your business, Business As Unusual.  Check it out.

For links to many quality presentation skills blog posts visit Alltop.

On the Speaking About Presenting Blog you’ll find a Review of top 10 speaking blogs at Alltop.

Paul Lirette produced a short film for the 48-Hour Film Project 2008.  Paul is a very talented improv player and is a member of my performing troupe in Las Vegas.

The challenges for the film project:

1.  Produce a film in 48 hours.

2.  Include a character named George or Gina Longfellow, PR Whiz.

3.  Use a backpack as a prop.

4.  Use the line:  “Can I get a little peace and quiet.”

5.  The film’s genre had to be:  A film de femme which required a strong female character.

I love the film.  Lots of humor and very nicely done.

I’d suggest you watch the eight-minute film, Reactive, before you read my comments.

Comments:

1.  Notice how inserting the symptom list provided a set-up for several gags.  In fact, the symptom list itself was a punchline since one of the symptoms had already occurred.

2.  They took a less-than-direct approach to the name Longfellow.  A recent marriage made it a hyphenated name.

3.  Word play:  Cher/Noble, Tinnitus.

4.  Theme of the film related to recent current events:  Consumer product safety issues with imported goods.

5.  Notice the power of commitment to a character.

Darren LaCroix (2001 Toastmasters World Champion of Public Speaking) recently visited the MSD Toastmasters Club in Shanghai, China.  He has posted a nine-minute video sharing his experience. 

I found the video interesting and fun to watch.  More importantly, it teaches us some valuable lessons on speaking internationally.

First, Darren opens with a greeting in Chinese.  A great way to connect with an audience who was already gracious.

Second, Darren’s pace at the start was deliberate.  He didn’t race through his opening.  One of the most difficult things about listening to someone speak a foreign language is that the native speakers “speak so fast!”  His slightly-slower pacing allowed the audience to get used to his voice, style and accent.

Third, the audience laughed at the funny parts of the speech.  Wow!  That would certainly be a concern of mine.  Would they find the humor funny?  The Shanghai audience obviously was understanding and appreciating the humor.  It was clear to me that they would be laughing all the way through the talk.

I look forward to listening to additional stories from Darren about the experience.  He’s in my Toastmasters Club here in Las Vegas and we play disc (Frisbee) golf together, so I’ll have an opportunity to hear more.