by John Kinde The eyes of your audience are fixed on you. You deliver your best new humor line. They stare at you in silence. It has happened to all of us. It will happen again. What do you do? The conventional wisdom from experienced professional speakers is valid. Pretend you were serious. Humor, properly […]
Read More...How Long Should An Acceptance Speech Be?
Action star everyman Harrison Ford was honored with the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s Cecil B. DeMille Award, for “outstanding contribution to the entertainment field”-or more specifically, 35 movies over four decades, including Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Witness, The Fugitive, and Patriot Games. He said,
Read More...Observational Humor from John Kinde: Fripp is Recycled!
My definition of Observational Humor does not exclude recycling previously used Observational Humor lines. Nor does it mean you can’t use old jokes that are adapted to the present moment. What makes Observational Humor special that it is inspired in the moment, not pre-meditated…although some pre-planned humor can certainly create the illusion of spontaneity. Our goal is to become more skilled at in-the-moment humor and not solely relying on prepared lines. Although a good monologue may contain some of both elements.
Read More...How to Get Great Evaluations Every Time… Ask!
Ask for great evaluations in advance! Whenever you deliver seminars or break-out sessions, greet the attendees at the door and shake their hands. Start your presentation by asking the audience what they want and expect from their time with you. What ingredients are needed before they can rate you excellent?
Read More...Too Bad Only the Good Speakers Will Listen to You
“Public speaking is the only regularly-performed public art where the majority of performers refused to submit to the artistic conventions.” That’s the opinion of Chicago speech writer Dan Conley. Prior to going independent, Dan was the speech writer for Virginia Governor Doug Wilder, Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, and IBM’s Senior VP for Sales Bill […]
Read More...The Great Comedians: What they Say about Comedy
“The jester is brother to the sage.” – Arthur Koestler In a conversation with my friend, Larry Wilde (New York Times says he is America’s best selling funny man) he said, “Making people laugh is the most specialized and respected talent in the arts. It does not matter how successful or famous or rich a […]
Read More...In-Between Time
In-Between Time by Craig Valentine In-between time is what I refer to as the time between your major points. Of course you need to use this time to transition into the next story or example, but how you use this time can make the difference between a dry speech and an exciting one. One effective […]
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