Okay, here are all the notes for the NSA PEG. Scroll down to see the
new notes on humor.
My Notes on Using Humor and Motivation as Speakers
By Kelly Swanson
For NSA Humor/MoKey PEG Panel Discussion at NSA Conference 2011
On Motivation...
Many of us call ourselves motivational speakers without ever really
giving serious thought to how we motivate others. We simply relay
information, and that has no impact. We must give our audience the
courage and desire to act on what we have told them. The information
alone has no emotion, no feeling. It is flat.
So how do we take them from hearing this information, to really getting
excited about it and adopting it? How do we go from simply being a
teacher to a teacher with impact?
Think back to the teachers that stood out in your life. What did they
have or do that the others didn't?
The art of motivating an audience is something I spend a great deal of
time studying. I haven't figured out the answers, but I have figured
out some of the questions. Here is what I have learned so far.
Who should use motivation in their speeches?
Everybody. Not just the motivational speaker, but any speaker who wants
to create an experience for the audience - which, by the way, is why
you were hired to come speak. If they only wanted information, they
could have just looked it up on the Internet, or bought the book, and
saved a lot of money. They want more. They want the experience and the
emotion. They want to know they can do it too. They want to be
challenged, and energized. They want passion. The speaker who motivates
the audience will always win out over the one who doesn't. I would
venture to say that every speaker is a motivational speaker- or should
be.
What about you? Do you think that every speaker should seek to motivate
the listener? Why? Give some thought to it. It’s the difference in a
forgettable teacher and an unforgettable teacher.
What is motivation?
Look it up. (Sorry, channeled my father there for a minute). I'm sure
Webster has a great definition but I have my own. I've already
described it to you. I think motivation is the art of relaying your
truth/information in a way that reaches your listener deeper than just
their intellect. It's the art of relating to the audience and
encouraging them to adopt these truths.
It's the art of showing the message versus telling the message. The
ability to get them to really believe what you are selling. To touch
their emotions. To deliver information in a way that they can relate to
you - that makes an emotional connection. That motivates them to
change, empowers them to grow, inspires them to achieve. It's very hard
to describe, but you know it when you see it.
How do you know if you motivate an audience?
- they stay awake during your presentation
- you have their attention and keep it
- they keep asking you back
- you hear comments like "I will never forget that presentation", "you
said exactly what I needed to hear", "my life was changed because of
what you said", "I've been following your tips and they are making a
difference."
- client and audience testimonials refer to you as motivational
So what about you? How would you define a motivational message? What is
the difference in the speaker who motivated you and the one who didn’t?
When is motivation necessary?
All the time. Okay, now I'm starting to sound like a broken record. But
the point is that any type of speaker can and should motivate whenever
possible, without crossing the line into ridiculous. I can’t tell you
where the line is between realistic and ridiculous. I think it has more
to do with authenticity. When it’s real, we believe it. When it’s
faked, we don’t.
What about you? When do you think your audience needs to be motivated?
Where in the program should motivation come in? At which moment?
If I could only choose one place, I'd choose the end. It’s the natural
place (in a speech or an article) for a call to action – for some
encouragement – for some “I know what you’re thinking”. But I don’t
just use it at the end. I weave it in several times in my keynotes.
Don’t forget that there are many places where you can motivate your
audience - not just on stage. You can use the words on your website to
motive – the words in your articles – even the words you exchange with
potential and current clients via email. You can motivate on LinkedIn,
Facebook, Twitter – there are many outlets for you to inspire.
Think about it. Where do you have contact with your audience, in
addition to the platform?
Where do you think motivation should occur?
Why motivate?
I think we've already covered this, but think about it some more.
That's how important I think it is to your success as a speaker. Why do
we motivate? What is its purpose?
How do we motivate?
Good question. And the answer will vary depending on your style and
preference and information and audience. Here is what I've learned so
far:
- Know your audience as best as you can. The more you know what life is
like from where they sit, the more you can speak to the objections you
think they will have to your message. When you know your audience (the
challenges they face in their industry) you can show them that you "get
it" even though you aren't in their shoes. Use social media to find out
what your audience cares about and what they value.
- Think about what they need to hear. Ask your client.
- Then TELL THEM. No, SHOW THEM. Here's a hint, most people need to
hear that they matter to their industry, the community, and the bottom
line. People need to feel appreciated and respected. People want to be
heard - to have someone acknowledge the challenges they face.
- Stories your best tool. Use personal stories where you were in
similar situations as your audience. Tell stories about the times that
you failed, when you were less than perfect. This is where people start
tom relate to you.
- Use words of encouragement, statements like, "I know it sounds hard,
but it really isn't, if you just follow my three simple steps..."
- Thank them for the contribution they make as it affects you. I write
tributes for and to my audience.
- Body language and be encouraging too.
- It’s all in your motives. If you are constantly aware of the audience
and the objections they are bringing up in their minds – or the
obstacles that you know are blocking their path – then your language
should reflect that motive to help them get there. If you truly want to
give your audience courage, then it will naturally flow out of your
words and gestures.
Here’s something that helps me. I keep a list of everything I want my
audience to feel – excited, encouraged, validated, understood, etc. –
and then I test my speech against these words. I check my evaluations
and comments for signs that they responded in the way I had hoped. When
someone says they liked my speech, I ask them what they liked about it.
How it made them feel.
Watch people who motivate you – musicians, pastors, speakers, great
songs, movies – and start paying attention to the details that cause
them to motivate you.
It sounds like a lot of work. It is. But it’s worth it. Is it easy? No.
but life never is. But it’s so much fun to watch lives get changed
through the words you speak. I’d say it’s worth the work.
On Humor...
Who should use humor?
EVERYBODY. Yes, you heard me right. Everybody should find ways to make
their audience laugh. Does that mean you have to be a stand-up
comedian? No. Please don’t try if you can’t pull it off. Just find ways
to make your audience laugh. If it is too intimidating to be funny,
then just try to be fun.
What is humor?
It is anything that brings a laugh from your listener. There are many
styles and ways to make people laugh, and what makes one person laugh
will not work on another. If I had to define humor in one sentence, I
would say it is the element of surprise. Leading your listener to think
you are going to say one thing and then surprising them by saying
something else. There are tons of books on humor. I don’t recommend
reading them unless you are interested in the art of writing humor. If
you are, let me know and I will recommend some great learning material.
Humor comes in many forms – from pictures, to expressions, to jokes, to
funny stories, to accents and impressions.
When should you use humor?
Any doggone chance you get, unless you’re talking about a very
sensitive issue and then you need to tread carefully. But even if your
subject is dry or extremely sensitive, I still say you can weave humor
into your program. You just have to be more strategic about it. My
point is that humor isn’t just for humorists.
Where should you place humor in your program?
Like I said, anywhere you can. But it’s great to open with humor and
close with humor because those moments stay with your audience.
However, I tend to open and close with serious – and I’m a comedian. So
I’m already disobeying my own advice.
Humor is great to use in places where you want to show your audience
what happens when your advice is not followed. Humor is a great way to
allow them to connect with you, by showing your vulnerable side. People
don’t connect to your perfection, they connect to your imperfection.
Humor is great for websites and emails and Facebook posts. I get more
business from funny posts than anything else.
Why Humor?
People LOVE to laugh. It is healing. It is fun. It is entertaining. It
brings the energy up. It moves the program along at a great pace.
When people laugh, they release stress. They have a positive
experience, and connect you to that feeling.
When you get an audience laughing, you are priming the pump for a
serious message. There is no more powerful time in my program to
deliver a serious message than in that moment following a big laugh.
When audiences laugh, they relate to you and the experiences you share.
When they relate, they believe you and what you are telling them. They
feel a bond with you because you understand them.
Audiences are tired of boring crappy speakers. They will always pick
the funny one if given a choice. Funny is a draw for events. People
will come out to see funny. I get booked for many events where they
tell me they don’t have a choice – they must have a funny speaker –
it’s what the audience wants.
How do you use humor?
Got all day? Because I could talk all day and still not cover
everything I have learned about making people laugh. If I had to sum it
up in one piece of advice, I would say to find what works for you. All
of us at some point or another have been able to make people laugh,
whether we did it on purpose or not. Find out what you do that makes
people laugh and keep doing it.
Watch for those places in your program that get a laugh. Now do them
again the next time.
If you can’t deliver a funny line, use a funny picture, or a funny
expression. Use quirks about your personality. Be silly. Come out of
your comfort zone.
Use stories instead of jokes. They work just as well.
Work on it! You have to be really funny to get a lot of laughs. Most of
us aren’t that funny. We write our material, practice it, test it,
rewrite it. We are always looking for new ways to create humor. It’s
like a muscle, the more you work it the easier it gets. I was always
naturally funny, but had no idea how to be funny on purpose. I’ve spent
years studying how to be funnier. I read books and do the exercises. I
watch funny people. I read funny stuff. I take improve and comedy
classes. I try new things on stage.
Bring out your personality on stage. Many speakers take on an entirely
different personality when they give a speech. Show us who you really
are. Talk to us like you would talk to your friends. We don’t want
scripted and boring – we want you!
Don’t expect to be funny right away. It takes time and it takes
hundreds of speeches under your belt. I’ve been doing this for years,
and I’m still waiting for that day when I truly let myself go on stage.
I always hold back a little, and I know I have more to give than this.
But it just takes time. That’s what being an experienced speaker is all
about – doing it so many times that you truly become a professional –
that you start to know what’s going to be funny and what isn’t – that
you take bigger leaps and come further out of your comfort zone.
Don’t try to do more than you can pull off. Take baby steps.
Have fun. If you’re in pain, so are we.