“Darren, how do I write a funny speech?” I get this question constantly from speakers. Personally, I don’t believe it’s about writing a funny speech at all. If you want to write a funny speech, that’s writing fiction. Even the best fiction is based on some truth. Your starting point is crucial. Where do you…
FYI, This is a classic article of mine written in 2008. A NEW OUCH! = A NEW STORY I’m was trying to smile. Just not so easy when you had food poisoning. If you sent me an e-mail that week, may have been a while before you get a response. I ate dinner at 5:30…
“Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” -Judges 6:15 When I was in high school, I have to say, I felt totally invisible. As I walked through the corridors of Auburn High School with the echo of random slamming…
“OUCH!” Winning Speech, One Box at a Time Too many people, when putting a presentation together, try to write the whole thing out. If you use slide presentations, you know the crutch of creating a slideshow by taking an old one, and just “tweaking” it. Guilty? I know I am. A brilliant presentation is clean,…
Do you enjoy behind-the-scenes interviews and documentaries? I do! One of my favorite comedians is Ron White. He’s one of the Blue-Collar Comedy guys. Though he is a little rough around the edges for some, he cracks me up. In one of Ron’s specials, they showed an interview with Jeff Foxworthy. Jeff was actually in the audience…
It was by far the most brilliant quote I’d ever heard about an audience. After over two decades of performing, speaking and coaching, it struck me deeply. If you care about your audience outcome, I believe it will make you go hmmm, too. As you may know, I talk about connecting to your audience a…
Who is funnier? Would you think it’s funnier if someone was naturally funny or someone who had courage and desire to be funny? OK, so you did not wake up pondering that question, but I used to think about that back in the 1990s. Back then, I had my own little skit comedy cable access…
Do you wish you were funnier? Want more laughs in your presentations? Ever wonder why some speakers have amazing stories that are hysterical? When Craig Valentine and I were leading our Storytelling Boot Camp we talked about the fact that some speakers have amazing stories, and most speakers are secretly jealous of them. They’re thinking,…
It was the mid 90s, and I was getting excited. I was an eager sponge. I was never a fan of studying anything, yet the subject of comedy and everything about it, intrigued me, and I started studying and learning more and more. It was fascinating, learning about comedians and their lives, habits and journeys.…
Who is funnier? Would you think it’s funnier if someone was naturally funny or someone who had courage and desire to be funny? OK, so you did not wake up pondering that question, but I used to think about that back in the 1990s. Back then I had my own little skit comedy cable access…