Laugh to Good Health

Motivational Speaker and Humorist - Sally Edwards

I want to share what I have discovered through a career of delivering laughter to hundreds and sometimes thousands of people at a time.  Humor helps!  Humor boosts the spirit!  Humor and laughter will do wonders for your physical health.

Having performed as a motivational speaker and corporate comedian in countless clubs, theaters and special events across the country, I have witnessed laughter's cleansing powers. Walking into a room of strangers and standing before them to make them laugh is as terrifying as it is empowering.  What draws the humorous speaker and corporate comedian back to the stage over and over again is the heightened spirit that is born out of room full of positive human vibrations heard as laughter.  It is intoxicating and quite addictive.

Laughter is shown to have positive effects upon health which include a boost in energy, a diminishing of pain and a strengthening of the immune system. Laughter has even been shown to be a fantastic aphrodisiac.  Yes.  It's true.  Get your calendars out cupids.

I often include crowd participation in my presentations because I want the audience to be the stars of the event.  I want them to experience the rush of well-being that comes from a community participation that generates laughter.  The resounding sound and energy wipe the slate clean of stress, worry and anxiety.

Laughter is personally available to everyone.  Let it in.  Find it.  CDs, DVDs, live shows, theater, books - laughter can be derived from so many sources.  Every day we have the choice to be happy or sad.  Choose laughter - your positive spirit and good health are the outstanding rewards.
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Sally Edwards is a motivational speaker and corporate comedian who speakers of the effects that laughter has on health and well being.

Stand Up Comedians: The #1 Thing You Need for a Private Party

     I learned very early in my career the importance of great sound on the comedy stage. Nearly every comedian recognizes the sweet sound of a good mic that will make jokes soar. Well-planned comedy clubs provide sound that makes the voice sing and the laughter comes back to the performer's ears like waves.

     Unfortunately, when you walk outside of the boundaries of the comedy club and into the realm of private parties that luxury fades quickly. Nothing is more exasperating to a comedian than bad sound. A comedian's voice is his instrument and the betrayal of a bad microphone will take away confidence as the voice is lost in crackles and electric screams. Rather than being lured into this bad scene by the private party paycheck, plan for it. Being prepared to fix acoustical problems is one of your most important jobs.

     It is a dilemma that is easily solved. Bring your own microphone and your own amplifier. They will pay for themselves a hundred times over. The great news is that a stand up comedian doesn't need the exotic equipment of the musician. A simple microphone on a long cord attached to a small amplifier does the trick for an average size private party - 50 to even 300 people. I also recommend a small stage light especially if you anticipate videotaping and posting to YouTube to increase your social media presence. Anticipating problems will increase your value as you easily problem-solve for any environment. With a bit of pre-planning, it is possible to make the private party a very fun and rewarding experience.

HumorousSpeakersBureau

Sally Edwards is the president of the Humorous Speakers Bureau and a professional corporate comedian.

Corporate Comedians - What You Need to Get Booked

After talking to countless corporate event planners as president of The Humorous Speakers Bureau, I can tell you that the most important thing a comedian needs to get booked as a corporate event entertainer is a great video in front of a corporate audience.  I've seen flashy web sites that are brilliant in their display and SEO opportunity splashed across countless headers.  I've seen advertised books,  glorious "Contact Me" forms and comedy club performances as comedians "kill" in front of a comedy club audience.

Nope.  Can't say it will sell an act.  ...  "Where's the video," asks the event planner.

Let me repeat - The most important thing a corporate comedian needs is to have is a videotape of himself/herself performing customized clean corporate comedy on a large stage in from of a corporate audience.  (No corporate bookings yet?  Tape yourself performing clean comedy on a large stage).

Bookers want to look and laugh.  They want to see and hear what you do.  Print will not sell you.  (If I tell you I bake the best chocolate chip cookies in the world, would you believe me?  I bet you would want to be your own personal judge of my baking abilities.)

No amount of press or advertising or letters of appreciation will sell you like a corporate event video.  I know it is not easy to get this polished product of a sales tool.  I can only tell you - it is what works.


For more info see:  humorousspeakersbureau.com

Five Secrets to Effective Corporate Comedy

Performing Effective Corporate Comedy is Best Achieved by Following These Five Guidelines:

1)  Corporate Comedy Creates a Fun, Non-Threatening Environment

Corporate Comedy is an artform.  It is a type of humor that is appreciated by event planners seeking clean, funny comedy that is not offensive and creates a buzz.  Generally the comedy is delivered in an auditorium, a hotel meeting room or an on-site all-purpose room.  If your comedy is inappropriate for this type of setting, you will know immediately.  The ambience and crowd reaction will train a corporate comedian as to what material is appropriate the minute he or she begins to speak.

2)  Customize

With a little research into your client's business you secure a definite edge in your performance.  "Google" the company and learn about what makes it tick.  Tweak your jokes with this information and you will gain great respect for your time and personal interest.

3)  Arrive on time

I recommend arriving at least one hour prior to your performance.  It is wise to do a sound check and talk with the audio-visual personnel so that everything runs smoothly  Arriving early puts everyone at ease - including you!

4)  Dress as if you are performing on TV

 It is always better to be over-dressed rather than appearing casual at a more formal event.  Dress in professional attire.

5)  Make your Audience the Stars of the Show

Many new corporate comedians overlook the fact that it is important to make your audience members the stars of the show.  This is so effective in producing a memorable show. "Customizing" a show is the first step to making your performance personalized.  I recommend taking your efforts one step further and including audience members on stage in your performance.  "Taking the stage" is an experience that guests will remember for years to come!

See HumorousSpeakersBureau.com

Teach Yourself to Smile

 

 A Christian Comedian Learns to Smile

     As a Christian comedian who enjoys studying human nature, I am firmly convinced that there are two types of people who wander the earth - (1) natural gifted smilers who willingly and effortlessly smile throughout the day and (2) those who don't.   The gifted smilers are the people to whom you are immediately attracted because a big smile is a sign of acceptance. Gifted smilers tend to make friends easily.  They’re most often outgoing and fun extroverts.   Those who are not natural smilers feel like they are smiling, but guess what – they’re not!

     I was not a gifted smiler and my husband, Bert, made it very clear I had to make the effort to learn to smile if I wanted to be a successful performer and an approachable female Christian comedian.  

     Smiling and happiness do not go hand-in-hand. I know many very happy people who don't show their internal happiness through facial expression.  I recognize these people because for twenty-five years, I was one of them. Happy on the inside, I had no idea it wasn’t reaching all the way up to my face.  I really thought I was smiling and I was shocked to find out that I wasn’t.

      My husband, who is also in the comedy business, insisted I teach myself to smile. I began forcibly making myself smile on stage and in the company of friends. It was a major and constant initial effort.  It felt completely unnatural and insincere because I was always thinking about forcing a smile and it seemed contrived.  I felt I was putting on an act and not truly being myself. However, I quickly realized the irony!   If I feel happy on the inside, a smile on my face is actually a truer reflection of my spirit.  It was time to catch up to the gifted smilers and to discover what it felt like to portray true happiness.  The effect was instantaneous!

     I immediately found putting a smile on my face changed my interaction with friends, family, acquaintances and even my Christian comedy audiences!  As I learned to smile my confidence grew in both my personal life and on stage.  People more willingly approached me and I experienced a notable influx of positive energy.  Smiling also provided a tremendous improvement in communication skills.  Making the effort to smile has made me more comfortable in my own skin.

      Do you know someone at work or in your neighborhood whose expression rarely changes?  Don’t be too quick to judge these people.  They may feel joy on the inside and do not realize they’re communicating gloom and doom on the outside.  A stock line of the comedy club comic is “Sir, are you having a good time?  …. Then why don’t you tell your face about it!”

     Smiling is a gift from my husband and I am incredibly grateful for his lessons. I no longer envy the natural smilers and their inherited gift. I believe smiling is a genetic blessing and it also can be a learned behavior. How wonderful we can learn to smile as easily as those who are gifted! It is a positive way to live and grow.

     Look in the mirror.  If you’re happy on the inside but you see no smile on the outside, you might want to tell your face about it!

The Radio Interview - What Stand Up Comedians Need to Know

I'll never forget my first radio interview as a stand up comedian.  I was on the road in a small Ohio town and I was asked to go to the local radio station to promote my stand up comedy show at a nearby comedy club.  I had strict instructions from the radio station.  "Write out five questions that will lead into jokes.   Tell the jokes."  End of instructions.

What the radio station failed to mention is that many radio hosts may step right on every one of those five set-ups and/or punchlines and completely ruin the timing of a joke.  That can make a radio interview very painful.  Comedians know that the best hosts are either highly sensitive to the talent of their individual guests or they are former stand up comics themselves.

This type of radio interview remained the status quo until the day that I walked into the WGN Radio studio and handed my sheet of questions leading to jokes to Steve Cochran, a true veteran of outstanding radio (and a stand up comedian).  Steve, looked at me, unsmiling, and said, "Oh you can throw that away.  We're going to wing it."  My heart stopped.  "Wing it," I thought.  That's what I've been trained "not to do" by countless radio personalities.  I was totally unprepared mentally.  That day, I began to "wing it" in shock.  It was one of the best experiences of my life.

Years later, I still recall this first unrehearsed radio interview every time I walk through the doors of a new radio station.  This past week, I co-hosted the "Down and Dirty" Show with Frank Fontana.  I could not have been more at ease. Frank is a wonderful host who knows how to interview effortlessly.  I've learned a lot since my first encounter with Steve Cochran of WGN Radio and I now interpret the experience of a live radio interview on my own terms:  Talking on the radio is an experience nearly identical to talking to an old friend on the telephone.  You listen, you laugh, you chat, you laugh.  What could be natural?!  Would you talk to an old friend with a handful of prepared notes?  Of course not.  Hearing a natural and fun exchange is what makes radio enjoyable and engaging.  The listeners become caught up in that camaraderie.

If you are being interviewed on the radio, throw those notes away.  Look at the interviewer as if he is a long lost friend.  Catch up on news.  And as Steve Cochran most brilliantly put it, "Just wing it!"

Frank Fontana Interviews Clean Comedian Sally Edwards

Series: Funny Keynote Speakers and Corporate Comedians Who Market Intelligently - Jim Richardson

Jim Richardson does it all:  

Jim Richardson (1) performs as a funny keynote speaker and corporate comedian at corporate events, (2) mentors new talent by way of his informative workshops and (3) sends out an informative and motivating newsletter. A tireless top talent, engaging writer on a global level and a reigning marketer, I am driven to say, "That's how it's done folks!"

Go to Jim Richardson's
Keynote Speeches and Seminars Page
jimrichardson.com/jimtalks.shtml

Those that can benefit from Jim's teachings are:

Stand-up comics

Improvisation and Sketch Groups, Comedy Teams

Writers

Business Keynote Speakers

Politicians 

Agents, Mangers, Casting Directors, Comedy Clubs and Comedy Producers

Radio and TV Hosts, DJs

Health Professionals

Lawyers

Salesmen

Educators and Students

Ministers

Actors, Filmmakers, Photographers

Singers

Ventriloquists,

Puppeteers & Other Solo Acts

Singers

To increase both the range and proficiency of writing and performing techniques -

Everyone can always use a little improvement!

What Jim Richardson wants you to know:

Steps to take before becoming Jim Richardson's client:

a)  Review information on Jim Richardson's web pages, especially

     1.  Check list of topics you need to master:

          http://stand-upcomedyworkshop.com/IntermediateAndAdvancedCourseTitles.html

     2.  Coaching and Co-Writing Procedures:

          http://www.stand-upcomedyworkshop.com/coach.html

          Scroll down for special investment discounts and convenient order form

b)  If you have questions, Jim Richardson will address them directly.  

     Contact:  Jim@JimRichardson.com.

Set up your free orientation appointment now for a phone or video chat at a mutually convenient time!

Jim@JimRichardson.com

Comedy, Coach and Co-Writer

Phone:  415-877-4424

Snail Mail:

Jim Richardson, Owner

Organized Comedy

P. O. Box 992

Mill Valley, CA  94942-0992