Christmas has often been a somewhat painful season for me. I grew up in a big household with five kids so my parents were trying to cut corners any way they could. They would wait until about three days before Christmas to buy our Christmas tree, which was always a Scotch pine, the cheapest Christmas […]
In this video I have a little fun doing some audience interaction by finding out who has the most cats in the crowd. It winds up getting just a tad competitive.
The back-to-school ritual in my household when I grew up always began with a trip to the discount department store, where my mom’s mission was to outfit me in the most embarrassing clothes possible. Between the dressing room and the cash register, I’m sure my pants lost roughly six inches of length. You might be […]
Sooner or later you’re going to mess up. Everyone does. But what you do about your mistake is the thing that defines you both personally and professionally. I had just walked off the stage and was talking to the association president about the event. He raved about how his group had loved my presentation and […]
St. Patrick’s Day celebrates the life of St. Reginald Patrick (Reggie for short) who is known for driving the snakes out of Ireland. Twentieth century historians have disputed this claim, however, arguing that instead of driving the snakes, he merely purchased them bus tickets. Modern historians, however, scoff at this claim, noting that only lizards […]
Tell me, what do Tom Hiddleston, Emma Thompson, Kelly Clarkson, Tessa Thompson, and James Earl Jones have in common? Sure, they’re all hugely successful celebrities, but what else? What would they have in common with Philippe Petit (the French high-wire artist who became famous for his high-wire walk between the Twin Towers at the World […]
On a warm day in early November, I heard the sound of chainsaws in my neighbor’s yard, so I wandered outside to find that he had hired a company to cut down some trees. One of the tree cutters was cutting limbs halfway up a huge, 60-foot oak tree located just inches from my neighbor‘s […]
It has come to my attention lately that my articles and programs have been exclusively targeting those who desire to provide great customer service. In the interest of reaching a broader audience and making my newsletter more inclusive, I offer the following tips for people who desire to give crummy customer service: 1] Avoid communication. […]
When I was 11 years old, I dreamed of building my own raft and floating down the Mississippi River like Huck Finn. My parents thought this idea was insane and told me it would lead to my immediate and untimely death, so I came up with an alternative plan. I would still make a raft […]
Tell me what these two scenarios have in common: 1] Not long ago, I got a call from a previous client who said I was one of the few humorous speakers they were inviting back to their conference. They had booked a club comedian the previous year who wasn’t used to speaking in the corporate […]
