Is tearing up a bird’s nest an act of cruelty or kindness? Last year my wife and I noticed a couple of birds flying up to the dryer exhaust vent above the kitchen window. My wife correctly guessed that they were building a nest so I went outside to check it out. After I came […]
Archive | humorous speaker
Somebody is watching you – Customer service
You’re being watched. Creepy, huh? But it’s true. While you carry on your day-to-day activities, someone is watching you. And here’s the really scary part–that person’s opinion of you could either boost your career or torpedo it. On a trip to speak to the chamber of commerce in Durango, CO, I discovered that I was […]
A man’s approach to Valentine’s Day
I don’t know why I always wait until the last minute to buy my wife’s Valentine’s Day present. Most likely, it’s because I’m a guy. It’s a terrifying ordeal trying to pick out a Valentine’s Day card on Valentine’s Day evening because there is absolutely no selection left. I don’t know who else could have […]
Creating a Marva-lous Client Service Experience
Maybe it’s time to re-think your goal of customer satisfaction. My family and I spent the entire day driving through a torrential downpour to get to an important event three states away. Both of our kids were cranky and miserable which meant my wife and I were cranky and miserable. We all were ready to […]
Don’t hurt the lady in the crowd!
During the Professional Skaters Association annual meeting, I walked over to an audience member to talk to her and helped her from her seat. But I thought that the funniest part of my interaction with her was the alarm on another audience member’s face. So, of course I had to say something about it.
It’s a Wonderful Life Leadership Lesson
If you haven’t seen It’s a Wonderful Life, stop what you’re doing right now and go watch it. Then call your parents and ask them why they omitted this crucial piece of awesomeness from your upbringing. I watch it every year and, if the other members of my family are to be believed, I always […]
But Don’t Take My Word For It
I could sit here and tell you about how much fun we have at my events, or I could step away from the microphone and let my clients have their say!
SERVE like Robin
Samantha was talking to her neighbor who was moving out of town and asked him what he’ll miss most when he moves. He answered, “I know it sounds funny, but one of the things I’m going to really miss is my mail lady. She’s just awesome!” Since this wasn’t anything like the answer she was […]
My wife is the coupon queen
Do you really have to tell the server you have a coupon before you order? In this video of me speaking to a live audience, I explore that question and talk about what happened when my wife produced her coupons at IHOP. © 2023 Charles Marshall. Charles Marshall is a nationally known humorous motivational speaker and […]
Rock and roll leadership
By the late 1970s, Journey was pretty much finished. The band had recorded three albums, all of which had been critical successes but market failures. They had managed to sell several hundred thousand albums cumulatively, but in the recording industry at that time, selling one- or two-hundred thousand units per album was pretty much like […]