Taking risks. 08/30/2010
Humor is scary. Anytime you use humor, you run the risk that no one will find the humor in your words. Haven't we all had the experience of launching a joke to a room full of dead air? It's humiliating. It's horrifying. But it happens. Rarely does it lead to instant death.  I watched the Emmys last night. I thought Jimmy Fallon did a great job and I enjoyed the humor. But other people didn't like it and didn't think some of the bits were funny. Especially the accountant intros, which I particularly enjoyed. That's the way humor is - it either hits your funny bone or it doesn't. You can feel yourself at the edge of a precipice every time you prepare to add humor to a presentation or even a conversation. You stop for a second and consider chickening out (and I'm not talking about a rubber chicken). Once you decide to proceed, if the humor works, it is an unbelievable payoff when someone laughs. It's an adrenaline rush. Comics are just laugh addicts. That laugh is what makes it worth taking a risk. It's like a gambler rolling the dice-- you keep suffering the pains of loss just trying to hit pay dirt once in a while. It is worth it to an audience when you take the time to add spice to your presentation. So go ahead, take a risk. 1 Comment |  Geni Whitehouse
Countess of Communication Brotemarkle,Davis and Co. LLP Author of How to Make a Boring Subject Interesting : 52 ways even a nerd can be heard I am an accountant on a mission. I want to permanently remove the blight of BORING that has attached itself to members of my profession. But the boring blight doesn't stop there. It's everywhere. I've found it in wineries (although it's a tad more palatable when served with alcohol), in science labs, even in Art museums. And technology people carry the "B" gene too. But the condition need not be fatal. I work with CPAs through my strategic partner, Mentor Plus, an organization that has been providing CPAs with the skills their clients crave for more than 19 years. I lecture around the country to accountants and technology audiences and I have a ball. I was a partner in an Atlanta CPA firm when I realized technology was my true passion and I have been fighting the nerd versus geek battle ever since. And through some stroke of absolutely amazing luck, I now find myself in Napa -- the most gorgeous, hospitable place imaginable. Are you on Twitter? You can follow my nerdy life there : evenanerd Contact me geni@evenanerd.com I am a graduate of the Jeff Justice Comedy Workshoppe and the Persuasive Speaker course taught by Speechworks. I highly recommend both of these organizations. I am not unbiased, nor do I wish to be. I have done work for anyone and everyone in the software industry or the accounting profession. But if I am not impressed by what you do or can't find an angle that is interesting or unique, I won't work for or with you. And if you are stodgy or boring, there are not enough dollars or even euros to make me help you. See samples of my writing here: www.salestaxradar.com www.mybizcounts.com  ArchivesJanuary 2012 CategoriesAll Other websites you might enjoy: |
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