Speaker Humor
Power Tools

BUSINESS HUMOR: AUDIO


Effective Use of Humor in Presentations
How To Be Funny Without Being Foolish. ©1997 by John Cantu.

Recorded as part of Fripp's "Preparing & Presenting Powerful Programs"  Tape includes tips for all three levels of speakers: Beginner - want to use humor or just beginning to use humor. Intermediate: Using humor and trying to refine your comedy voice. Experienced: Very comfortable with humor, looking for new wrinkle or twist.

Tips for all three levels of speakers (sampling of what tape contains):

1. Stage one, level one - Just beginning to use humor: 
   • How do I actually insert humor into my talk?  
   • How do I use humor without making my talk sound like a comedy act?
2. Stage two, level two - Speaking professionally but not yet using humor with ease and comfort:
   • How do I deal with inconsistent responses (big laughs one night then little laughs for same line)? 
   • How do I deal with no laughs? 
   • How to PLeaSe your audience with Personalizing, Localizing, Specifying.
3. Level three, stage three - Speaking professionally and have developed fairly effective method of humor: 
   • Comparing the professional speaker with the professional comedian.
   • Quickie guide to creating original humor.

Note:  Before you think about buying just this single tape, consider: For just $40 more ($55 total) you can have the full six hour cassette pack. "(The Story Behind Awesome Storytelling )

AT001JC - One (1) cassette tape (35 minutes)$15.00

How You Can Increase the Humor Content of Your Vignettes
©1998 by John Cantu.
 

 You'd be surprised to learn that many funny stories speakers tell are not the simple recanting of some random occurrence of incongruous actions, nor are they the fortuitous result of a series of funny coincidental events, but rather were created by taking a real event and looking at from the perspective of 'what are the elements that can be twisted, turned, bent and skewed' to give a more humorous slant to the reality of what happened.  You can discover these principles for your self and you can insert them into your talks and presentations to any degree that you desire.

 This tape will enable you to study your personal role models, heroes, and idols with regard to humor and to enable you to see the structure of their humor, listen to the rhythm of their wit, and develop your feeling of confidence to the point where you're utilizing your own innate sense of humor.

AT002JC - One (1) tape $15.00

The Story Behind Awesome Storytelling Fripp with David Garfinkel, world-class copywriter, and John Cantu, San Francisco comedy legend. Tap into the gold mine of your own life experiences to create a lucrative keynote you can give anywhere!

Hey, even though I am one of the principals on this tape, I say you gotta get it. Great real-world examples. Here's edited copy for the actual taping session (taped live May 8th, 1999 at the National Speaker's Association/Northern California chapter:

What sets the truly great speakers apart from the rest? Quite simply, it's the power of the stories they tell. In these special 2 audio tapes, you learn how a bout with cancer and a brush with death gave comedy coach John Cantu a humorous - yet riveting - keynote he now delivers to audiences of all kinds. His rollicking signature story was created in a collaboration process that only took a few hours.

Cantu teamed up with Patricia Fripp and David Garfinkel to turn their unique Impactification process back on his own work. (Impactification is the proprietary process that Fripp, Cantu and Garfinkel - known as "The Three Musketeers of Speech writing" - use together to add stage appeal, personally congruent humor and marketing magnetism to corporate clients' presentations.)

You'll learn how to use the same step-by-step collaboration techniques yourself. The Three Musketeers will explain how they rapidly turned Cantu's near-death experience into a hilarious, all-purpose speech.

Also, you'll discover how you can personalize the little-known techniques used by the master
performers, top marketers and marquee comedians, all to make the stories in your next speech... simply awesome!

By the way, you don't need to undergo a life-threatening experience yourself to benefit from this program! That's because as an added bonus, The Three Musketeers will also outline how they took a simple conversation between two airline passengers and reworked it into a story so dramatic that it's now worthy of a Hollywood movie! In short, you will learn new techniques of adding stage craft. . . sales sizzle. . . and professionally-honed humor that will help you with each and every presentation in the future.

About the presenters: Cavett Award winner Fripp is an internationally-renowned charismatic keynoter and speech coach of extraordinary talents and abilities. Garfinkel is an award-winning business journalist, "Guerrilla Marketing" co- author, and world-class copywriter. Cantu was co-owner and producer of the Holy City Zoo nightclub, and is a San Francisco comedy legend whose students have written for Bob Hope, Jay Leno and Johnny Carson, among others. Cantu himself has written for Joan Rivers, Phyllis Diller and the Smothers Brothers.

AT004PF - 2 hour cassette pack   $40.00

McKain And Mayfield on Humor by Mark Mayfield, CSP & Scott McKain, CSP, CPAE.

This is a great tape. Runs one hour and is full - FULL - Cantu says, "F U L L" of solid tips and techniques. Excellent. Highly recommended.

This was given to the National Speakers Association Northern California chapter in January 1997.  It is one hour of solid tips.  With my extensive background in comedy/humor, it is a rare pleasure when I hear someone presenting ideas that are new to me.  This talk did that.

On this tape, Mark Mayfield has the opening remarks and 20 seconds into his very funny presentation about why he doesn't like being up on platforms, I sat up and took notice.  I said to myself  'This guy is the real deal.  He has a comedy club cadence to his talk.'  I could tell from his speech rhythm that he'd been on a comedy club stage numerous times.

I had the good fortune to sit next to him during the luncheon and we swapped stories and sure enough, not only did he have comedy club experiences, he also was a former night club owner.

I have heard to many speakers talk about comedy and humor and basically they relate 30 or 40 funny stories, that, while they are entertaining to listen to, don't really give you advice you can use to create your humorous talk.  Mayfield and Scott really give you good solid advice.

If you are wondering whether to by this tape or my tape - - - buy both.  They give you different material and different ideas.

AT001MM - One (1) tape $15.00

BUSINESS HUMOR: BOOKS

The Light Touch by Malcolm Kushner.
If you are a business person this book will show you how to gain a competitive advantage with humor (even if you can't tell a joke). Very good book with solid real world examples. Especially for you if you think "I am a serious speaker in the business world and I am afraid humor will lessen my credibility."

Includes: How to manage conflict with humor; how to develop personal anecdotes that make your point; how to use humor to boost morale and build effective teams; how to use humor in negotiations; how to handle awkward and embarrassing situations with humor; how to use humor to improve letters, memos, and reports; and much more. Transform your sense of humor into a powerful business asset.

Highly recommended.  A main selection for Macmillian's Business Book Club; also translated into: Dutch, Japanese, Portuguese, Chinese, Spanish.
Full Disclosure Notification: Cantu is quoted as a 'comedy guru' in this book.

BK001MK - Hardbound 270 pages $18.95

SPECIAL REPORTS:

HOW TO SPEAK AND BE AT EASE AT THE SAME TIME

Full of insight that will help YOU Fully Conquer Stage Fright by the legendary comedy coach John Cantu

You will learn:

• Eight things you can do to eliminate stage fright before you even arrive at the speaking venue.
• Six things you can do when you are on site before you even start to speak.
• Eleven things you can do to keep you calm and make it less stressful while you are actually speaking.

How to do an effective self-debriefing after your talk for better future self-control of nerves.

SPE001JC - Special Report e-book (in PDF format) $9.97 

The Art of Riffing (you will benefit from this even if you're a speaker who uses little or no humor.) 
by John Cantu 

You will learn:

• How to move the next level, so your presentation is perceived as fresh and not as a canned presentation being given for the 500th time.
• How you can take your prepared material and tie it into banter with the audience to add aura of immediacy to your set.
• How to tie your material into audience suggestions that, at first, don't seem to have any connection with what you had planned to say.
• How a top speaker used these techniques when speaking in a foregih land with remarks that were being to be translated and totally stunned her listeners.
• How you can banter with your audience and be comfortable as you think up ad-libs on the spot.

How to notice things around you that are constant gist for riffing so you can be the life of the party with unplanned humor.

SPE003JC - Special Report e-book (in PDF format) $9.97 

CANTU'S UPDATED 2008 GUIDE TO 101 WOW SITES TO BOOST YOUR COMEDY CAREER  by John Cantu ©2003-2008

Here are 101 web sites John collected that can cut years off your learning curve as a humor writer, humor performer, or just provide valuable information for you if you are a serious humor fan.

CHAPTER 1 Creating Humor:
That is one of the most commonly asked questions of any creative person. And the only answer is, "From everywhere." But one does have to have that initial spark of an idea that then works like the proverbial grain of sand in the oyster's shell that is transformed into the pearl.  Here are nineteen sites to help you with ideas on creating your first monologue or humorous speech.

CHAPTER 2 Basic Platform Skills
Once you have your monologue or speech written you have to practice your delivery. Effective delivery depends of effective use of your voice and your gestures. Here are nine sites to help you support your material with effective vocal control and body language...

CHAPTER 3 Speaker Humor
There are techniques that one uses as a speaker that are different than the techniques you use as a stand-up. Here are six sites to help you if your career choice is that of a humorous speaker...

CHAPTER 4 Written Humor
Perhaps the thought of standing in front of others and delivering you humor ideas verbally is not what you wish to do. Maybe you are more comfortable writing your ideas and letting others read them. If that is the case here are eight sites to help you be a better comedy writer...

CHAPTER 5 Borrowed Humor
CHAPTER 6 Inspirational Success Stories
CHAPTER 7 Marketing
CHAPTER 8 Specialty Humor
CHAPTER 9 Miscellaneous
CHAPTER 10 Improv 

Those of you who know John's abilities as a teacher and his insight and passion for comedy won't be disappointed.  It's an easy read and an even greater resource.

This ebook will help YOU keep your audience (clients, friends or relatives) laughing.

SPEC004JC - Special Report e-book (in PDF format) $9.97 

Get Paid to Make People Laugh
An Interview with legendary comedy coach John Cantu
For speakers (and comedians too.)

Whether you can tell a joke or not, you CAN earn money with humor - even during tough times. You could earn an extra $700 to $7,000 a month.

Mabye you just want to learn how to be funnier for social reasons - this EBook can help you there as well.

But for those of you who desire make money or to gain a competitive edge don't pass up the advantage you'll get by using humor.

In this EBook, John Cantu shares his unique, never-before-revealed, fail- safe approach.

You'll discover...

• A step-by-step, safe, fun process to go from "gags to riches."
• How attorneys, CPA's, chiropractors and other professionals can use humor to easily get great new clients... guaranteed.
• What talents and skills do you need to be successful (the answer is sure to surprise you!).
• How to be funny without looking, sounding or feeling foolish.
• What's your mirth worth?
• Marketing yourself if you're shy... or not!
• Making money even when you speak for free.
• When should you raise your prices?
• And much, much more!

Legendary humor coach John Cantu uncovers for your benefit the never-before-revealed -- and fail-safe -- approaches Cantu has used with his clients over the past 30 years.

Packed with practical, easy-to-implement, and often surprising information on how to make money being funny. For example, it makes absolutely no difference how young, old, tall, short, funny, attractive, educated or shy you may be. And no specialized skills are required. You don't even need to be good at telling jokes.

Cantu says: "If you are able to talk to other people, you can succeed at earning money with humor!"

This book contains everything Cantu wishes he had known when he started out 30 years ago!

Click the "ORDER" Button Below and Start Making Money with Comedy EB001WZ - Best Selling EBook (in PDF format) $19.97

How Not to BORE Your Audience to Death!
DVD & Workbook - RECORDED LIVE!

You can forget someone's name. You can forget what you want to say. You can forget a prop. You can leave some material out. You can put material in you didn't mean to. You can mispronounce words.... You can do all these things and still give a well received talk.

But the one thing you can't do is be boring.

In this video John Cantu shows you how to make your material connect, your voice reach and your body electrify an audience.

You'll Learn:

• How to blow your audience out of the water by getting them to identifying with you on an emotional level.
• How to make boring facts and figures interesting.
• How to find the right vocabulary that makes people WANT to hear what you have to say.
• How to rehearse your speech so the audience wants to REMEMBER what you say.
• How to divide up your content so you finish on time and don't run over.
• How to project your voice.
• How to rehearse with a microphone so it becomes an organic part of your speaking persona.
• How to make your gestures dynamic, natural and big enough for the stage.
• How to be exciting and memorable by learning Robin Williams' secret for using the platform.
• How to use humor and be bomb proof.
• Timing - what it is and how to get it.

Workbook and DVD