How Drew Carey Made Me A Better Speaker !

                                          
 
   I used to work with Drew Carey a lot and he taught me several things that have helped me in my career as a stand up comedian and a speaker. The most  significant was his overwhelming confidence while he was onstage and off. In the world of show business this is a rare trait. Yes believe it or not most performers are  racked with insecure feelings and thoughts that torture them most of their careers. Especially in stand up comedy where you have to prove yourself on a nightly basis. It doesn't matter how well your show went last night you have to prove yourself each night. This is what draws a lot of people to this profession and yours truly is just one of many.

Drew and I started working together just before he started to get national exposure as a comedian. We worked cities like Pittsburgh ,Cleveland ,Virginia Beach and several others up and down the eastern seaboard. He was fun to be on the road with and had a great attitude about what was going to happen to him moving forward in his career.  He had a unique ability to put things  into perspective in the crazy nomadic road life that we were leading. We did a lot of shows to packed houses and to sometimes unruly audiences. I remember on one  occasion  in particular where we had problems with several members of the audience who were chatting away and who distracted  others who were trying to enjoy the show. Finally Drew had to address these folks before they totally destroyed the show. He asked to have their attention so he could speak to them and actually walked toward them trying to single out the loudest ones and separate them by asking their names. Getting even closer he asked one particular woman what she did for a living and she answered as she sank in her seat while her face became beet red. Another man totally oblivious to what was going on was still talking with his back turned until Drew  put his microphone to his mouth and he heard his voice echo throughout the room. The man was stunned to say the least. Within seconds these disruptive audience members were quiet and sitting up straight. The closer he got and the more pointed questions he asked these people actually started to get embarrassed only now realizing that they had infringed on not only Drew's act but the others who paid to see the show. Drew was able to finish his show and in fact got a standing ovation.
    
Now this  may not seem like a big deal to most but let me explain what happened as compared to what could have happened. First of all Drew was in a situation where he could have done what a lot of other comedians  have done. That is, he could have made fun of them or made crude remarks to them or simply have security throw them out. Comedians usually choose one of these options  because idle chatter is a killer to a comedians act.  Comedians and speakers alike need   intimacy with the audience and anything that interferes with that needs to be eliminated. Throwing people out of a show is usually a last resort but sometimes a necessity however it brings the audience down and is often extremely ugly event. Moving on with show is often a tough road to hoe. Making fun of the trouble makers works for a little bit but if they continue to talk or heckle moving on is impossible. Crude comments may work for some audiences but it sets a tone for which unfortunately there is no return.                 
  
Drew's choice not only preserved the entire audience as participants in the show but also the shows integrity. In a very civilized manner  and without making fun of anyone he had the confidence to approach the disruptive audience members and politely moved on with his show. As a speaker in business this is something that parallels the comedy world. In my experience in the past 25 years I have seen several audience members who ignore and chat while someone is presenting. What's worse some spend the entire time working on their cellphone. Comedians and speakers alike have an obligation to their audience to ensure that they can receive the intended message free of interference. Now in business it is highly unheard of having security throw people out and is not an option to make fun of people or make crude remarks. However if you ever find yourself in a situation where the professionals are acting anything but maybe you should try the subtle and highly effective technique  that Drew taught me.  I was so impressed with this I have used it many times since and  I have come to realize that  in this situation if you approach people who are disrupting a presentation they will usually hang themselves.   I haven't seen the Price is Right recently but I wonder if Drew has any plans for a current edition of Hangman !


             
                           

How A Clown Made Me A Better Speaker !

                                          T.C. Hatter and Marcianne              

I have been a stand-up comedian my entire adult life. I have been fortunate to have had a variety of experiences with respect to the most effective ways to entertain and communicate with an audience. I have worked with many of the biggest names in show business and on occasion been fortunate to receive advice from them. However, most surprising to me was what I learned many years ago from an ex circus clown.

His name was TC Hatter and his wife, Marcianne, accompanied him as part of his show. To be honest, I wasn't exactly crazy about working with a clown. I actually thought that as a comedian working with a clown was beneath me. I certainly did not expect to get advice that I could use to improve my craft and advance my career. What was I going to be able to use from a guy who used to work in a Circus? I thought that observing him would be a waste of my time. I couldn't have been more wrong.

The first time I worked with TC I really had no idea what to expect. Before the show I had met with him and his wife who were both very friendly. Marcianne was warming up her clarinet and TC, half dressed, was stretching and loosening up. As we got closer to show time, I saw TC on stage arranging his props. He had everything from bowling balls to fishnet stockings to crazy gadgets I had never seen before. There was also a trunk which was yet to be opened that piqued my interest. I actually found myself wondering what was in the trunk and just how was he planning to use those props!
I finished my set and headed towards the bar to grab something to eat and watch the show. TC and Marcianne hit the stage to applause and never looked back. Marcianne sat on a stool and played the background music for TC's madcap antics. He was in full makeup and costume and was very animated in his presentation. He jumped around the stage and mimicked audience members, did magic tricks and juggled various, sometimes mismatched objects. He included audience members who were reluctant by grabbing their hand and leading them to the stage. His facial expressions were priceless along with the well coordinated clarinet playing of Marcianne. He told various stories including one of a great fishing trip. I sat in the back of the room in awe. He was killing. Everything he did was working. He had complete control of the room! I looked at my watch and noticed that he had been up there for 45 minutes and it suddenly occurred to me, like a ton of bricks, he never spoke....he never said a word....his whole act was pantomime! What? Are you kidding? I was in shock because comedians and speakers are primarily judged on their spoken words. This is the basis for connecting with their audience. I just saw a guy tell stories, relate jokes, do magic tricks and interact with the audience without speaking a word. What an incredible revelation it was to me and it still is today.

When I speak or consult with people today on effective ways to relate to their audience, I always mention TC Hatter and Marcianne to demonstrate the importance of facial expression and body movement as powerful tools that can be utilized to communicate your message.

Years later, I had the opportunity to meet Red Skelton, one of the best, all time Comedians. He was accepting an award and was quite ill at the time and confined to a wheelchair. I asked him one question, “Red, I mean sir, I am a comedian from Pittsburgh and would like to know what advice you would have for a young man in comedy.” He looked at me, tipped his hat down low over his eyes and raised it by leaning back on his chair and then took his tie and fiddled it with both hands and tossed it slightly into the air and it gently let it drop to his chest and said, “PROPS! “. And then he smiled and was whisked away. From that day on I realized there are many ways to communicate with an audience even if you never say a word!

How Rocky LaPorte Made Me A Better Speaker !

                                                Rocky LaPorte        

Most of the comedians I write about on my blog are professional acquaintances but a few have become good friends. One such person is Rocky LaPorte. I met Rocky in the late eighties in a small room in Indiana . It was a bar that evolved into a comedy club during the comedy boom in that era.

Rocky seemed like a nice guy and I was generally happy to meet him, as well as work with him, that is, until we both found out that we had to stay in the same room. Now, on the road as a comic, this is usually a big deal because most comedians want their own room. There are several reasons for this, privacy being one, but also smoking, late night partying and just generally wanting to be alone to relax and prepare for the show. After the initial disappointment, we both accepted our fate and headed to the hotel.

This was going to be an experience I thought to myself as we arrived at the hotel separately. Rocky and I seemed to be two totally different types of guys with little in common. Rocky was an ex-truck driver who worked in the toughest part of Chicago who had been badly beaten, shot and stabbed all in the course of doing his job. I, on the other hand, had grown up in a small town south of Pittsburgh, attended catholic school and whose job prior to doing standup was a shoe salesman at JC Penney’s.

We settled into the room and began to prepare for the show. Rocky began to talk about his background and proceeded to show me his battle wounds and scars as though they were trophies. Feeling competitive, I tried to think of the nastiest customer I had encountered as a shoe salesmen but I held back because the challenge of dealing with old ladies with gigantic bunions really didn’t compare to getting shot on the job! Our conversation was very enlightening, as well as interesting, because inherent in all the stories that he told one thing became evident to me and that was how genuine this guy was. In spite of all the difficulties he had endured, he possessed a gentle demeanor and a natural ability to be truly funny. He could deliver a simple phrase and it would become quite funny because of his accent and the manner in which he delivered the words. His genuineness was evident.
What I learned from Rocky with respect to being a better speaker and communicator is to capitalize on the authenticity of your character. Be yourself. This isn’t easy because most performers can't identify what their genuine qualities are in addition to making those qualities appealing and funny. Rocky has mastered it. When he walks onstage and looks at the audience his first words are, "Hey, how ya doin", and the audience goes nuts. Within seconds, the people listening to him identify with what he represents and get on board for the ride. It is an extremely powerful sight to see Rocky perform. He has had many highlights in his career but I think the most impressive example of his ability as a comedian would be when he appeared on the Tonight Show for the first time. By the time he finished his set the audience was giving him a standing ovation. This is an unbelievable feat for a comedian and as of today it is unprecedented. A few years ago Comedy Central asked the viewers to vote on their favorite comedians that have ever appeared on the channel. Rocky finished second. Not bad for ex-truck driver from the southside of Chicago and in my opinion the funniest guy working today! I’m proud to call him my friend!