MY LIFE’S AMBITION WASN’T TO BECOME
A PROFESSIONAL SPEAKER; IT WAS TO BE A
CLOWN. DON’T LAUGH. OH, WAIT, GO AHEAD
AND LAUGH—CLOWNS THRIVE ON IT!
What can you learn from a magician? Nothing, according to my friends who insist, “A magician won’t tell you how
anything is done.” But that’s not
completely true.
A magician won’t share his secret
for sawing a person in half, but he can
teach you a lot about the magic of professional speaking. Success as a speaker
comes from a magical combination of
skills, experiences, education, training,
creativity and tenacity that makes you a
one-of-a-kind presenter.
My life’s ambition wasn’t to become
a professional speaker; it was to be a
clown. Don’t laugh. Oh, wait, go ahead
and laugh—clowns thrive on it! My
speaking career came after my stints as
a professional clown, master magician,
ventriloquist, corporate executive,
adjunct professor, and a computer
scientist who architected computers for
IBM for two decades. I’ve learned the
following valuable lessons along the way.
LESSON 1:
ENJOY YOURSELF. IT SHOWS.
After I performed a magic show for a
mother-daughter banquet, my family
members remarked how much it had
improved. I didn’t understand their
reaction because I did the same magical
effects and used the same pattern many
times before. “Yeah, but this time you
were having so much
more fun,” they said.
What happened? I
had relaxed my usual
professional stage
persona and enjoyed the
show right along with
my audience. Instead of
just making them laugh,
we laughed together.
Studying the style
of comedic greats
such as Carol Burnett,
Johnny Carson and
Red Skelton, I realized that part of
what endeared them to their audiences
is that they occasionally cracked up at
their own jokes. I used to think their
behavior was unprofessional when they
broke character and started laughing.
But now I realize that part of their
success was sharing their joy with the
audience. It was contagious.
LESSON 2:
RELAX BEFORE YOUR
PRESENTATION.
Allow your audience to see you enjoy
what you do on the platform, and
to join in the fun. I had the honor of
meeting Red Skelton in his dressing
room after one of his shows. Initially,
I wanted to meet with him prior to his
performance, but he was still taking
a nap while his warm-up act was on
stage—talk about relaxing before
facing the audience! We laughed while
chatting about clowning
and some of the great clown friends
we shared. As Red chewed on his unlit
cigar and peered at me over his reading
glasses, we talked seriously about
humor, the challenge of performing it
well, our shared distain for those who
resort to foul language and off-color
jokes, and being blessed by careers that
allowed us to share our love of laughter
with others.
LESSON 3:
PEOPLE JUDGE QUALITY
BY PRICE.
Buyers equate fees with a speaker’s
worth. For years, I volunteered my
clowning at children’s hospitals,
nursing homes, parades and charity
events. As my skills improved and my
reputation spread, companies wanted
to hire Circles the Clown for corporate
events. When I stated my fee; however,
they were shocked. They figured $25
