Finding the funny in a speaker’s life
The Man Hug
The emcee asked if I would stick around after my program to help with the awards ceremony, so I obliged. You may ask why I agreed to stay and shake
the hands of recipients I don’t know, but
the reasons are simple: I always give of
myself to the client, and I had not yet
been paid.
So, while I was presenting the plaques,
a robust gentleman came forward to
receive his award. But, before I continue
my story, the following information is
critical for setting the stage:
I did not see him carrying a small cup
of coffee in his left hand.
I glanced away when he placed his cup
on an elevated table behind me.
As I turned back to him, it appeared
that he wanted to hug.
Now, the key thing with a man-hug
is that both man-huggers must be on the
same page. But we weren’t on the same
page. We weren’t even in the same book.
In mid-handshake, I thought I had to
“We were like two drunken
overweight ballerinas
performing a routine
beyond our capabilities,
and neither of us wanted
to be in this dance.”
pleased
with the
situation,
probably
because he
yelled, “What the
hell are you doing.”
(I’ve always been good at
picking up clues.)
The good news: Once we both stood
up and the audience knew we were okay,
they burst into room-shaking laughter.
And you know me … I’ll do anything
for a laugh. The bad news: We shared a
hug, a laugh, and a roll on the floor, and
I haven’t heard from that guy since our
close encounter. No flowers, no phone
call, nothing.
convert to a hug, so I leaned towards him
completely off balance thinking I could
steady myself by leaning on him. He
wasn’t planning on hugging me, so he
also was caught off balance.
We were like two drunken overweight
ballerinas performing a routine beyond
our capabilities, and neither of us wanted
to be in this
dance. I believe
it was Plato who
said, “Nothing ever
good or graceful
has come from reluc-
tant huggers.” (I could be
wrong on that quote.)
Mark Mayfield, CSP, CPAE, speaks about very serious things in a very funny way. Known as the Corporate Comedian, he offers solid
business wisdom in a brilliant comedic style.
Visit www.markmayfield.com.
