03/ 28/ 2002
Running a small business can be tough, but funnily enough, humor can lend humanity to your business, and help youáconnect with your customers-which is the cleverest punch line of all.
You don't have to be Jay Leno or Jerry Seinfeld to use humor effectively. Comedy makes a point like no other medium, and observing everyday life can provide endless material for effective presentations.
Just ask the small business owners who attended Comedy College, one of the many stand-up comedy workshops held nationwide. Comedy College is taught throughout the year by veteran comedian and television sitcom writer Mike Price, who has shown political campaign planners, lawyers, police, teachers, bartenders and even preachers how to connect with an audience.
"Humor is one of the most powerful sales tools there is," Price says. "It's the ultimate public speaking."
Comedy College attracts people from varied backgrounds, with different goals. Some want to be comedians, but some want to be better salespeople or just be able to give a speech to their Rotary Club. During four intense workshop sessions, students learn the anatomy of comedy, and how to solicit that priceless "involuntary response"-otherwise known as a laugh. They also gain valuable self-confidence by taking the risk of being themselves on stage, an experience that could benefit any small business owner.
"I'm a shy person, though I've been in the entertainment business forever," says Cynthia Biedermann, a freelance television producer and Comedy College student. "The fact that I did it and got good feedback gave me a sense of accomplishment."
During the workshop sessions, students draft an "act" based on what they find funny or absurd in the world. Students then "gang write" with each other, listening to presentations and commenting on what worked, what didn't and why. Together, they rewrite the lines and refine the delivery.
Simplicity, economy and clarity, which come from the editing process, make comedy more effective. This process also improves any business communication, from press releases to marketing brochures. Students rework and refine their presentations until "graduation," when they present a four-minute stand-up routine on stage for friends and family.
According to Price, effective comedy contains three elements: truth, freedom/imagination, and surprise. When you share a premise that your audience knows to be true (the "set up"), then surprise them with a twist (the "punch line"), you create tension that rivets attention on your message. This works whether you're telling a joke at a party or presenting a new service to a potential client.
Even discomfort and awkwardness during a presentation are useful, Price says, since these feelings are part of being human-and something any audience can relate to. Take your material seriously but not yourself to avoid self-consciousness, Price advises. The more absorbed you are by what you're saying, the funnier-and more persuasive-your ideas will be.
"Stick with your own observations," Price says. "Address your audience like your family, friends and co-workers, and let others join your party. Be human, not slick."
In the end, Price says, effective comedy or social skills boil down to this one motto: humanity works. "It's a big benefit to get up there and realize that the audience is relating to you," said Biedermann after her performance. "I came away thinking how alike we all are."
Overcoming shyness is something Cynthia Biedermann, here getting tips from Mike Price on stage, can also apply to her business as a freelance television producer.
CribNotes
- Tension breeds attention. Anticipation and surprise make jokes funny-and put the focus on you.
- Take your product or service seriously, but not yourself.
- Freedom is knowing your "act." Comedy appears to be spontaneous, but it isn't. Neither are the best presentations.
- Don't just make a joke make a point. Listen to the world around you to find humor you can use.
- Know your audience. Comedians set up their jokes with a premise-a common truth that most people can relate to. Make sure your communications contain a premise that your audience will understand.
- Know when to pause, as well as when to speak.
- Good comedy has truth, freedom/imagination, and surprise. Bring all of your humor, intelligence and even whimsy to your communications.
- Be human in your communications, not slick. Address your clients like your family or friends. Who you are at the dinner table is the best person to get an audience on your side.
Mike Price's Comedy College workshops are given across the United States. Contact Micki Estes at (615) 361-1180 for more information.
Chicago's famous The Second City improv comedy group-as well as "Saturday Night Live"-is stocked with comedians who trained at Player's Workshop of the Second City. Workshops are held in Chicago and at Player's Workshop West in L.A.: www.playersworkshop.com/index.html
If you can spare some time learning improv in L.A., The Groundlings have been going since the 1970s with their wacky workshops: www.groundlings.com
Judy Carter, author of the popular Standup Comedy: The Book, runs the annual International Business of Comedy weekend in California. Her Web site has information on her other comedy workshops, and sells an interactive CD-ROM/comedy workbook: www.judycarter.com
The Acme Comedy Theatre in L.A. is where Lisa Kudrow (of TV's Friends) and Conan O'Brien got their chops: www.acmecomedy.com/school.htm
The Writer's Village has a variety of comedy writing courses online: www.writersvillage.com/preview/basics.shtml
The Comic Toolbox: How to Be Funny, Even If You're Not, by John Vorhaus (Silman-James, $14)
Comedy Writing Step by Step, by Gene Perret and Carol Burnett (Samuel French Trade, $11.05)
