Finding the Funny: Leadership Tips From a Comedian

That One Joke Podcast

November 30, 2020 11:00 - 3 minutes - 2.82 MB

Funny comedian & top keynote speaker Jan McInnis's unique, fun and useful ideas will help you develop solutions to your own work and life issues. Jan is an established comedy writer. She's sold material for Jay Leno’s Tonight Show monologue on the Tonight Show as well as many other people, places and groups – radio, TV, syndicated cartoon strips, and even guests on the Jerry Springer show (her parents are proud). For over 25+ years she’s traveled country as a comedian, keynote sp...

Sunday Funnies, Clean Comedy Live

November 29, 2020 11:00 - 46 seconds - 886 KB

I love that joke, and there's truth to it as well! If you want to hear more stories from my comedy career, check out my short podcast wherever you listen to podcasts. It's called Comedian Stories. I kick off with a joke, tell a short 3 or 4 minute story, and end with a take-away tip from what I learned. All under 5 minutes. And tune in tomorrow for new weekly tips! That's it for today. Take care and enjoy your journey.

Humor Writing Tips

November 28, 2020 11:00 - 1 minute - 1.53 MB

And it's the Saturday edition of Finding the Funny, which means I'll be giving you a tip to find the funny yourself! I've written for everyone from the Tonight Show to radio, and syndicated cartoon strips, so I can show you how. So here's your 60 second tip. If you want to find humor fast, look in the news! I started out writing topical jokes about topics in the news. Things change so fast that I couldn't keep doing news jokes in my act – I mean you can't still be telling lorana bobbit...

Tips for Using Humor in Business, part 5

November 27, 2020 11:00 - 1 minute - 1.41 MB

In his monologue, Jay Leno joked about every topic you can think of. But I once heard him say that there are really only 4 or 5 subjects in comedy . . . and he said he may be making political jokes, but if you listen closely, they're not so much political statements as they are jokes about politicians and sex. This week I'm talking about guidelines for using humor in business, and today's tip, don't worry if your topic is serious, you can find humor in every topic. You may not be ab...

Tips For Using Humor in Business, part 4

November 26, 2020 11:00 - 1 minute - 1.57 MB

There used to be a tabloid called the Weekly World News that was totally bogus and had stories like Bat Boy – a boy who looks like a bat, and lots stories about Alien sightings. How do I know it was bogus? I was featured in some of the articles. One article I was in had me and my husband hacked up by a Chuckie Doll somewhere in France. It was ridiculous. The people who worked at this tabloid knew who their audience was and what their purpose was with the magazine. And that's what made the ma...

Tips for Using Humor in Business, part 3

November 25, 2020 11:00 - 1 minute - 1.4 MB

I'm currently touring theatres with another comedian Kent Rader in the Baby Boomer Comedy Show, and at the end of the show we open up to questions. Hey you're not going to get to ask Leno or Seinfeld questions about comedy, but you can ask us. And one of the biggest questions we get is "what's your worst show." They don’t ask our best show, they ask our worst. And after almost every show we also get people coming up to us saying "I'm funny, I should be a comedian." The main reason they don't...

Tips For Using Humor in Business, part 2

November 24, 2020 11:00 - 1 minute - 1.48 MB

I wasn't the class clown in school, and I've only been told I should be a comedian once. Back in high school when they voted on those superlatives like best dressed, most athletic, and I'm better than you. My friend Judy said "jan you say funny things, I'm going to nominate you as funniest." And so I got 2 votes. . me and Judy. Even at my class reunion she was the only one who said you're a comedian – that's perfect. Everyone else looked at me like, you haven't been on any major TV shows, ar...

Tips For Using Humor in Business

November 23, 2020 11:00 - 1 minute - 1.47 MB

Years ago I was performing at a Casino in Reno Nevada right around when cell phones were starting to get big. During the first show, a guy in the front row's cell phone went off and he proceeded to answer it AND talk over me. I tried to joke around with him, but after a few minutes of him ignoring me, and still talking, I snapped. I got angry and yelled at him. Finally I got him out of the showroom, but it was almost impossible to get back into being funny. I wrapped up that show and did a s...

Laughing and Your Health, part 5

November 20, 2020 11:00 - 1 minute - 1.62 MB

. have you ever been to a spa. They are making stuff up with food items to make us think we're healthy. One spa menu had a treatment for $385 an hour – who can relax at $385 and hour? I've seen things on spa menus like Chardonnay sugar scrub, and Cocunut Cream Delight. What is that? A pie in the face. This week I'm talking about the health benefits of laughter, and instead of spending $385 an hour on a spa treatment, why don't you just laugh more. A few studies have shown that laughing...

Laughing and Your Health, part 4

November 19, 2020 11:00 - 1 minute - 1.52 MB

There's actually something out there called laughter Yoga. People sitting around laughing about nothing. I was speaking at a health care event, and a doctor came up to me after my keynote. She was from India, and she said in India they have laughter clubs in the parks. On the way to work, people stop in and just laugh. She said she's a doctor, so she wasn't so sure about it, but her friends dragged her there, and she said ya know, it made me feel better. So who knows. Maybe it works. T...

Laughing and Your Health, part 3

November 18, 2020 11:00 - 1 minute - 1.55 MB

All these things happen to your body when your stressed – blood vessels constrict decreasing blood flow so more chance of heart attack and stroke, immune system weakens, shallower breathing, more aches and pains. The week im talking about the health beneits of laughter. Researchers are finding that lauging alleviates a lot these stressful effects. It Raises Endorphins, the body's natural pain killer, Boosts Our Immune System, Increases Blood Flow, Boosts Levels Of Good Cholesterol, Causes D...

Laughing and Your Health, part 2

November 17, 2020 11:00 - 1 minute - 1.54 MB

. One of my clients said that laughter is the only emotion you can feel where you cannot multi-task. Like you can be crying and typing out that letter to someone who broke up with you, but you can't be laughing and doing the same thing. I said what about laughing and wetting your pants. Ok, that you can still do. This week I'm talking about the health benefits of laughing, and one of the benefits reachers have found is that it may burn calories. RESEARCHERS AT VANDERBILT UNIVERS...

Laughing and Your Health

November 16, 2020 11:00 - 1 minute - 1.68 MB

Tip 1 This week's tip is on the benefits of laughter. There is actually some research on it, and I'll talk about it as the week goes on, but forget about the research. What does it feel like when you laugh? . . .can't you just feel yourself feeling better? I think the fact that we have so much laughter now, is a testament to people realizing that it's healthy. When I was a kid, there was may 3 sitcoms . . .mary tyler moore, dick van dyke, I love lucy. Now we've got sitcoms all over the pla...

How to Work with Jerks, part 5

November 13, 2020 11:00 - 1 minute - 1.37 MB

I heard a woman from NASA speak recently. I can't remember her name, but she had a funny line about the astronauts. She mentioned that there are times when the astronauts don't get along. She said let's face it . . . would you like your boss to pick your roommates? That made me laugh because that's basically what's happening when astronauts go into space . . .and it's what happens with people we work with in the office. We don't get to pick these people, which means you get lots of different...

How to Work with Jerks, part 4

November 12, 2020 11:00 - 1 minute - 1.45 MB

. Years ago there was a 15 month period once when I kept getting booked with the same comedian for these 2-person shows. All over the country, I'd show up and he was there. I wouldn't have minded except this guy made it clear to me that he hated my act. He would make snide comments or give me unasked for tips on how to do comedy. I was having great shows, but I didn't like working with him. One of the weeks we worked together was at the Excaliber Casino on the Vegas strip, and one of the pe...

How to Work with Jerks, part 3

November 11, 2020 11:00 - 1 minute - 1.69 MB

I had a fantastic show for a guy who was a total jerk to me. Even though he had booked me into this show, he told me that he basically doesn't like women comedians . . .and he said it right before I went on stage in front of 1500 people. He booked corporate work, so a few months later, I was sending out my new corporate video tape to the first batch of about 20 agents, and even though I didn't think anything would come of it, I included him in the mailing. He called me a couple days later t...

How to Work with Jerks, part 2

November 10, 2020 11:00 - 1 minute - 1.23 MB

One night I was booked to perform at an Irish pub. I had heard of the other comedian I was working with – he was a pretty big name in comedy circles, and he had been doing comedy for at least 20 years. Once we met, he asked me how long I'd been doing comedy. I said 5 years. He paused and said, well, do you think you have 30 minutes of good material for this gig. How insulting! I felt like pointing out – hey, don't get so uppity . . .you've been doing this 20 years, I've been doing this 5, an...

How to Work with Jerks

November 09, 2020 11:00 - 1 minute - 1.36 MB

There was a woman at a company I worked at, and she was our sales person. We worked in cubes at the time, and the phones were NOT cell phones. The handle that you spoke into was tethered to the base by a cord. I know, weird right! This sales woman had a long phone cord, and so she would walk the aisles in between the cubes making her sales calls. She was loud and obnoxious. One night , a group of us from the office were hanging out at happy hour, and we had an intern with us. I knew th...

Benefits of Humor, part 5

November 06, 2020 11:00 - 1 minute - 1.68 MB

I've been dealing with a lot of re-booking airline tickets these days. I've had waits of up to 3 hours to get service. It's frustrating, but after one particular long wait, instead of getting mad, I joked around with the woman. I figured she had enough angry customers, so why add to her load. And I could have gotten really mad when she would exchange a ticket, but would not give me the left over money to use for a future ticket. Not their policy. It was only about 60 bucks, so I let it go. T...

Benefits of Humor, part 4

November 05, 2020 11:00 - 1 minute - 1.33 MB

Some people are saying that we see 5000 ads a DAY. That's crazy, but it might not be too far off the mark. There is advertising everywhere from baseball fields to bathroom stalls. We may not read all of it conscientiously but it's in front of us. My tips this week are on the benefits of using humor, and today's tip is – use humor in your message because everyone else is doing it and people expect it. I know your mom said that's not a good reason to do something just because everyone el...

Benefits of Humor, part 3

November 04, 2020 11:00 - 1 minute - 1.62 MB

I once arrived at an event and found out I was speaking right after the Secretary of Health and Human Services. That was fine except she was wearing the EXACT same outfit as me. Black slacks, exact same green pleated jacket, and white blouse. Apparently she shops at JC Penny too! She realized we were twins, and so before we went on, she wouldn't even stand near me! Luckily I was following her, so I came up with a great line . . . I said, sorry I'm a little late today . . I got arreste...

Benefits of Humor, part 2

November 03, 2020 11:00 - 1 minute - 1.27 MB

Who remember cat herding? Or Betty White and Snickers! Most of us do . . that's because of the humor! This week I'm talking about reasons for using humor in business, and my tip today is that it makes you memorable! Companies spend millions of dollars on a 60 second ad for the super bowl, and they usually make it funny, because they've realized that humor is memorable. People who have no interest in football watch the super bowl for the funny commercials! So remember that the next time...

Benefits of Humor

November 02, 2020 11:00 - 1 minute - 1.46 MB

The other week I shared one of my favorite quotes – it's from Ceasar Milan, the dog whisperer. He says "Your emotions inside affect your energy outside, and that affects everything in the room." He's talking about being calm when dealing with dogs to change their energy. This week I'm talking about reasons you should use humor, and today's tip is that humor changes the energy. I think that's one of the biggest benefits. If you can laugh, you can change your energy inside and that will chang...

How to Write Comedy

October 31, 2020 10:00 - 2 minutes - 1.82 MB

And it's the Saturday edition of Finding the Funny, which means I'll be giving you a tip to find the funny yourself! I've written for everyone from the Tonight Show to hundreds of radio stations. I now travel the country showing organizations how to use humor in business. Today's 60 second tip. . . Use your sarcastic voice. Sarcasm and comedy tend to go hand in hand, and that's fine. . . as long as you're nice about it! Because using a little sarcasm is a quick way to find the humor in...

Why Use Humor, part 5

October 30, 2020 10:00 - 1 minute - 1.23 MB

I thought that was a creative way to get around that question about my weight! This week we're talking about the benefits of using humor in your business and personal life, and today's tip . . . laughing makes you more creative! There was a study out that a professor I believe at Syracuse university did where she had half of her students watch sitcoms and the others didn't, and then she gave them all a task that involved using their creativity. She found that the students who watched the sit...

Why Use Humor, part 4

October 29, 2020 10:00 - 1 minute - 1.2 MB

I speak at a LOT of health care events, and they are some of the funnest groups on the planet. AND they deal with some of the toughest topics on the planet. This week I'm talking about the reasons you should use humor in your business and personal life, and today's tip is because it helps break the ice on tough topics. I'm not talking about making fun of a serious topic, but hey, would you rather have your hospital nurse come in looking grim and scary, or come in with a positive attitude and...

Why Use Humor, part 3

October 28, 2020 10:00 - 1 minute - 1.11 MB

People love that joke because they can relate to it. And this week I'm talking about the reasons you should use humor in your business and personal communications. Today's tip – use humor because it gives you an instant connection with others, and it makes you approachable. Don't you love that ah ha moment when people "get" your humor? It's an instant connection, and that's what we're looking for with people– whether it's a client, coworker, new friend, or staff person, you can both get on t...

Why Use Humor, part 2

October 27, 2020 10:00 - 1 minute - 1.26 MB

That joke is one of my most memorable jokes and I get a LOT of people telling me they love it. This week I'm talking about the reasons you should use humor in your personal and business life, and today's tip . . because it introduces you. Listen to the humor that people use, it'll tell you about them. If someone makes a snarky comment, then you kind of know the frame of mind they're in. And if you use humor, you can also give people information about yourself. My joke today told you right aw...

Why Use Humor

October 26, 2020 10:00 - 1 minute - 1.65 MB

This week I'm talking about reasons to use humor, and my first big reason is that it diffuses tension. We used a lot of humor when my sister was in the hospital because it was a very stressful situation. When I go out to talk with businesses about using humor, some people think it's just about telling people how to write jokes and be a comedian. It's not. Humor in business and in your personal life, is extremely important. Think about it, at work if you sit down to a staff meeting and you've...

Sunday Funnies Clean Comedy Live

October 25, 2020 10:00 - 1 minute - 1.21 MB

Funny comedian & top keynote speaker Jan McInnis's unique, fun and useful ideas will help you develop solutions to your own work and life issues. Jan is an established comedy writer. She's sold material for Jay Leno’s Tonight Show monologue on the Tonight Show as well as many other people, places and groups – radio, TV, syndicated cartoon strips, and even guests on the Jerry Springer show (her parents are proud). For over 25+ years she’s traveled country as a comedian, keynote sp...

Writing Industry Specific Comedy Material Podcast

October 24, 2020 10:00 - 4 minutes - 3.27 MB

Funny comedian & top keynote speaker Jan McInnis's unique, fun and useful ideas will help you develop solutions to your own work and life issues. Jan is an established comedy writer. She's sold material for Jay Leno’s Tonight Show monologue on the Tonight Show as well as many other people, places and groups – radio, TV, syndicated cartoon strips, and even guests on the Jerry Springer show (her parents are proud). For over 25+ years she’s traveled country as a comedian, keynote sp...

Comedy and Beans Podcast

October 23, 2020 10:00 - 2 minutes - 2.29 MB

Funny comedian & top keynote speaker Jan McInnis's unique, fun and useful ideas will help you develop solutions to your own work and life issues. Jan is an established comedy writer. She's sold material for Jay Leno’s Tonight Show monologue on the Tonight Show as well as many other people, places and groups – radio, TV, syndicated cartoon strips, and even guests on the Jerry Springer show (her parents are proud). For over 25+ years she’s traveled country as a comedian, keynote sp...

We'll Make The Sit Up Front Comedy Podcast

October 22, 2020 10:00 - 5 minutes - 3.96 MB

Funny comedian & top keynote speaker Jan McInnis's unique, fun and useful ideas will help you develop solutions to your own work and life issues. Jan is an established comedy writer. She's sold material for Jay Leno’s Tonight Show monologue on the Tonight Show as well as many other people, places and groups – radio, TV, syndicated cartoon strips, and even guests on the Jerry Springer show (her parents are proud). For over 25+ years she’s traveled country as a comedian, keynote sp...

Covering My Butt in Comedy Podcast

October 21, 2020 10:00 - 3 minutes - 2.93 MB

Funny comedian & top keynote speaker Jan McInnis's unique, fun and useful ideas will help you develop solutions to your own work and life issues. Jan is an established comedy writer. She's sold material for Jay Leno’s Tonight Show monologue on the Tonight Show as well as many other people, places and groups – radio, TV, syndicated cartoon strips, and even guests on the Jerry Springer show (her parents are proud). For over 25+ years she’s traveled country as a comedian, keynote sp...

My Worst Comedy Bombing Podcast

October 20, 2020 10:00 - 4 minutes - 3.63 MB

Funny comedian & top keynote speaker Jan McInnis's unique, fun and useful ideas will help you develop solutions to your own work and life issues. Jan is an established comedy writer. She's sold material for Jay Leno’s Tonight Show monologue on the Tonight Show as well as many other people, places and groups – radio, TV, syndicated cartoon strips, and even guests on the Jerry Springer show (her parents are proud). For over 25+ years she’s traveled country as a comedian, keynote sp...

Bad Comedy Introductions Podcast

October 19, 2020 10:00 - 5 minutes - 4 MB

Funny comedian & top keynote speaker Jan McInnis's unique, fun and useful ideas will help you develop solutions to your own work and life issues. Jan is an established comedy writer. She's sold material for Jay Leno’s Tonight Show monologue on the Tonight Show as well as many other people, places and groups – radio, TV, syndicated cartoon strips, and even guests on the Jerry Springer show (her parents are proud). For over 25+ years she’s traveled country as a comedian, keynote sp...

Sunday Funnies, clean live comedy

October 18, 2020 10:00 - 1 minute - 1.05 MB

Yes that's probably a true statement! There is something good to be said about smoking. If you want to hear stories from my comedy career, check out my short podcast wherever you listen to podcasts. It's called Comedian Stories. I kick off with a joke, tell a short 3 or 4 minute story, and end with a take-away tip from what I learned. All under 5 minutes. That's it for today. Take care and enjoy your journey.

How to Make a Decision, part 5

October 16, 2020 10:00 - 1 minute - 1.48 MB

Years ago my friend Michael and I were talking about how he had just worked with David Brenner – a really famous and funny comedian. David was performing in Vegas that night, and David had told Michael to just pop by whenever he wanted, and Michael would be allowed in the VIP section. Vegas was 4 hours away, and so on a whim we decided to go to the show that night. We got there and walked up right as the show was starting. When we got to the VIP section in the balcony, Michel's name was not ...

How to Make Decisions, part 4

October 15, 2020 10:00 - 57 seconds - 1010 KB

I do a 5K 3 or 4 times a week around the Rosebowl in Pasadena. I'm not a runner – I walk it – and while it's great exercise, what I'm really doing is clearing my head and giving my brain some space. My tips this week are on how to make a decision, and my tip today is one of the most effective ways I've found to make a decision is to get my body moving. Take a walk. Go on a bike ride do something. Just get moving. It's something about having the ideas rattle around in my head, while I...

How to Make Decisions, part 3

October 14, 2020 10:00 - 2 minutes - 1.76 MB

. I just lost a gig to eeny, meeny, miny, moe. I'm not kidding. The would-be client said that the committee just could not decide between me or another keynote speaker. I lost because of Moe. I also once lost the coin toss when another potential client couldn't decide between me and another speaker . . . random games of chance may not be my thing. This week we're talking about how to make decisions on things that you may not have made decisions on before. That was certainly the case f...

How to Make Decisions, part 2

October 13, 2020 10:00 - 1 minute - 1.16 MB

Over the years, besides just telling jokes as a comedian, I've also done a lot of different projects. Some hit and some didn't. From characters on the radio to touring theaters in the Baby Boomer Comedy Show and even this flash briefing, I have always had some other projects going, and they've lead me down some fun paths. Hey I got to meet Sally Struthers from All in the Family! An icon from my generation! This week's theme is making decisions, and when running your own business, you h...

How to Make Decisions

October 12, 2020 10:00 - 1 minute - 1.32 MB

Many moons ago, I was offered a gig to dress up as Hillary Clinton but instead of wearing a pantsuit, the client wanted me to wear a tight leather outfit and carry a whip. Yeah, this was a serious offer, but he didn't tell me what the event was, because I said no pretty quickly. I've impersonated celebrities before, but the leather and the whip were over the top. Saying no to that gig was an easy decision. But sometimes we're asked to do things, and there's a little more grey area. Thi...

How to Write a Joke

October 10, 2020 10:00 - 1 minute - 1.13 MB

And today is the Saturday version of Finding the Funny where I show you how to find humor. I've written for tons and tons of people and companies, and now I travel around the country presenting keynotes on how to use humor in business. My 60 second humor tip today is . . pull out the irony. Comedy is really about pulling out the irony between two or three different things. The online Cambridge dictionary says irony is something that has a different or opposite result from what is expec...

Master of Ceremonies Tips, part 5

October 09, 2020 10:00 - 1 minute - 1.33 MB

My dog is named Delilah and I've got an app that makes her talk. I load it up on Facebook and Delilah gives people updates on my travels. People love it! This week I'm talking about tips for being the master of ceremonies for an event, and today's tip is to Make Them Want To Listen. How do you do that? Well, people will listen to if they like you - just ask Oprah or my dog Delilah! So when you're emceeing, find ways to keep people engaged. In between speakers, be personable by shari...

Master of Ceremonies Tips, part 4

October 08, 2020 10:00 - 1 minute - 1.3 MB

My first big weekend emceeing in an A room comedy club in DC COULD have been disastrous. The feature act didn't show up, so the club owner had to find another feature to drive down from Maryland. I had 6 minutes of material and I had to do 20 minutes on stage. Luckily it was a hot crowd and I was able to joke around with the audience to stretch, but I can tell you that I almost put the microphone down on stage and walked off, never to do comedy again. It was scary. This week I'm giving...

Master of Ceremonies Tips, part 3

October 07, 2020 10:00 - 1 minute - 1.12 MB

One of the top one thousand popular names for girls in the U.S. is spelled N-e-v-a-e-h. Do you know how to pronounce it? This week I'm talking about tips for being a Master of Ceremonies, and my tip today is to be prepared. It sounds simple, but there is a tendency to try to just wing it – don't. Practice the speaker’s name out loud several times fast, so it rolls off your tongue, and make sure you've got it written down phonetically. I read a marketing study once that people would rather ...

Master of Ceremonies Tips, part 2

October 06, 2020 10:00 - 1 minute - 1.21 MB

. I got to emcee a 3 day financial summit and one of the keynote speakers was Aaron Ralston – you know, the guy who got stuck under a rock in Canyonlands national park and had to cut his arm off. They made the move about him called 127 hours. He was really nice, and his speech was great. After he got off stage, I kicked off with "you know I was feeling kinda bad for Aaron for having to lay under a rock for 5 days, until he said that thing about losing 8 pounds a day. Then I got kinda jealou...

Master of Ceremonies Tips

October 05, 2020 10:00 - 1 minute - 1.38 MB

“Welcome to our convention! We have a great agenda, but first, I’ve got a few dozen announcements for you. . . “ And you’re off to the races with a great event hosted by a not-so-great emcee. As a corporate and association comedian who has mastered the art of keeping a conference moving, my tips this week will be on how to be the Master of Ceremonies for an event. You may never be the emcee in a comedy club, but you may have to be the Master of Ceremonies at something else . . . and you d...

How to Write a Joke, part 6

October 03, 2020 10:00 - 1 minute - 1.28 MB

And it's the Saturday edition of Finding the Funny, which means I'll be giving you a tip to find the funny yourself! I've written for everyone from the Tonight Show to radio, syndicated cartoon strips, CEO's, companies like wart removal cream makers, and even guests on the Jerry Springer show (my parents are proud). I now travel the country showing organizations how to use humor in business. So here's your 60 second tip. Connect with people instantly by using self-deprecating humor. Th...

Recovering From Mistakes Like a Comedian, part 5

October 02, 2020 10:00 - 1 minute - 1.11 MB

Did you know that heintz the ketchup once came out with purple ketchup? Or that Bic actually tried to market a pen for women only . . .the big difference was that it was pink. Neither of these products worked – purple ketchup looks like a monster barfed on your fries and well, never in the history of writing has a woman run around the house screaming, I can't possibly write that letter – I can't find my lady pen. These are examples from the Museum of Failure, and this week we're talkin...

Finding the Funny: Leadership Tips From a Comedian

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