Finding the Funny: Leadership Tips From a Comedian
332 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 2 months ago - ★★★★★ - 1 ratingIt's funny business! Learn leadership & business skills to deal with people & handle life's curveballs. A professional comedian offers laughs & practical tips.
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 speaker, and Master of Ceremonies. She's shared her clean comedy with thousands of organizations, and her business tips with thousands of corporations and associations. She's been onstage in front of everyone from the Mayo Clinic to several of the Federal Reserve Banks. Jan is also currently co-starring in the Baby Boomer Comedy Show, touring theatres with comedian Kent Rader, and she is also an excellent Master of Ceremonies!
Jan is the author of two books "Finding the Funny Fast – How to Create Quick Humor to Connect with Clients, Coworkers & Crowds," and "Convention Comedian – Stories and Wisdom From Two Decades of Chicken Dinners and Comedy Clubs." Her short stories can be heard on her popular podcast: "Comedian Stories: Tales From the Road in Under 5 Minutes."
What's in store every week?
Monday – Friday – Jan offers a quick tip for managing work and personal life
Saturday – a tip for Finding the Funny . . . Jan will help you find the funny in your life with a quick tip on using humor
Sunday – It's time to sit back and enjoy a minute of Jan's clean comedy from her shows.
Jan has shared her humor keynotes with groups such as...
Mayo Clinic
Abbott Pharmaceuticals
Sanofi Aventis Pharmaceuticals
Kaiser-Permanente
Davita Dialysis Centers
Blue Cross
Blue Shield
National Council for Prescription Drug Companies
Organization of Nurse Leaders
Federal Reserve Banks
BDO Accounting
Transamerica Insurance & Investment Group
Merrill Lynch
American Institute of CPAs
National League of Cities
International Worker's Compensation Fund
LA County Management Association
Social Security Administration
Southern California Public Power Authority
U.S. Air Force
American Heart Associations
Go Red For Women luncheons
Speaking of Women's Health
International Association of Administrative Professionals
Toyota Women’s Conference
Women in Insurance and Financial Services
Soroptimists
Women in Film & Video
Henry Ford Health Centers Women’s Event
Breast cancer awareness
School Business Officials associations
School superintendent associations
School boards associations
State education associations
Community college associations
Head Start associations
Texas adult protective services
Association of Elementary and Middle School Principals
International Association of Emergency Managers
Disney Emergency Managers
COPIC
Salt Lake County Public Works and Municipal Services Disaster Recovery Conference
Pennsylvania Governor’s Occupational Safety and Health conference
Mid Atlantic Safety conference and Chesapeake Regional Safety Council
Risk associations
American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation
Rehabilitation Associations
NIGP
Public procurement associations
Public purchasing associations
correctional associations
public utilities
public personnel associations
rural housing associations
community action associations
Health Information Management Associations
Healthcare Financial Management Associations
Hospitals
Home Healthcare Associations
Assisted Living Associations
Medical Group Management Associations
Healthcare Risk Associations
Healthcare Quality Associations
state emergency management associations
insurance groups
state education associations
community college associations
school administrators associations
school nutrition associations
principal associations
library associations
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Episodes
My worst bombing story - podcast
July 25, 2020 10:00 - 4 minutes - 3.2 MBHere's an episode of my podcast titled "Comedian Stories: Tales From the Road in Under 5 Minutes." You can find it where ever you listen to podcasts.
More Benefits of Using Humor, part 5
July 24, 2020 10:00 - 1 minute - 2.27 MBI'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...
More Benefits of Using Humor, part 4
July 23, 2020 10:00 - 1 minute - 1.72 MBSome 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...
More Reasons for Using Humor, part 3
July 22, 2020 10:00 - 1 minute - 2.1 MBI 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...
More Benefits of Using Humor, part 2
July 21, 2020 10:00 - 1 minute - 1.52 MBWho 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...
More Benefits of Using Humor
July 20, 2020 10:00 - 1 minute - 1.91 MBThe 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...
Handling Annoying People, part 5
July 17, 2020 10:00 - 1 minute - 1.88 MBI 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...
Handling Annoying People, part 4
July 16, 2020 10:00 - 1 minute - 2 MBYears 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 perks...
Handling Annoying People, part 3
July 15, 2020 10:00 - 1 minute - 2.36 MBI 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...
Handling Annoying People, part 2
July 14, 2020 10:00 - 1 minute - 1.66 MBOne 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...
Handling Annoying People
July 13, 2020 10:00 - 1 minute - 1.87 MBTip 1 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 ...
Health Benefits of Humor, part 5
July 10, 2020 10:00 - 1 minute - 2.17 MBhave 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 h...
Health Benefits of Humor, part 4
July 09, 2020 10:00 - 1 minute - 2.01 MBThere'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...
Health Benefits of Humor, part 3
July 08, 2020 10:00 - 1 minute - 2.02 MBAll 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...
Health Benefits of Humor, part 2
July 07, 2020 10:00 - 1 minute - 2.03 MBOne 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 UNIVERSIT...
Health Benefits of Humor
July 06, 2020 10:00 - 1 minute - 1.89 MBThis 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 place. We'...
How to Write Jokes
July 04, 2020 10:00 - 1 minute - 2.15 MBAnd 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...
Humor in Business Tips, part 5
July 03, 2020 10:00 - 1 minute - 1.98 MBIn 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...
Humor in Business Tips, part 4
July 02, 2020 10:00 - 1 minute - 2.22 MBThere 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...
Humor in Business Tips, part 3
July 01, 2020 10:00 - 1 minute - 1.95 MBI'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...
Humor in Business Tips, part 2
June 30, 2020 10:00 - 1 minute - 2.05 MBI 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...
Humor in Business Tips
June 29, 2020 10:00 - 1 minute - 2.06 MBYears 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...
Reasons to Use Humor, part 5
June 26, 2020 10:00 - 1 minute - 1.57 MBI 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...
Reasons to Use Humor, part 4
June 25, 2020 10:00 - 1 minute - 1.54 MBI 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...
Reasons to Use Humor, part 3
June 24, 2020 10:00 - 1 minute - 1.44 MBPeople 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...
Reasons to Use Humor, part 2
June 23, 2020 10:00 - 1 minute - 1.56 MBThat 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...
Reasons to Use Humor
June 22, 2020 10:00 - 1 minute - 2.19 MBThis 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...
How to Make a Decision, part 4
June 18, 2020 10:00 - 57 seconds - 1.31 MBI 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 a Decision, part 3
June 17, 2020 10:00 - 2 minutes - 2.48 MBI 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 for ...
How to Make a Decision, part 2
June 16, 2020 10:00 - 1 minute - 1.57 MBOver 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 a Decision
June 15, 2020 10:00 - 1 minute - 1.82 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. ...
Sunday Funnies - Clean Comedy - live
June 14, 2020 10:00 - 52 seconds - 1.15 MBRonald mcdonald joke. Oh the irony. I came up with that joke by listing people who we associate with being healthy or not healthy . . . and I pulled out the irony. That was my humor tip yesterday. 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.
Master of Ceremonies, part 5
June 12, 2020 10:00 - 1 minute - 1.86 MBMy 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, part 4
June 11, 2020 10:00 - 1 minute - 1.8 MBMy 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, part 3
June 10, 2020 10:00 - 1 minute - 1.53 MBOne 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, part 2
June 09, 2020 10:00 - 1 minute - 1.67 MBI 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 jealous. ...
How to be a GREAT Master of Ceremonies
June 08, 2020 10:00 - 1 minute - 1.93 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...
Recovering From Mistakes, part 5 - Resiliency
June 05, 2020 10:00 - 1 minute - 1.51 MBI once heard Jay Leno say that he never looks at a tape of a bad show. He said why would I look at that, that's not what I wanted to do. This week we're talking about how to handling mistakes, and my tip today is to ignore it. I know that sounds simple, but really, no amount of worrying about it or feeling bad about it is going to change the fact that something didn't go well. But if you keep focusing on it, you're just going to screw up the future things you're working on if you don't...
Recovering From Mistakes, part 4 - Resiliency
June 04, 2020 10:00 - 2 minutes - 2.46 MBDid 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...
Recovering From Mistakes, part 3 Resiliency
June 03, 2020 10:00 - 1 minute - 1.64 MBAny comedian who says they've never bombed is lying. In fact we have a lot of fun with each other when something doesn't go right on stage. If you're a comedian and you get off stage and another comedian says, hey nice speech. That is not a compliment! This week I’m talking about handling mistakes, and my tip today is, when you make a mistake, connect with your network. Comedians talk with each other more about the bad shows than they do about the good ones. It gives us a sense of cama...
Recovering From Mistakes, part 2
June 02, 2020 10:00 - 1 minute - 1.86 MB2 I've opened for some big name celebrities – comedians and singers. Usually things are good, but sometimes things are a little chaotic. I once opened for a famous singer, and it was confusion and disorientating backstage. . . nobody knew what was going on and nobody would give me the time of day. When I was sent out on stage, without any introduction or anything, I immediately realized that I wasn't there to warm the crowd up, I was there to settle them down. Because as much confusion as th...
Recovering From Mistakes
June 01, 2020 10:00 - 1 minute - 1.82 MBComedians learn our jobs by bombing and failing a lot. We go up at an open mic, and that's where we practice our stage presence, our timing and see if our jokes work. No other profession does this? There's no open scalpel night at the hospital is there. Come on down. By day he's a plumber, but tonight he's going to try his hand at open heart surgery! And by the way, don't tell my health insurance company about this idea. ..they'll probably try it. This week I'm talking about how to han...
Sunday Funnies - Clean Comedy
May 31, 2020 10:00 - 46 seconds - 883 KBI think I actually had that thought when I was in my marketing job. I talked about using statistics in yesterdays humor tip, so that's an example of how I did it. I hope you're having a wonderful Sunday. 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 ...
Humor Rules - humor writing tips
May 30, 2020 10:00 - 1 minute - 1.19 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 airline food vendors. I now travel the country showing organizations how to use humor in business. So here's your 60 second tip. . . Use statistics. They may be boring, but they are your friend in comedy. Make them up or find out ones. If you find out that 60% of...
Rules for Using Humor
May 25, 2020 10:00 - 1 minute - 1.21 MBThere are few rules for humor, and in fact, I think the only big rule in comedy is to be funny. You can be dirty, clean, insulting or whatever, but as long as you're funny, you've fulfilled the job requirement. That's the number one rule for the comedy clubs anyway. BUT doubtful most of you will be performing in a comedy club. So, if you want to tell jokes around family, friends, or the office, there really are a few loose rules that you might want to pay attention to. And that's what I'll b...
Communication Tips, clean humor
May 24, 2020 10:00 - 46 seconds - 878 KBCat Rover joke The won custody punchline wasn't the original punchline. My communications tips this week tell you how I get a little information over to you so that you get the joke. Check them out. And if you want to hear short stories from my comedy travels, check out my podcast – Comedian Stories. It's a very short podcast, under 5 minutes. I kick it off with a joke, tell a quick story and end with a take-away tip of what I learned. That's it for today. Take care and e...
Clean Comedy Sunday Funnies
May 17, 2020 10:00 - 1 minute - 1.06 MBIt's funny business! Learn leadership & business skills to deal with people & handle life's curveballs. A professional comedian offers laughs & practical tips. 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 car...
How to write humor
May 16, 2020 10:00 - 1 minute - 997 KBAnd 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. If you want to add quick humor to an email or a memo or something...
How to excel at something when you're not the best, part 5
May 15, 2020 10:00 - 1 minute - 1.4 MBI know comedians who have flown into the town that they were performing in, didn't like the hotel or apartment that they were put up in, so they left. The club was stuck without a comedian for the night. The comic left because he could. He had another income – his wife. My tips this week are on how to succeed even if you're not the top player in your profession, and today my tip is. . . if you want to succeed, even though you aren't the best, do not rely on anyone else. I think much of...
How to excel at something when you're not the best, part 4
May 14, 2020 10:00 - 1 minute - 1.04 MBI got one of the nicest compliments from Mark Ridley who owns the Comedy Castle comedy club in Royal Oak, Michigan. He said he appreciated that I was professional, I showed up on time, I did the time I said I'd do on stage and that I didn't drink up all the free beer at the bar. This week we're talking tips to get ahead, even if you aren't the most talented in your field. And my tip today is to watch what you do behind the scenes. I didn't figure I'd be Jay Leno, but I still wanted a ...