Use your dis-ability! A fellow Toastmaster on Ted

It did not seem me he had any speech disability! and loved many many parts of his speech, with many stories in it and many healthy advices too.

And a ligne I will borrow for my next gig!

Comedy on Fringe Wednesday 8 August

8 August, Funny's Funny at The Free Systers, 339 Cowgate, Edinburgh EH11JS, 7pm

Funny's Funny hits the Fringe with an all female line-up with our favourite competitors and some of our friends,

Hosted by Iszi Lawrence, BBC comedy semi finalist,

Featuring:
Julie Kertesz
Louisa Omielan
Pam Ford

Lead by inspiring telling "why"

 We follow those who lead by inspiring us, for us not for them and telling "why" only later "how" or "what"

• • what (you do) - rational thoughts, facts - do not decide us
  • how (you do it) - 'does feel right, gut feelings' interesting to know
  • why (your beliefs) - feelings, decision making, behaviour!

Apple does not say, we make computers that are simple to use, want to buy it? does not begin his message with "what" instead Apple says "we think differently, do new things, simpler to use, want to buy it?"

“People don’t buy what you do; people buy why you do it.”

 If you hire people just because they can do a job, they’ll work for your money. But if you hire people who believe what you believe, they’ll work for you with blood and sweat and tears.” (Simon Sinek)

He speaks about people being Innovators, Early Adaptors, (I am between those), early majority, later majority, still not using. The Early majority decides once seeing the Early Adaptors who are ready to make gut decisions, doing, using. Adapting. Believing.

We follow those who lead (do not have to be official leaders) and believe and make us believe in it for ourselves that we need to do it, too.

 For example, take Toastmasters clubs and the Distinguished Club Program Points counted every end of the year for each club.
Telling what the points are that a club has to accomplish will not achieve much result. "So what"?
Telling how to accomplish them will motivate a few if we do not start by telling Why!

Begin by telling why and how much the new members joining changed their life and the club's too, then you can add "4 plus 4 new members makes two points" eventually, but you even do not need that. Talk about Steve, who came to the club from another one, and what he learned and what he taught us. Talk about Flavia, a guest a year ago whose joining gave a new goal for her life. Talk about Chris who gained new confidence and friends. And so on. The why is there. Then you can tell how that can be accomplished and how they can be helped to go further, learn to speak better, finish their first ten projects. (4 of them 2 more points) and then they can go farther and choose between all those interesting and diverse Advanced manuals!

And so on. I like the simplicity of the idea: first Why, then How, then only What.

Take out the clutter, bring out the essential

I think the treatment of this picture, the day of my daughter-in-law graduation ceremony explains in image, what we have to do with a story or a text for a gig.

First, it is true and not complectly so.

I did not graduate that day (years earlier, yes but without any ceremony)

The real graduate told me: "now put on that hat, you!" And finaly I did.

She took two pictures with it and me. One, me smiling warmly at her, and this one with an attitude.

Attitude is always better then just warmth.

But there was too much in the image, so I made a coutout first. Transformed in grey, what is not important and where focus should not be. Then cropped the image to be nearer the expression.

Here is the result.

The main point, expression, attitude, comes out in this "distilled" image.

We should do the same when we prepare a story. What is the main story? What attitude? How can we get rid of the clutter, the non essential part? After we found a good story, true mostly, we have to work with it to show what we believe it is the most important thing in it, at least for that telling, that time.

Julie Kertesz on stage

Three places, three expressions and outfits.

All black with my little very English hat, that I do not use often (yet?).

Another photo by the Guardian's photographer, taken with so many others at the same time, at least they did send me six of them.

And a photo of a more 'natural' me telling a true Soho tale at Foyles, with others from Spark London.

A year ago I would have settled for one and only pic with me holding a mike, I do have lots now.

Together, three, I think speak of my divers activities on stage better. And the diversity of my stage persona depending on where I go or what I want to convey.

Humorous Contest: Storytelling

Garret send me his winner speech from Montana - a story around which he build a real funny one!

Anniversary: 40th gig and I killed!

Not only I have passed now the one year gigging, but also my 40th Comedy club performance, and my went back to Camden Head's 5 Minute of Fame, in Islington, after six month. Killed again, even more then at the Funny S Funny Competition.

I got 27 laugh's one after the other. Not counting the cheers. What a wonderful audience!

Only sound but I think YouTube is better this time then Box.com for it.

I would never dreamed it

I had aspirations of going on stage when I was a kid, till about 12 years old. Then I realised I have to be beautiful, not freckled thin, I have to dance and sing well, and I was not up to others from my class, and even for writing, I had to gain "experience."

Well, in 77 years, I did gain experience, good and bad, here and there, very diverse.

What I did not gain is beauty, (I did gain lots of pounds instead), nor skills to dance and sing. I studied writing and begun also writing blog notes, day by day, ups and downs of my life.

I have never dreamed, that for my 78th birthday, I will be up the stage, Up the Creek, nearby in Greenwich. I have never dreamed that I will begin to make others laugh (you do not have to be beautiful, thin, etc) it is enough to relate your worst or best experiences. It is enough to love audience and interact with them.

I have never dreamed to be on the stage the day of my birthday!

I have been by now from last year in many comedy clubs, but the first I tried to go, did not program me till, this July, and then, they did it for my birthday! Well, weather I will have guests or not, all audience present will become my guests. And as when I was 25, I will announce my age and finish it with "now forget I passed 77, as I want to remain 77 for long time still from now."

Destiny works in mysterious ways.

I don't care!

Speak - Richard Briener from Tumbleweed Entertainment on Vimeo.

Love this short video from the film SPEAK

After Standup in Soho, Storytelling in Soho

The 28, Lions Den and comedy, ten minutes. The 30th June, I told a story  of 10 minuts that begun with Spark London's Canal Café and finished at Lion's Den.

I had in that time 22 laugh from the around 50 audience in Foyles Charing Cross café. Almost as much, as in the standup! Well, in standup, a little more, of course. It was a great audieence and wonderful other 5 interesting stories.