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.