So you think that because you speak on a “serious” topic, it’s hard to be funny?  Actually, I’ve found that the drier your topic, the more vital humor is!  I get the fun of speaking about insurance and risk management a lot for a living – yeesh!  You can’t get drier than that.  I’ve found that using a funny story, any funny story, can work into my dry and boring topic and turn it into dynamic and dandy.

Take my story about “Driving Miss Mindy” (see below)  I can use a great deal of that story as an opening for a conversation on safety and risk management.  After a smooth transition (we’ll talk about that later) you might hear me develop the idea of

• mentoring new commercial drivers to reduce accidents;
• mentoring teen drivers to reduce your personal auto rates;
• discuss the importance of making your entire team conscious of safety; or
• the importance of umbrella liability insurance for anyone

I could go and on and on but you will be spared.  I don’t want you to leave just yet!

Bottom line – you can relate any humorous personal story you’ve “uncovered” (see Part 1) and make it a metaphor for your topic or industry.  It can actually be fun.  Try it out and then test it.  You may find a gem.

P.S. Do you want to learn how to really make your story so funny that it will leave your audience laughing in the aisles?  Come to my Storytelling Boot Camp on Saturday, September 13 on Bainbridge Island.  This is a one-day boot camp you won’t want to miss.  Why?  Because you will walk in with a story and walk out with a masterpiece.  Guaranteed!  To take advantage of my Early Bird Special – click here.