Why I Use Humor to Help Connect Audiences With Ideas
By Motivational Keynote Speaker Connie Podesta
Anyone who’s ever been in one of my audiences or heard me keynote an event knows that I’m kind of a no-nonsense kind of speaker. I cut to the chase. I leave the ‘rah-rah’ stuff to someone else. In 
today’s world, people need serious strategies, solutions they can count on, skills that are scalable – and humor. Lots of humor. Why? Because we learn better when we relax a little. We listen in when we’re not completely bombarded with some of the overwhelming tasks before us. We engage more with one another when we’re all laughing. And well, because humor is an amazing way to break down barriers and lift our spirits. And those are exactly the kinds of things I want to help my audiences do.
Let’s not confuse humor with ‘fluff stuff’ however. When I come out on stage for a sales conference, corporate retreat or when I’m working with a leadership team hands-on – there’s no fluff. There’s real-world, take-you-to-the-next-level strategies, mindsets and ah-ha moments. We just don’t learn them in a somber, sit-up-straight, 500-slide format. We learn by engaging. Laughing. Connecting. Asking questions. Raising our hands. Seeing ourselves in the topic. Getting excited when we hear a solution that is so totally us we want to jump up and say, “Hey – that’s me!”
That’s why I use humor. For moments just like that. And because, hey – I like to laugh as much as the next person. It’s a serious world we live in to be sure. But we can lighten our own loads, and help lighten the times when we change our perspectives and put the right processes in place. I do it because I get people and what they need to lead better lives, raise happier families, and find that ever-elusive thing called balance.
If you’ve every laughed and learned with me, I wanted to take a minute to just say a quick thank you. I’m a lucky lady to do what I do – and to bring smiles to so many faces through my talks all over this incredible planet. The humor I share – and the stories you all share right back fuel me to keep bringing those messages to even more audiences.
So today – laugh a little. Let off some steam. Learn something new. I’d love to hear about it! Come visit me on my Facebook page and tell me how it went!
