Laugh Lab 2013
How to be Funnier...even if you're not that funny now
January 3-5, 2013
Las Vegas Marriott
SOLD OUT!
Whatever You Do…Stay Far, Far Away
…IF you're a (too) serious speaker and don't believe that humor reveals truth, increases engagement and helps put money in your pocket.
Seriously, you should consider…NOT coming to the Laugh Lab. Really. Because this is NOT a Sell-Skeptics-on-the-Value-of-Humor-Lab. Zero time will be spent on that.
But if you’re a serious content speaker who already knows what being funnier could mean for your audiences…then this Lab’s for you.
Scads of time WILL be spent showing you exactly how to be funnier (even if you’re not that funny now).
Bring Your Lab Coat.
- The Laugh Lab is a true experimental environment.
- Conduct “tests” on your own speech material using the techniques you discover.
- Lab Partners (NSA Humorists) will guide your small group experiments.
Funny Focuses
You will experience multiple specialty humor approaches:
- Onscreen Humor (yeah, funny PowerPoint)
- Funny Phrasing
- Story Humor
- Funny Physicality
- Funny Audience Interaction
This knee-slapping event is brought to you by:
Head Mad Scientist: Brian Walter, CSP
Lab Partners: Judy Carter, Bill Stainton, Brad Montgomery, CSP, Eric Culverson and Kelly Swanson
You Can't All Come.
It won't be funny if you miss this Laugh Lab.
You can be funnier (even if you're not that funny now). We took a scientific poll and, um, 86.2% of your 2013 audiences really want you to attend this lab.
As part of your registration, you will receive a complimentary MP3 titled, “We Can Make a Funnier You!” featuring hilarious, seasoned veterans of the stage, Tim Gard, CSP, CPAE, Mark Mayfield, CSP, CPAE and George Campbell, CSP, CPAE, provided by SpeakerNet News.
Laugh Lab Schedule
Thursday, January 3rd
4:00 - 5:00 pm
NSA Registration Desk Open
5:00 – 5:05 pm
Welcome & Overview of Lab, Clown Nose Toss
Brian Walter and Lab Partners Panel
5:05 – 5:20 pm
Click for Laughs: Onscreen Client Humor that Kills
Brian Walter, CSP
If you’re not that funny, or you’re not confident about being funny…let your slides “kill” for you. Experience two proven slide-based humor formats that you can immediately use to customize with your content and clients.
5:20 – 5:35 pm
PhotoLaughs: How to use photos of you, your passions and your family/pets/hobbies to get big laughs
Brad Montgomery, CSP
Brad will teach a specific way to use YOUR personal photos in a way that is fun, funny, charming, and useful. (It’s all about connection.) He’ll tip the details of the how’s and the whys, as he helps you avoid pitfalls with this super simple technique.
5:35 – 5:50 pm
Lab Experiment (Volunteer/Lab Rat humorously experimented with)
Lab Partners Panel
An attendee will be randomly selected to come up onstage and immediately deliver about a short excerpt from their speech (that they would LIKE to be funnier…or perhaps funny at all). The diverse Lab Partners panelists will weigh in with lines, visual gags, blocking, or other techniques to humorously enhance that very excerpt from their expertise and perspectives.
5:50 – 6:25 pm
Turning Your Problems into Punch-lines
Judy Carter
Judy demonstrates how to turn our most humiliating experiences into comedy gold and gives an overview of comedy principles that can help anyone, even the humor-impaired, get laughs.
She will cover acting out a story, how to get an audience to react and get laughs as soon as they come onstage, and demonstrate how speakers can see themselves and the world they live in as a standup comic does -- that it’s all material.
6:25 – 6:35 pm
Lab Work assignments
Brian Walter, CSP
6:35-7:30 pm Reception
Friday, January 4th
7:30 am Continental Breakfast
8:30 – 8:35 am
The Prize is Right, CSP
Brian Walter
8:35 – 8:55 am
Lab Work at tables
8:55 – 10:05 am
Comedy Formulas That Always Work, if You Work Them
Judy Carter
Here Judy demonstrates the List of Three technique, showing that when speakers are giving info how to put a comedy spin on the third one.
She will demonstrate that if you want laughs, all you have to do is look in the mirror. Her Half and Half Mash Up formula shows how to give information AND get laughs.
10:05 – 10:20 am
BREAK
10:20 – 10:35 am
Phear of Phailure Philosophy
Brad Montgomery, CSP
You’ll NEVER use as single idea from this Laugh Lab if you don’t get over the (understandable) fear of humor failure. Nothing onstage is worse than doing something funny that...well...isn’t funny. Brad will give specific ideas about how to get over this crucial mental speed bump, and teach an AWESOME and SIMPLE technique that will be like your own personal humor safety net. It’s a technique you can use if you DO fail onstage in order to make sure you don’t actually crash and burn.
10:35 – noon
The Silly, Slapstick, Side-Splitting (or at least Mildly Humorous) Story System, Part I
Bill Stainton
As a speaker, you no doubt understand the impact that a great, funny story can have on your audience. But where exactly do you find these great, funny stories? And, once you've found them, how do you develop them into a tight piece of material that works over and over again?
In this session, you'll learn:
- the Magic Question that will unlock dozens, if not hundreds, of humorous stories from your own life
- what the "Oh crap!" moment is--and why your stories should have one
- the easy, step-by-step system for structuring your story
- how to add exactly as much humor as you want
- how to make one story work in multiple situations (you don't need a new story for every new message!)
- how to end your stories using Stainton's Sneaky Solution (because endings are always the toughest part)
And you'll be learning all of this from a 29-time Emmy Award winner for comedy who's written for HBO, NPR, Comedy Central, and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
Noon – 1:00 pm
Lunch
1:05 – 1:40 pm
The Silly, Slapstick, Side-Splitting (or at least Mildly Humorous) Story System, Part II
Bill Stainton
1:40 – 1:55 pm
Interactive Laughter
Brad Montgomery, CSP
You will discover exactly how to interact with your audiences in a way that will get laughs, create connection and add humor to your program. Brad will teach you how to single out people in your audience in a natural way, and how to lead a discussion with them that will lead to laughs. These techniques area easy, immediate and rewarding.
1:55 – 2:30 pm
Non-Trivial Trivia: How to get laughs with customized game shows
Brian Walter, CSP
2:30 – 2:45 pm
BREAK
2:45 – 3:15 pm
Lab Work at tables
3:15 – 3:30 pm
Pre-Show and Post-Show PowerPoint
Brad Montgomery, CSP
Wouldn’t it be cool if you could get your audience laughing BEFORE you even step on the platform? Or would it be even cooler to garner some laughs AFTER you’ve finished? Brad will share ta super simple technique to use PowerPoint to get your audience to know you, create anticipation about what you’re going to present, and even bust up a bit before you start. And then he’ll show a similar technique to use after you’ve left the platform (yes…using PowerPoint.)
3:30 – 4:45 pm
Pumping Up the Humor In Your Stories
Judy Carter
One of the biggest mistakes speakers make is that they tell a story rather than be the story. In this exceedingly interactive segment, Judy will have Laugh Lab participants tell their stories and then she will make them funnier right on the spot by “acting-out” their situations rather than “telling” them.
4:45 – 5:00 pm
Strip Search Comedy Act Field Trip Details
Friday Night – Dinner with Lab friends, see Comedy Act (take notes)
Saturday, January 5th
7:30 am Continental Breakfast while sharing Comedy Act applications
8:30 – 8:45 am
Lab Reports (speed sharing by selected humorists attending the Lab)
8:45 – 9:30 am
Integrating Observational Humor into Your Presentation
Eric Culverson
A content speaker AND stand-up comic, Eric covers the core of comedy writing and using humor within the context of a broader speech. This will include:
- Defining observational humor
- Taking the time to gather insight, observation
- The value of laughing at yourself
- Constructing a joke (setup, premise, misdirection, punch-line)
- Keeping within your persona and flow
9:30 – 10:15 am
Adding More Character To Your Characters: Starting With Yourself
Kelly Swanson
Every speaker has a cast of characters in their speech - characters that provide never-ending opportunities for humor. And the cool thing is that you don't have to be a standup comedian to create funny characters.
Kelly will take you to Prides Hollow to meet her characters, and show you how they were found, developed, and woven into her programs. She will help you punch up your own characters - starting with yourself.
By attending this session, you will be able to:
1. Define what makes an appealing character.
2. Develop your own cast of characters to fit your branding and
message.
3. Learn how to weave them into your programs.
10:15 – 10:30 am
BREAK
10:30 – 10:45 am
Planted Questions – you betcha
Brad Montgomery, CSP
What? Plant questions in the audience? Yup, you betcha. Brad will teach you the how’s and whys of planting questions to help create flow in your program, assist with transitions/segues, and best of all, earn a laugh from your audience. Looking for something you can incorporate into your very next speech? This is it. It’s easy. It’s risk-free. And it’s something you’ll do. Really.
10:45 – 11:45 am
Passion and Comedy
Judy Carter
There is nothing more boring than a speaker without passion. In this segment, Judy shows how to get audiences rolling on the floor laughing by using attitude words throughout your speech. She will demonstrate the Comparison Formula featured in her book, The Comedy Bible.
11:45 am – 12:00 pm
Lab Experiment (Volunteer/Lab Rat humorously experimented with)
Lab Partners Panel
12:00 – 12:15 pm
Speed Q&A (variety of answer lengths)
Lab Partners Panel
12:15 – 12:30 pm
Big Finishes – Flash Mob
Brian Walter, CSP
Hotel Information
The Las Vegas Marriott provides exceptional accommodations and a great location. Enjoy spacious guest rooms filled with luxurious amenities and only two blocks from the world-famous Las Vegas Strip. With the Las Vegas Monorail station just a short walk away, a wide variety of shopping and entertainment opportunities are close at hand. The Las Vegas Marriott also features a private outdoor pool and whirlpool, and a fitness center with cardio theaters and free weights. From luxurious accommodations, to an ideal location near the Strip, you're going to love staying at this hotel.
The deadline to receive the special NSA rate of $109 a night at the Las Vegas Marriott is Sunday, December 2, 2012 or as long as rooms are available. To secure your reservation, please call toll free 1-800-228-9290 and mention “National Speakers Association” or reserve your room online.
325 Convention Center Dr.
Las Vegas, NV 89109