What Stand-Up Comedy Taught Me

I don’t know what’s on your bucket list, but until recently, I had just two things:

1.?????Sit in the front row of an NBA basketball game.

2.?????Take a stand-up comedy class.

You’ll be pleased to learn that #2 has been officially checked off the list.

After years of – let’s be honest – being too afraid to do it, I finally followed my wife Linda’s encouragement and?signed up for an 8-week class at?ImprovBoston?in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

It was, in a word, terrific.

Every Wednesday, for two hours, a dozen of us got together?and, with the help of an instructor, learned the basics while trying out our material on each other.

At week nine, there was a “showcase night” during which we all performed for an audience of friends, family, and one guy who got the dates mixed up and came to the wrong show.

Having “graduated,” and while I’m a long way from hosting a Netflix special (although I would entertain offers), I have learned a lot.

And not just about stand-up, but about communication in general. All of which relates to the things you do in the name of promoting your professional service business…

#1. Content and delivery are not the same thing.

Our assignment each week was to show up with three minutes of content on a subject of our choosing.

Fine. I can do that. Writing comes naturally to me and I like fooling around with words.

But I found out very quickly that?being a funny writer doesn’t make you a good stand-up comedian.

Sure, you need strong content. But?delivering?it in a way that sounds natural and conversational (even though you’ve rehearsed it 50 times) is a totally different skill. A skill that I don’t yet have.

When it comes to business writing – web sites, reports, newsletters, books, etc. – almost all the attention is given to the meat of the content … not the delivery.

The fact is, most professionals don’t even?consider?“voice” when writing.?They focus entirely on the information value and the way it is organized.

All important, to be sure. But if you want people to find your words interesting and authentic (hint: you do), and if you want them to feel a connection with you beyond just the facts (ditto), you need to think about your delivery.

So try this.?Before you write?anything, answer these two questions:?“Who is doing the talking and how do you want to come across?”

Who??Are you a peer, a guru, an outsider, an industry veteran?

How??Are you warm, serious, supportive, sarcastic?

Information is a Google away. Voice is who you are.

#2. The audience decides what’s funny.

If people laugh at a joke, it works. If they don’t, it doesn’t.

You can defend its funniness all you want, but?the only test that matters is how it plays in the real world.

When it comes to communicating your business focus – answering the question, “What kind of work do you do?” – the same principle applies.

If your response causes boredom, confusion, or your conversation partner pretending to answer a cell phone that isn’t actually ringing, you’ve got work to do.

In all cases,?your goal in explaining your work is understanding (“Got it.”), interest (“Cool, tell me more.”), or, best case, both.

#3. The only way to get better is to practice.

ImprovBoston offers?eight?levels of improv classes. They offer just one in stand-up comedy.

Why? Because, I was told, with stand-up, once you know the fundamentals,?the best and fastest way to improve is to keep performing in front of live audiences.

At its best, stand-up is a conversation, not a lecture. There’s a limit to how much you can learn at home by holding a banana and talking at a mirror (not that I’ve ever done that).

Here as well, there is a lot of similarity with business content.

That course you’ve been polishing for months but have yet to release…

The newsletter you’ve been stockpiling issues for since the Clinton Administration…

The new web site you keep threatening to update as soon as you get the content “just right”…

It’s time to put the banana down and release your content to the world.

I understand, it’s scary to put yourself out there.?The first time I signed up at an open mic night, I sat there waiting my turn, debating whether I should just get up and walk out the door.

But, as with most things (raising children being the exception), the fear is usually worse than the reality.

Here’s the bottom line.

The best thing about my comedy class adventure is that it forced me to be a beginner again, something that doesn’t happen a lot once you hit a certain age.

It also shined (shown?) a bright light on certain communication essentials that are often overlooked.

The most important, I think, is to just get started.

P.S. Let me know if you have a couple of front row NBA tickets you’re trying to give away.

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Discussion Questions:

1. What's on your bucket list?
2. Have you ever talked into a banana? Explain.
3. What's a scary business goal that you intend to tackle this year?

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