Tom Antion: Old Humor Is Good Humor

Humor is only old if your audience has heard it before and if they remember it.
Most people don't remember the exact details of jokes, one-liners, and stories.
This is not contradictory to the fact that one of the uses of humor is to make
your points more memorable.

One of the reasons people don't remember jokes and other pieces of humor
is that the humor is usually heard out of context. The humor was not used in
conjunction with a point which is the way you should use it in a professional
presentation. The humor was used for entertainment value only and was enjoyed
and quickly forgotten.

When you bring back some of this old humor, you will be tying it to your
point which makes it acceptable to use in the first place. In the second place,
even if some audience members recognize the humor, they probably don't
remember the punch line. If you tell it well, even these people will enjoy hearing
it again.

The technique to tell a very old joke or story is to tell the audience it is old.
This is the one time when you should tell the audience you have a joke or story
coming. If you don't tell them that you know it is old, they will likely think you
are out of touch. If you tell them you are going to tell an old story or joke, you
are telling them you know it's old, but it makes the point so well that you think
it is worth telling again.

As we saw in the last section, you will come across jokes and stories that can
be updated. Some can be updated as easily as adding a current name. Here's an
old politician joke:

Joe the politician said he was so surprised about his nomination
that his acceptance speech fell out of his pocket.

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Public Speaking Tips: International Speaking

To a Russian, joviality and cheerfulness may be interpreted as light-mindedness and might even be seen as impolite. After a meeting, however, joviality and relaxed interaction go a long way toward developing trust.

Never refer to a Russian as "Comrade."

Do not call Mexicans by their first name until invited to do so.

Mexicans hold a handshake, squeeze of the arm, or a hug longer than people from the United States and Canada do.

Do not give a knife or a letter opener as a gift. This symbolizes the severing of friendship.

In Canada, do not take sides in debates about contentious national issues such as the place of English and French languages in Canadian society.

If going to Quebec, have business cards printed on one side in English and the other side in French.

Realize that Canadians get down to business quickly. Meetings are well organized and extraneous discussion is kept to a minimum.

Charles Bonner Testimonial for the Great Internet Marketing Training Center

Charles Bonner describes what his visit to Tom Antion's Great Internet Marketing Training Center was like.

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Tom Antion: At The Rockstar Event

Join me this weekend for this awesome seminar with Craig Duswalt. Check out this video and all of the fun we have at this event!

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Stage fright Is Good and Makes You Better Looking Too!

Before you learn how to deliver your lines, it is important to be ready to deliver your lines. Stage fright is a phenomenon that you must learn to control. Actually, stage fright isn't the most accurate term for the nervousness that occurs when considering a speaking engagement. In fact, most of the fear occurs before you step on-stage. Once you're up there, it usually goes away. Try to think of stage fright in a positive way. Fear is your friend. It makes your reflexes sharper. It heightens your energy, adds a sparkle to your eye, and color to your cheeks. When you are nervous about speaking you are more conscious of your posture and breathing. With all those good side effects you will actually look healthier and more physically attractive.

Many of the top performers in the world get stage fright so you are in good company. Stage fright may come and go or diminish, but it usually does not vanish permanently. You must concentrate on getting the feeling out in the open, into perspective and under control.

Ilse Wolf talks about her visit to the Great Internet Marketing Training Center

Ilse Wolf visited Tom Antion at the Great Internet Marketing Training Center and here is what she had to say about it.

Scott Haskins talks about Tom Antion's Great Internet Marketing Retreat

Scott Haskins went to the Great Internet Marketing Training Center this weekend. Here is what he had to say about his visit.

Marc takes you on a tour of the Internet Marketing Training Center

http://www.IMTCVA.org
Marc, the video guy, takes you on a tour of the Internet Marketing Training Center.

Josh Ray talks about his visit to the Great Internet Marketing Training Center

Josh Ray came to Tom Antion's Great Internet Marketing Training Center. Here he talks about his stay this weekend.

Jay Shetlin describes his experience at the Great Internet Marketing Training Center

Jay Shetlin went to Tom Antion's Great Internet Marketing Training Center for the weekend retreat and here is what he had to say about his visit.