What I Believe

I believe the More Specific the Humor, the More Terrific the Humor. That’s why every program I present is highly, highly customized to your audience.

I believe that you should be able to record video of my presentation and enjoy it, share it, post it, and use it almost any other way, short of selling it.

I believe that if I’m flying to your event, my plan should always be to arrive the day before I am speaking, whenever possible.

I believe that nobody wants to see lots of data on PowerPoint slides. That’s why the only slides I show are for entertainment purposes. (Which just happen to turn into teaching points afterwards. Ta da!)

I believe that children are our future. Teach them well and let them lead the way.

I believe I committed plagiarism with that last statement and I apologize.

I believe that everything I say on stage should be completely original. Parody is fine, plagiarism is not.

I believe your investment in a speaker should be inclusive of all travel costs, so you can budget accurately and have no surprises after the event.

I believe, however, if your organization prefers not to do an inclusive fee – but wants to invoice for exact travel costs – that I will never charge for meals. I have to eat anyway – why should you have to pay for that?

I believe my presentation for your audience is the most important thing I will do that day. I will not allow any distractions or diversions to take away my focus for the job you have entrusted me to do.

I believe that I should begin my set-up and sound check no less than one hour before the doors open for audience members to enter. (And earlier than that, if your logistics allow.)

I believe that speakers who run into the venue two minutes before their program is about to begin – fumbling for their thumb drive while doing so – should not be permitted to call themselves a speaker.

I believe that the last statement was snarky and I apologize.

I believe that doesn’t mean I can’t think it anyway.

I believe that speakers should be forbidden from saying, “Now turn to your neighbor and tell them they’re awesome!”  Or “Turn  to your neighbor and rub their shoulders.”  Or hug them.  Or anything else that absolutely nobody wants to do to the random audience member sitting next to them.

I believe that the last statement was also snarky.  Again, I apologize.  And, again, I still believe it to be true.

I believe that healthcare professionals should laugh more often during the day.

I believe that everyone should laugh more often during the day.

I believe that your audience deserves an experience that is unlike anything they’ve experienced before. Something that they haven’t seen at another event. Something that they haven’t seen on the internet. Something that will be both relevant and entertaining for today’s been-there, done-that, seen-that, clicked-that, shared-that, posted-that audience.