The Leading Edge: The Risk of Being Funny
By Sonya Etchemendy, certified John Maxwell Team coach, speaker & trainer
Do you think you are funny? There was a time that I thought I was until my sense of humor was put to the test in front of 500 people!
Early in my career, I was blessed with many different opportunities and I’d jump in to do them all! One year while working in Boston, I was asked to be the Director of the Combined Federal Campaign for New England. I had every resource available to set me up for success and I even got to hire a special staff. One would think I was fully equipped to do everything necessary to build a strong campaign. What I didn’t know is how much public speaking I would have to do. At the time, public speaking seemed to be a piece of cake. Everyone I had heard speak made it look so easy. I thought, yes, I could do that! One of my tasks was to visit agency heads and give a presentation about the campaign. How hard could that be? I knew the campaign like the back of my hand, and I was funny! So, people would love me!
My first speaking engagement was with the Boston Postmaster and 500 of his employees. At the time, everyone was aware of several postal workers who had recently murdered co-workers. So, I decided to lighten up the group and open my speech with a joke. I said, “Thank you for having me here today but I’m not sure how I feel being in a room with 500 postal workers! No one is ‘going postal’ today, right?” No one laughed. No one smiled. The Postmaster quickly came up to me and whispered in my ear, “We don’t joke about that.” I don’t remember what I said after that. I just wanted to crawl under the podium.
After my speech, the Postmaster presented me with a gift. It was a beautifully framed stamp with its printing plates attached. The stamp was no longer in circulation and the plates were being officially retired and given to me. When the Postmaster handed the gift to me, I could feel him tug a on it a bit as if to say, “I really don’t want to give this to you.” But, he did. Today it’s hanging on the wall in my home office and every time I look at it all I think about is that bad joke.
I knew I’d be giving many more speeches for the campaign and the last would be held at the Kennedy Center in Boston for all the agency heads and their staff. I needed help! Once I had some “tools” in my speaking toolkit, I was in a much better position to add value to the audience. By the time I was to speak at the Kennedy Center, I was ready! It was all about the audience that day, not about me or my sense of humor. When I finished, they wanted more! I had succeeded! One would think that’s the end of this story, but it’s not.
After that speech, I returned to my regular job and stayed on a “high” from the Kennedy Center event for many years. When I retired, I searched for a new path in life and I found the John Maxwell Team. I joined the Speaker Lane and discovered I had lost most, if not all, of the speaking skills I had developed years ago. I’m 66 years old and I’m learning how to speak publicly all over again. As I’ve aged, I’ve noticed the younger generations are different from my generation in so many ways. But, everyone still wants to be taken on a journey when listening to a speaker and those speaking skills must be used often. In order to do so, my growth must be continuous. Trust me, you never want someone to step up to the podium and whisper in your ear, “We don’t joke about that.”
About Sonya:
Sonya earned a Master’s Degree in Business Administration, but her greatest knowledge came from the experience she gained from her first job all the way through today! She started out as many do, from the ground floor, and worked her way up to managing a government contracting office. After 30 years with the Federal Government, she retired only to live out her dream when she opened her own brick and mortar business. She was a court mediator and taught both college level students and younger students at a Performing Arts Academy. She’s spoken publicly to small businesses and Government Agencies, and even taught in two different school districts. Now Sonya is living out her dream and her purpose to simply help others!