Meetings are the meat and potatoes of the workplace, but without a little salt and pepper — not to mention garlic, parsley and chives — meat and potatoes can be pretty bland fare.
Smart companies and organizations are finding ways to spice up meetings. A little magic, comedy or inspiration can bring a welcome break and fresh ideas to an otherwise business-as-usual agenda.
 Photos by LEITA COWART/Special |
| Debbie Leifer works her magic at a meeting of recruitment staff at the Talent Zoo. The corporate magician says people retain information better when they're laughing. |
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| Jamie Bendall, co-owner of the Punchline comedy club, helps businesses line up comedians to give a little life to meetings. 'Comedy relieves tension and stress and is a way to make an event memorable,' he said. |
Several years ago, Debbie Leifer — a corporate magician, comedian and motivational speaker — was asked to deliver the keynote address for a major trucking corporation.
"There were many changes going on in the industry, and they asked me to help share that information with their people," Leifer said.
A company officer introduced her to the audience as the most upbeat and enthusiastic motivational speaker in the country. He gave her a glowing build-up, ending with the fact that she'd performed on "The Tonight Show." Leifer — who has performed for presidents, celebrities and Fortune 500 companies — came out wearing a business suit and carrying a notebook. She began reading her speech in a very slow and dull monotone.
"A couple of minutes in, the audience began looking at the presenter like he'd really been duped," Leifer said. "But when I read that we were here tonight to talk about change, suddenly there was music and lights. I tore off the suit to reveal a glitzy costume and went into some amazing, mind-boggling magic tricks.
"That's what I love about doing corporate work: I get to stretch as a performer and show people that you can get important information across in a creative, fun and inspiring way."
Leifer began performing magic at children's birthday parties when she was 9. Someone from Exxon spotted her at an event in New York City's Central Park when she was 10 and hired her for an annual event.
"I began doing other meetings and trade shows and have never looked back. Customizing a show to meet a customer's needs allows me a lot of growth as an entertainer," she said. "About five years ago, I realized that some of the things I said while performing magic resonated with people. They were writing it down, so I created more motivational magic shows."
Before she performs at a corporate meeting, Leifer researches the company and then asks about the event's purpose and the audience.
"I find out if there's a theme or slogan and what they are trying to achieve," she said.
Sometimes Leifer incorporates company logos and products into her act. For a copier company, she customized her mind-reading act by asking someone from the audience to name a card. She put a blank piece of paper into the copier and pressed the button. Out came a copy of the named card. "It made the copier magical," she said.
She also tore up a copy of the company's old brochure and then made it whole again — only the restored version was the new brochure that the company wanted to unveil. Copies were promptly handed out to the audience.
Companies often ask Leifer to kick off their meetings in style.
"When an entertainer starts the meeting, it signals the audience: 'Hey, this isn't going to be your average meeting. We're here to have some fun, too, and we [the sponsoring company or organization] appreciate you and want to give you a treat,' " she said.
"I can get them laughing; get them participating, with volunteers from the audience; provide relevant information; promote the meeting agenda; or touch on things that will be covered. It sets the tone."
It also fosters more social interaction. "When a group that doesn't know one another laughs their heads off together, it gives them something in common to talk about the next day," she said.
Leifer also performs mind-reading and tricks after lunch, in trade show booths or during cocktail hour before a dinner. Sometimes, she closes a conference with one of her motivational presentations, which she likens to wrapping up the theme with a bow.
"You can remind people of what they've learned and empower them. I get to make a living by helping people and making them happy — who can be luckier?" she asked.
Putting smiles on people's faces so that they leave a meeting with fond memories makes Leifer and other corporate entertainers or speakers sought-after commodities. Despite an economic slowdown and tighter budgets, business has been booming in the last three years, she said.
She believes that meeting planners are incorporating more outside speakers, multimedia, audience-participation activities and fun interludes into meeting schedules because they work.
With all of the depressing economic news and layoffs, "people are very tense. They come to meetings not knowing what they will hear and waiting for the other shoe to drop," she said. "What we provide is a tension-relieving tool. It's high-energy and upbeat, and people laugh.
"I think it's been medically proven that people remember information better when they're laughing. When you can put together a message with comedy and a lighthearted presentation, people retain it more."
Make 'em laugh
Adding humor is a great way to spice up business meetings, said Jamie Bendall, comedian, lawyer and co-owner (with Chris DePetta) of the Punchline, an Atlanta comedy club established in 1982.
"Laughter is good for the bottom line," Bendall said. "When you laugh with a customer, it's easier to find a way to do business together. It can get people in a receptive mind-set to hear more serious messages later."
He sees executives bring clients to the Punchline for dinner and a show, and he helps corporations find the right comedian to entertain at their meetings.
"Comedy relieves tension and stress and is a way to make an event memorable," Bendall said. "There's a higher level of participation with a comic than a band. If a band performs, some people will dance, but others will just passively listen. When you're listening to a comedian, you're actively engaged, participating and laughing. It keeps everyone focused."
Companies often fear offending someone with inappropriate humor, or they cannot afford a top performer, but Bendall maintains that there are comedians to fit every need and budget.
"There are no limitations. You can do a clean comedy night for a high school booster club or raise the energy at monthly staff meeting," he said. "Comedy is a great way to help people relate and find connections.
"It's fun to laugh when things are going great, and you need it when things are bad."
Good corporate comedians understand the audience and aim to make the people who hired them look good.
"That person went out on a limb to say, 'Let's hire a comic,' and you can make him look like a rock star," Bendall said.
Engaging the audience — including spouses, who may be there only to support their partners — reducing stress and keeping people focused a comedy performance can add value to a meeting, Bendall said.
So can a motivational speaker.
Get motivational!
A productivity specialist and owner of Atlanta-based O'Malley Associates, Gary O'Malley has trained people at more than 800 major corporations and organizations through workshops and motivational speeches for 35 years.
"It can be a huge benefit to a company to bring in an outside specialist who can create an environment where learning can take place in a nonthreatening way," O'Malley said. "It's more than entertainment. I try to bring principles, processes and tools that people can actually apply to their work or lives."
His messages are always tailored to the company's needs, he said, because people can see through a canned presentation. He learns what has been done in the past, so that he can make his presentation fresh and relevant.
"If it's a bad presentation, the meeting dies," O'Malley said. "You can't just preach sermons. You want to have a question or activity that people can participate in, so that they are mentally and/or physically engaged."
He makes his workshops hands-on and his after-dinner speeches light.
"You don't try and teach after dinner," he said. "What you want to do is whet their appetite for what's coming the next day."
He believes that the right motivational speaker can make a meeting a success and be a great investment for a company.
"If I can provide an environment where learning takes place and people have some fun — where people get information and some tools they can use — that's a winning combination," O'Malley said.