We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Joel Zeff a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Joel, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

In the mid Nineties, I worked for an advertising agency. I also performed with an improvisational comedy troupe on the weekends. One of my clients, Texas Instruments, asked me to speak and perform at an executive retreat. With no hesitation, I agreed. I asked another performer to join me. We didn’t have a plan. There was no message. We just played improvisation games with the audience members and had fun. The attendees loved the interactive and engaging performance. The light bulb started flashing, and I knew I could offer the same experience to other clients.

I didn’t think speaking was going to be my business. I just thought speaking was something else I could offer my clients. Like anything, you do a great job, people will pass around your name.

I loved speaking. I loved sharing my passion for improvisation and what lessons the art form taught me. I also realized audiences were thirsty for something fresh. They wanted to laugh. They wanted a unique perspective. They wanted to be engaged. Back when I started, many of my clients didn’t even know about improvisation. I had to explain the concept. Today improvisation is everywhere.

There are many great speakers with a great message. There are fewer with a great message and are funny. There are even fewer that have a great message, are funny and are interactive with the audience. I filled that niche.

I love every moment as a keynote speaker and emcee. Everyone needs to laugh. And most people don’t have the opportunity to just play. My presentations create that opportunity. Every client tells me their people are stressed or had a tough year or quarter. They always say everyone is working hard. I come in and make them laugh and let them embrace the silliness. I can’t believe I get paid for this.

Joel, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Everyone loves an origin story. Here is mine. Allstate Insurance asked me to speak at an event. I decided to have a production company record my presentation and create a demo tape. This was 1997. I had presented at various events, but I never focused on speaking as a large part of my business. I wanted to create a demo tape, send it out, and see what happens. I thought speaking could be another service that I offered my clients. Again, I didn’t really have a plan other than, “hey, I think I will make a demo tape from this event.” This is a common theme in my career.

As soon as I started sending those VHS demo tapes out, my speaking business quickly grew. I still didn’t know what I was doing. The answer was usually, “Yes! I can do that.” I remember once standing outside a ballroom about to go on stage and calling other performer friends and asking about various improvisation games I could use in my presentation.

I constantly tried new games and exercises. I would change how I executed the games. My messages evolved. I have never written down my presentation. I want each keynote to be organic. The audience wants to be surprised. They want a presentation that is unique to them.

I turned around one day, and my entire business was keynote speaking and emcee work. I always tell people the speaking business chose me. I didn’t even know it was a business.

When I started as a keynote speaker, I really didn’t know much about the business. I didn’t even know speaking was a business. I just followed my passion and what I loved to do. Sometimes people wait until they are ready. You will never be ready. You just have to try. If you fail, you stay in the game. I am sure I didn’t do everything right. I just worked on my business every day.

I always say, “figure out what you would do for free.” I love making people laugh, creating energy, bringing people together, and telling people what I think. When I started speaking, I often spoke for free or I would get a clock, Chili’s gift card and a t-shirt. And I was thrilled. If you love what you do, you don’t watch the clock. You aren’t worried about mistakes and failures. You are focused and passionate, and that overcomes all challenges.

I don’t have a job. I have passion. I am fortunate that I figured out to make a living by having a passion. I encourage others to do the same. Just ask the question: What job would I do if I didn’t care whether I got paid? Now you have a road map. Take the first step. If you fail, try something else. Nobody is keeping score.

I have brought energy, fun, laughter, and the messages of improvisation to more than 2,500 audiences in the past 25 years. I have spoken to an audience of 8 people and to one of 6,000. I have met so many incredible people who have inspired me. My clients have become friends. Every audience member who has applauded, laughed, or said a kind word after my presentation has fueled my passion. They have given me life.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I started my career as a newspaper journalist. My first job out of school was for the Saginaw News in Saginaw, Michigan. I covered the police beat: crime, fire, murder, death, accidents, and destruction. The Dallas Times Herald recruited me to come work for their newspaper in 1991. I moved to Dallas, and 6 months later the other paper in town bought out the Herald and closed it down. It is just a coincidence the paper closed six months after I arrived, and I promise it wasn’t my fault.

Side note: I always say the day I lost my job at the newspaper was one of the best days of my life. That day started me on the path I am on today. I tell a story sometimes in my keynote about the day I lost my job and a magic harmonica. When I left my one-bedroom apartment with little furniture to clean out my desk on the last day of the newspaper, I grabbed my magic harmonica. I arrived at the newspaper, and everyone had a range of emotions: sadness, anger, confusion, defeat. To me, it felt like a weight had lifted off my shoulders. I saw this day as opportunity and a new beginning. For some reason, I found myself on the back loading dock where the media covering the paper’s demise had assembled. I took out my magic harmonica and started poorly playing a blues note. The lyrics went something like this: “I lost my job. I got no money …” Well, I ended up on two local television newscasts, my photo in the Fort Worth Star Telegram and the story of me playing the harmonica was picked up nationally. True story. I chose my attitude. I chose how I reacted to change and disruption.

That magic harmonica (which I still have) taught me to embrace change and disruption. It taught me that fun and whimsy are part of my life. It taught me to stay in the game and create opportunity. Soon after the Herald closed, I started doing stand up and improvisational comedy. I joined a comedy troupe. That led me to speaking, which led me to this interview. All because of a magic harmonica.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

I can talk all day about teamwork and leadership. Improvisation taught me that you have to ask one question: “How do I help the other people around me be successful?” In improvisation, there is no script, no plan, and no rehearsal. We rely on our team for success. Ask the question. Answer the question. Most importantly, ACT on the answer. Great leadership is helping people around you be successful. You know what your team and partners need. Great leaders act on that information. If the team is successful, leadership will be successful.

You have to give people opportunity. When I have volunteers on stage, I give them the opportunity to be creative, take responsibility, be accountable, and produce. They never let me down. What opportunity do you want that will fulfill you? You will be surprised twice: once by the answer and once when you tell your manager. A great leader will want to give you that opportunity because everyone wants a passionate, motivated team member that will help the organization reach their goals. And if leadership doesn’t give you that opportunity, then that is a big clue that you are in the wrong place.

We all want the same thing: opportunity and positive support. Unfortunately, those are the two things we don’t receive enough of each day.

Each day, as you go home from work, think about each person you connected with that day. Did you give people the positive support and appreciation they deserve? If not, tomorrow send out a thank you. Tell them they are appreciated. Send a note. Give them a call. Just reach out and say, “thank you” There is no expiration date on a thank you. It doesn’t matter if it is late.

Now, match that positive support with opportunity. What does your team need to be rewarded and fulfilled? You are going to be surprised twice. Once by their answer. Then you will be surprised how easy it is to give that opportunity. In return, you have a passionate, energized team member that is going to help you reach your goals.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.joelzeff.com
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/thejoelzeff
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joelzeff
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/joelzeffcreative
• Other:
  https://vimeo.com/joelzeff
  https://www.espeakers.com/marketplace/profile/15037?btsc=1
  https://www.amazon.com/Make-Right-Choice-Innovative-Productive/dp/0470099291/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3IXW70CKVSKA2&keywords=joel+zeff&qid=1652280963&sprefix=joel+zeff%2Caps%2C82&sr=8-1