Page 5 - Voices Oct2014 .pub
P. 5
ren LaCroix—
The Man Behind the Humor
Darren LaCroix has been spending a lot of time lately in District 7. He first visited us
as the opening keynote speaker for the conference last May, and found District 7 to
be a place to regroup and spend time with friends. Since that day, Darren has
participated in club meetings, club officer training, and most recently filmed his
workshop, Humor 101, at New Horizons Toastmasters before a willing audience of 85 members. I asked
Darren if he would answer a few questions so that we could get to know the man behind the humor.
Q: Tell us about Darren. Likes? Dislikes? Favorite founders of the Humor Institute, said, "Darren, stop
places? A: As far as favorite places, I just love
being on the beach near the water. There is going for that. Instead look at the stories you do
something relaxing about it. I love working hard,
and I really enjoy the relaxation. The relaxation have already and make them so good someone
feels better when you take the time to work hard.
Working hard makes the relaxation wants to pay to hear them."
feel better. I also love Los Vegas for
the sun. I never realized how That was a different perspective, and I knew that I
beautiful the desert was until I moved
there 7 years ago. I really enjoy wasn't taking the time to work on my craft. When I
driving with the top down. Red Rock
Canyon—it’s a beautiful and vibrant saw the speech contest come around again,
national park. Red rocks touching the
aqua blue sky, amazingly beautiful. I went for it. I said "here's my opportunity.
Q: You wear the mantel of 2001 World
Champion of Public Speaking. For people who The Competition will force me to work
may want to follow in your footsteps, what
advice would you give them? A: In all honesty, I harder on the stories I was already telling."
didn't join the competition to win. Back in 2001, I
was still living back home with my parents. I was For example, at that time I had a self-
working very hard to become a professional
speaker. I was spending every waking moment published book called Laugh and Get Rich.
working my part-time job to pay my bills while I
was marketing myself every waking hour I was not That was what my whole career was based
at my day job and speaking as often as I could. My
mentors noticed that I was grasping for that funny on - was that one keynote speech , the use
bit that would make my career, or that story that
would launch my career everybody knew me for. It of humor in business. For the contest, I
was almost like I was Gollum from Lord of the
Rings, who said "PRESCIOUSSSSS, PRECIOUSSSSS”. excerpted a story from my keynote speech about
I was grasping for that, almost lusting after it.
Dave Fitzgerald , my mentor and one of the my first time on stage at the comedy club Stitches.
I gave it an opening and close
to fit into the Toastmasters “I coach a few
format. I worked on it, worked people, but I try
on it worked on it, worked on to coach people
it. My whole goal was to make not to win the
the story better to put it back
into my keynote speech, thus contest. “
increasing the value of the
whole keynote speech. Craig Valentine, the 1999
World Champion, says it best, "If you want to
master the piece, you have to master the pieces."
That's exactly why I joined the contest.
I think some people join the contest for the wrong
reasons. Now it's great to become, or want to
become, something like the World Champion of
(Continued on page 24)
5
The Man Behind the Humor
Darren LaCroix has been spending a lot of time lately in District 7. He first visited us
as the opening keynote speaker for the conference last May, and found District 7 to
be a place to regroup and spend time with friends. Since that day, Darren has
participated in club meetings, club officer training, and most recently filmed his
workshop, Humor 101, at New Horizons Toastmasters before a willing audience of 85 members. I asked
Darren if he would answer a few questions so that we could get to know the man behind the humor.
Q: Tell us about Darren. Likes? Dislikes? Favorite founders of the Humor Institute, said, "Darren, stop
places? A: As far as favorite places, I just love
being on the beach near the water. There is going for that. Instead look at the stories you do
something relaxing about it. I love working hard,
and I really enjoy the relaxation. The relaxation have already and make them so good someone
feels better when you take the time to work hard.
Working hard makes the relaxation wants to pay to hear them."
feel better. I also love Los Vegas for
the sun. I never realized how That was a different perspective, and I knew that I
beautiful the desert was until I moved
there 7 years ago. I really enjoy wasn't taking the time to work on my craft. When I
driving with the top down. Red Rock
Canyon—it’s a beautiful and vibrant saw the speech contest come around again,
national park. Red rocks touching the
aqua blue sky, amazingly beautiful. I went for it. I said "here's my opportunity.
Q: You wear the mantel of 2001 World
Champion of Public Speaking. For people who The Competition will force me to work
may want to follow in your footsteps, what
advice would you give them? A: In all honesty, I harder on the stories I was already telling."
didn't join the competition to win. Back in 2001, I
was still living back home with my parents. I was For example, at that time I had a self-
working very hard to become a professional
speaker. I was spending every waking moment published book called Laugh and Get Rich.
working my part-time job to pay my bills while I
was marketing myself every waking hour I was not That was what my whole career was based
at my day job and speaking as often as I could. My
mentors noticed that I was grasping for that funny on - was that one keynote speech , the use
bit that would make my career, or that story that
would launch my career everybody knew me for. It of humor in business. For the contest, I
was almost like I was Gollum from Lord of the
Rings, who said "PRESCIOUSSSSS, PRECIOUSSSSS”. excerpted a story from my keynote speech about
I was grasping for that, almost lusting after it.
Dave Fitzgerald , my mentor and one of the my first time on stage at the comedy club Stitches.
I gave it an opening and close
to fit into the Toastmasters “I coach a few
format. I worked on it, worked people, but I try
on it worked on it, worked on to coach people
it. My whole goal was to make not to win the
the story better to put it back
into my keynote speech, thus contest. “
increasing the value of the
whole keynote speech. Craig Valentine, the 1999
World Champion, says it best, "If you want to
master the piece, you have to master the pieces."
That's exactly why I joined the contest.
I think some people join the contest for the wrong
reasons. Now it's great to become, or want to
become, something like the World Champion of
(Continued on page 24)
5
