“You must connect before you can inspire, train, or entertain.”
– Darren LaCroix
Connect Quickly with High-Stakes Audiences
Comedy Secrets for Professional Speakers & Trainers
November 6-7, 2026
Want attendees to say this about your presentation? Watch this 3 minute video:
Connect Quickly with High-Stakes Audiences
Comedy Secrets for Professional Speakers & Trainers
- Date: November 6-7, 2026
- Time: 9:00 AM – 3:30 PM PST
- Where: Online
- Faculty: Chris McGuire & Darren LaCroix
Watch this short 3-minute video
Whether you are a 5-Figure Keynoter or an emerging pro, this workshop is designed to be a game changer for you.
“They’ll think you wrote the whole speech just for them.”
You know your content, it works. You are consistently delivering a great keynote.
The Problem
However, you know from experience, your effectiveness varies from audience to audience. It’s not your content, it’s your connection.
Every audience is different.
They have different backgrounds, perspectives and frustrations. Every event is different. Every venue is different. It is our job to connect our content to their world.
It Gets Worse! Did you ever consider this…?
Think about it. Your trajectory is set from the beginning. You know from experience that once you get that first laugh and you see the first aha in someone’s eyes, you know you’ve got this. It is going to be a blast. But, if you don’t get it early on, you know it’s going to be a slog. You’ll earn your keynote fee, but it will feel like work.
It’s not just about that presentation. If you don’t connect quickly, it directly impacts your ability to get referrals, re-bookings, sell books and gain followers. If you are filming it to update your demo video… well, that investment isn’t going to pay off either.
Early Bird Special Ends Oct 29th @11pm (pacific)
2026/10/29 23:00:00
What Can You Do? The Solution:
Want to captivate your audience in the first minute? Connect quickly with humor that hits close to home!
Whenever you step on stage, you have a golden opportunity to instantly connect with your audience. The secret? A simple yet powerful strategy: Talk about where you are and do it with humor.
I didn’t invent the principle, Hollywood has been using it for decades:
“If you entertain them with laughter, then you have them at a point where they might sit still for a message.”
Frank Capra, Hollywood Director
It works.
Nail your opening. Connect quickly and deeply with high-stakes audience.
We have perfected the process for professional speakers and trainers to quickly connect with your audience.
Ever notice how quickly great comedians connect with their audiences right away? What do they do, and how do they do it? Join us and find out from two speaking and humor pros.
The secret is to connect with what you have in common to that audience on that day. We connect on commonalities and funny observations of the things around them.
You can easily stand out from all of the other speakers at the conference and quickly connect using the right process and tools.
Everyone at your event has one thing in common:
They are all at the same event. And if it’s an in-person event…
- You are all in the same country
- You are all experiencing the same climate
- You are all in the same region or state
- You are all in the same venue
- And you are all in the same room
There are so many opportunities to connect if you know where to look.
You’ll walk away from this unique workshop with a process of finding and tapping into the humor in 5 Gold Mines:
- Your Audience’s Industry
- The City Where The Event Is
- The Venue You Are Speaking In
- The Conference Schedule
- The Travel Hubs You All Came Through
- Bonus: (If international) The Country Where the Event is Happening.
You’ll never look at your opening and venues the same way again, Darrenteed.
We’ll show you how to find the nuggets of observational humor and polish them into gems. You’ll discover what comedians look for… and then, more importantly, how they turn those observations into funny material.
Here is the coolest part: You don’t have the pressure a comedian has to be funny. The audience doesn’t expect you to be hilarious. Since you are being compared to other speakers, any humor you bring creates a cherished connection. Once you connect, you are golden!
In this one-of-a-kind workshop,
You will discover:
- The essentials of joke writing
- The power of observational comedy
- And how to activate your “humor detector” to open your presentations with hilarious content, hitting all the things EVERYONE ELSE AT THE EVENT IS NOTICING.
You will walk away with the ability to dig deep into each of your events for humor through three POWERFUL CASE STUDIES we will share with you.
- An event in an iconic US city
- An international event
- And an event in the middle of nowhere. (We all get those gigs, too.)
Don’t miss out!
Join us for this transformative workshop and take your keynote skills to the next level.
Bonus: Before Rapport?
What if you could create a buzz about your keynote speech before you even get to the event? How? You’ll find out that it’s all in the pre-interview. For over two decades, Darren has been interviewing event planners and the key people who will be attendees. Rarely do speakers interview people ahead of time. These brief interviews, using key questions, will help you find the golden event stories that can be plugged into your speech.
It will look to the audience like you wrote the whole speech just for them.
The cool part is when you speak to influencers in the industry, they will spread the word to their colleagues about you, helping to create a connection and have friendly faces in the audience rooting for you.
You’ll get Darren’s questions, examples and strategy which can quickly adapted for your topic. It’s another vein of gold for you.
WHY US?
Chris McGuire: Executive Producer, Showrunner & Head Writer for Late Night TV
During 25 years in late-night comedy and specials like the Comedy Central Roasts, Chris has produced and written for some of the biggest presenters in television, including George Lopez, Arsenio Hall, Martha Stewart, Snoop Dogg, and Kevin Hart. As a coach, he’s helped keynote speakers and corporate presenters be funnier and more engaging, and he’ll be revealing those comedy systems to you.
Working with Chris: When Darren was facing a crazy schedule and got booked to deliver a keynote in Spain, he did not have the time to do his normal pre-work for the event. It was for CEOs in the Automotive Industry in Spain. That is not his world. He immediately got on the phone and hired Chris to help him connect to that specific audience. Darren still raves about the humor gold Chris found in a tight time frame.
Darren LaCroix, CSP, AS, World Champion Speaker
He has delivered keynote speeches in every state and 47 international cities. He started creating custom humor back in the 1990s. He loves the connection it brings him. When he spoke to the CEOs in Spain, he did over eleven minutes of custom humor before he dove into his content. It was all about them, the city, the venue, and the industry.
What's the Investment?
Well, what is your reputation worth? What is the value of connecting so deeply you get re-booked? How about a great funny line for your demo reel?
Every time you are in front of an audience, your impact is multiplied. What would more laughs every time you present for the rest of your career be worth to you?
Time is money. Darren invested six years of his life learning it the hard way. He took six years of classes, bombing at countless comedy clubs, and frustrating trial-and-error to go from zero stage presence to winning the World Championship of Public Speaking with a very funny speech. (Some say one of the funniest in the history of the contest while also making a point!)
You have three choices:
- Keep doing it the way you have been.
- Invest $3,500 in a personal coach/comedy writer.
- Get all Darren condensed the best of what he learned in over two decades into this 2-day transformational experience.
Want more? Be a VIP
There are only 3 VIP Spots. We will take one of your keynotes and walk you through this process so you leave with the tools you need to crush your next event. Chris, Darren and the whole class will be working for you. Value? Priceless.
100% Risk-Free Darrentee
Your success in attending the Workshop is completely guaranteed. In fact, here’s our Stage Time University 100% Better-Than-Risk-Free Guarantee:
We personally guarantee that you will be thrilled with the results this program will bring you as long as you use the tools. The tools have been proven to work over and over again.
If, after the first day, you honestly believe you have not received the tools that empower you to own the stage, let us know, and we’ll issue you a prompt and courteous refund.
Plus, you can still keep your access to the video recordings of the event. Fair enough?
So, there’s no risk – just reward. Are you ready to start leaving more of a lasting impact and owning the stage? Ready to start spreading your message and brand around the globe? We look forward to being in your audience one day, and we’re hoping you will use these formulas to sell us on leaning in and listening to you.
Early Bird Special Ends Oct 29th @11pm (pacific)
2026/10/29 23:00:00
Save Your Seat Now and Get Your FREE Bonus ($497 Value)
You are not coming to attend a three-day workshop, you are coming to transform the way you present for the rest of your career! Research shows that within one hour of leaving an event, people will have forgotten approximately 50% of the information that was presented to them. Within 24 hours, they will have forgotten nearly 70% of new information and within one week, it increases to 90%. This is why we give you one full year to review the recordings as often as you’d like. Be a sponge. When you rewatch the event with your notes you’ll get even more insight every time through! So, as a free bonus, you’ll get the full event recordings to review.
SAVE MY VIP SEAT
Watch video for more details
WATCH THIS VIDEO
$2497
$1997
3 SEATS LEFT
UNTIL OCT 29TH
SAVE VIRTUAL SEAT
Watch video for more details
WATCH THIS VIDEO
$1497
$1197
UNTIL OCT 29TH
Event Refund & Cancellation Policy
Refunds for cancellation will be made on the following basis: A full refund, less a $50 processing fee, will be granted if requested 31 days prior to live event. If cancelling within 30 days of live event, registration credit will be given towards any future Stage Time University Live Event. Credits on LIVE events expire after 1 year of cancellation. Cancellations must be made via email to support@stagetimeuniversity.com. No refunds or credits will be granted for no-shows. Because of travel and other expenses, we reserve the right to cancel or reschedule any live event that does not have a minimum of 10 participants. This SELDOM happens, but if it does, registrants will be notified immediately, and rescheduled, refunded, or given credit for a future event for the amount originally paid for this event. Registration for any event sponsored by Stage Time University constitutes your acceptance of this Event Refund & Cancellation Policy.
