Today's guest on the Transformational Pathways Podcast is Matthew Fay, a Paid Search Specialist at Reprise Digital, Standup Comedian, Writer, and Performer at the Peoples Improv Theater, and an all-around great guy. Finding out he was funny at a young age, Matthew shares how he was able to develop the skill of talking in front of an audience and eventually doing comedy professionally. He talks of his growth in producing a deeper yet comedic feel to his content. Matthew discovered Toastmasters as a recommendation by a friend of his and is now part of the Roosevelt line Toastmasters club. He is loving every minute of it, especially the diverse company he shares from all walks of life. The lessons Matthew touches on are both eye-opening and informative to someone who wants to view their life in a much lighter tone. He also talks about his transformational pathway and his life moving forward.
HIGHLIGHTS
02:25 How Matthew started out in the world of comedy
12:58 Books, comedy, and the ability to laugh at one's self
15:37 Highschool humiliation, memes, and being banned from announcements
19:26 How to read the room as a comedian and a Toastmaster
22:51 How and why Matthew ended up with Toastmasters
28:36 Matthew's pathway: A helpful tool as a visual learner
32:58 Icebreaker: "A little alone time isn't so bad"
37:15 Toastmasters and comedy changed Matthew as the world is starting to open up
44:04 The Roosevelt line Toastmasters club vibe that Matthew is in
49:07 How Toastmasters pathway can help someone who wants to learn comedy
54:17 Matthew's favorite comedians and leaders
QUOTES
11:26 "It's important or helpful to come up with something funny to say when that bomb occurs as a way of rescuing the situation."
13:50 "It's all about control in any public speaking situation. The audience is gonna feel more comfortable if they feel like the person talking is in control. And comedy is a way of indicating you're in control by being able to ascertain an emotional response in somebody even when you're screwing up."
21:14 "What's great about Toastmasters is it doesn't just give you skills of how to talk to people, it gives you skills on how to listen to people. So it's a very conversational aspect to it... what people in this room and this group of what they're sensitive about. What might work and what might not."
24:40 "The best stand-ups are the people who don't view it as a performance, they view it basically just like a conversation you would have with anybody."
38:37 "Toastmasters to me has reignited just the love of communication with people. Just talking about anything, just being able to be out with people to talk of the cuff about anything. It not only makes you a stronger speaker as it has for me, but it also just reignited a certain for communication that maybe got lost when we were all inside or maybe never went away but now rediscovering."
47:34 "So just the idea of knowing that, like I can talk to this person and they will feel comfortable talking to me and we can have a free-flowing conversation. Even if either one of us has maybe had a rough day or whatever.”
50:21 "It can be a very uncomfortable, uninviting space for women in general. And also basically any marginalized group, because there are lots of men, shall we say who feel that comedy is still largely about who you can attack and who you can bring down and kind of revel in a certain amount of cruelty in their comedy."
59:20 "Leaders tend to just kind of naturally gravitate to positions of leadership. And part of gravitating to that position is respecting the people around you and making them feel important in a way that if they are asked that question, they will point to you."
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