Comedian Motivational Speaker
Motivational Speaker and Comedian - 2023/2024
Comedian motivational speaker Michael Wigge serves corporations, associations, and colleges with humorous keynotes on leadership, change management, sales success, and motivation. The German native (Germans can be funny, really!) used to work as an MTV comedy reporter in the early 2000s. He faced comedy challenges when meeting Hollywood celebrities like Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, and Katy Perry. (More here in the video trailer.) Wigge used his comedic talent when he was invited on The Tonight Show and the Today Show, presenting one of his challenge books entitled How to Travel the World for Free.
His other comedic challenges aired in the international media and as books in several countries. They’re titled:
- How to Barter for Paradise (Trade Up Around the World)
- 50 States of Wigge
- Germany by Scooter in 80 Days
- Exploring Europe Blindfolded
The award-winning comedian motivational speaker turns his keynotes partly into stand-up comedy, including many ironic aspects of his German nationality. The comedian/motivational speaker encourages crowds to leave their comfort zones, peak performances, lead with humor, and be self-motivated highly entertainingly. Germans can be fun!
When Wigge met Angeline Jolie as an MTV Europe reporter for a movie premiere in 2004, his challenge of the day was to drag her into a one-minute constant handshake. Check out the result in this video. Angelina called Wigge ‘a strange but fantastic man.’
In 2012, Wigge met Katy Perry on The Tonight Show. They flirted, and Katy Perry called Wigge ‘a cheap date.’
Contact Michael’s office now if you need a fun, motivational speaker/comedian for your next corporate event!
Michael as Comedian Motivational Speaker:
- Background as MTV comedian
- One of the most entertaining speakers in Colorado
- Famous testimonials on Wigge (L.A. Times called him ‘The Ultimate Budget Traveler’)
- Portfolio of six motivational challenge adventures – top entertainment
- T.V. show and media experiences on The Tonight Show, Today Show, and his own PBS travel show in 2013
- Hilarious, self-ironic German comedy as part of motivational keynotes
- Top reviews by clients, corporations, and other comedians
- Direct booking without speaking to bureaus
The comedian/motivational speaker has a highly encouraging motivational style with crowd interactions, background images, and videos of his career. Fun examples of his outrageous career:
- He traveled the world for free by offering services like pillow fighting or ‘the human sofa.’
- He traded a bitten apple, eventually leading to a house in Hawaii (Trade Up Around the World).
- He traveled to six European cities blindfolded. Watching him stumble and fall in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris is hilarious.
- Wigge visited Nick Nolte unannounced in his hotel room in Cannes, Frances. Nick Nolte was wearing his pyjamas.
- He challenged Angelina Jolie with the longest handshake in music television history.
- The motivational speaker entered the Queen’s Buckingham Palace in 2002 dressed up as King Henry the 8th.
- He took on a donkey ride challenge across the U.K. as part of his T.V. career.
‘Comedian motivational speaker Michael Wigge seems to be the dark side of Germany!’
Antonio Banderas, MTV Awards in Berlin (joking to reporters)
What Comedic Elements Does Motivational Speaker/Comedian Michael Wigge Deliver?
Introduction: Motivational Speaker and Comedian
Motivational speakers like Michael are individuals who inspire and encourage their audience to achieve their goals and live their best lives. They often utilize humor to engage their audience and make their message more relatable. In fact, some of the most successful motivational speakers have the ability to be funny like comedians. In this article, we will discuss how motivational speaker Michael Wigge can be funny like a comedian and provide a list of aspects that make a motivational speaker comedic.
Comedian Motiational Speaker with Funny Anecdotes
One aspect that makes a motivational speaker Michael Wigge comedic is his ability to incorporate funny anecdotes from his own motivational background. This not only adds humor to his speeches but also makes his message more relatable to the audience. For example, he’s a motivational speaker who overcame a fear of public speaking can make jokes about his initial struggles on stage. This can help break the ice with the audience and make them feel more comfortable.
Comedian Motivational Speaker with Audience Interaction
Another aspect that makes Michael as a motivational speaker comedic is his interaction with the audience. He’s a motivational speaker who engages with his audience and asks for their input to create a fun and relaxed atmosphere. The comedian motivational speaker can make jokes about the audience’s responses and create a sense of camaraderie. This can help the audience feel more invested in theMichael’s message and leave a lasting impression.
Stand-Up Comedian and Motivational Speaker
A third aspect that makes Michael a motivational speaker and comedian is his ability to tell stand-up like jokes. These jokes may not necessarily be related to Michael’s message, but they can add an element of entertainment to his speech. As a skilled motivational speaker, Michael can weave in these jokes seamlessly, making his speech both inspiring and entertaining.
Making the Audience Do Funny Activities
Making the audience do funny things is another way motivational speaker Michael Wigge can be comedic. For example, he may ask the audience to do a silly dance or participate in a game. This can create a sense of lightheartedness and make the audience feel more connected to the speaker.
In addition to these aspects, here are some specific examples of how Michael as comedian motivational speaker can use humor to engage their audience:
5 Aspects of Michael's Comedy Style on Stage
- Self-deprecating humor: The motivational speaker can make fun of himself in a way that is relatable and endearing to the audience. This can help build a rapport with the audience and create a sense of humility.
- Observational humor: The motivational speaker can make humorous observations about everyday life that resonate with the audience. For example, he may poke fun at the quirks of their profession or the challenges of achieving a particular goal.
- Storytelling humor: The comedian motivational speaker can use humorous stories to illustrate a point or provide an example. These stories can be entertaining while also driving home the speaker’s message.
- Sarcastic humor: The comedian motivational speaker can use sarcasm to make a point or challenge the audience’s assumptions. This can be a powerful tool to engage the audience and make them think.
- Physical humor: Motivational speaker Michael Wigge can use physical gestures or props to create a humorous moment. For example, he may use a funny hat or exaggerated facial expression to add a comedic element to his speech.
Comedy Example on Stage
To illustrate how these aspects can come together, consider the following example the comedian motivational speaker who uses humor to engage their audience:
“Good evening everyone! I’m here to talk to you today about the power of positive thinking. Now, I know what you’re thinking – ‘Another motivational speaker? Really?’ But hear me out. I used to be just like you – skeptical and cynical about all this motivational mambo-jumbo. But then I realized something – I’m a terrible cynic! I mean, I can’t even believe in myself half the time. So, I started practicing what I preach and guess what? It worked! And if it can work for me, it can work for you too.
So, let’s start with a little exercise. I want you all to stand up and shake it out! Yes, even you in the back row! Come on, let’s get those endorphins flowing! And while you’re at it, let’s do some positive affirmations. Repeat after me – ‘I am awesome!’ (Audience repeats). Louder! ‘I am amazing!’ (Audience repeats louder). Louder! ‘I am a rock-star!’ (Audience repeats at maximum volume). That’s what I like to hear!
Now, I want to share a funny story with you all. When I first started out as a motivational speaker, I was absolutely terrified of public speaking. I would get up on stage and my mind would go completely blank. So, I decided to try something different. I started picturing the audience in their underwear! And let me tell you, it worked like a charm. I was no longer nervous – just extremely uncomfortable. But hey, whatever works, right?
In all seriousness, though, the key to success is believing in yourself. You are capable of achieving great things, and I’m here to help you get there. So let’s go out there and make it happen! Thank you.”
In this example, motivational comedian speaker Michael Wigge used a combination of self-deprecating humor, storytelling humor, and physical humor to engage their audience and convey their message. They also incorporated an exercise and positive affirmations to create a fun and positive atmosphere. By using humor in this way, the motivational speaker was able to connect with their audience and make their message more memorable.
In conclusion, humor can be a powerful tool for motivational speakers to engage their audience and make their message more relatable. By incorporating funny anecdotes from their own motivational background, interacting with the audience, telling stand-up like jokes, making the audience do funny things, and using various types of humor, a motivational speaker can create a fun and engaging experience for their audience.
More Aspects of the Motivational Speaker and Comedian
Comedic Motivational Challenge Background
Early on, Wigge turned his work for MTV Germany into a comedic challenge style. He faced daily challenges to entertain the MTV audience, like entering a tomato fight competition in Spain dressed in a white suit.
That day’s question: Will Wigge make it across the tomato competition and manage to keep his white suit clean? Check out the video in German.
Another earlier challenge series on MTV with Michael Wigge was the so-called worst bingo. In this series of sequences, Wigge met Hollywood celebrities and faced them in his interview with questions full of inappropriate words he had just received before the interview. The motivational speaker and comedian had to insert ten words into his interview questions. These turned the A-list interviews into confusing and fun bits and pieces. Check out Wigge’s worst bingo interview with Will Smith.
He created his later challenges as complete docu-series shows for German TV networks and PBS in the US. These challenges cover comedic and motivational goal setting, like traveling blindfolded, traveling by razor scooter, traveling for free, and much more. Again, the motivational speaker used comedic elements (like pillow fighting, hidden camera elements, costumes, and self-irony) to achieve set goals.
Motivational Speaker's Keynotes
His self-irony characterizes his keynote style. Booking the fun keynote speaker means booking a highly encouraging speaker who offers irony regarding his background. Wigge makes fun of himself for being a motivational speaker, comedian, and German native all at the same time. How does that mixture work together?
The audience gets a unique mixture of motivation, encouragement, interaction, and humor. Feel free to reach out to Michael’s office to get a free quote on his motivational and comedic keynotes!
Motivational Speaker / Comedian in Five Different Countries
The comedic keynote speaker is based in Denver, Colorado but serves the entire US, Canada, and German-speaking European countries. His most popular keynote in the United States is ‘Fun Leadership 3-2-1.’ The keynote speaker talks about his leadership experiences during his extraordinary adventure challenges. The audience connects to his leadership experiences through day-to-day leadership examples of Corporate America.
Wigge’s most popular keynote in Germany is entitled ‘Fun Challenge-4-Change 3-2-1.’ This change management keynote encourages audiences to embrace change, overcome obstacles like fear, and leave their comfort zones. Wigge has spoken to over 300 audiences with 80,000 listeners in the US, Canada, Switzerland, and Austria. He uses his vast cultural experiences (having traveled to 90 countries and lived in three) and encourages audiences to learn from the differences.
His change management keynote builds upon his experiences as a resident of the United States. He helps German and Swiss leaders learn from the flexibility of the US, their fearlessness toward new technologies, and their open mindset for change. His German background is usually a part of his US keynotes. What can US leaders learn from a German CEO? Wigge talks about planning strategies, schedules, quality measures, leadership styles, and more German quality aspects he has used in his career as a coach and speaker.
Short Interview with Michael
Wigge would like to add a final word on his outstanding services to corporate America and around the world:
We’re all improving every day of our lives. Personal and professional development is among the highest values I’ve seen for a successful and fulfilling (business) life. I forward many aspects of my own experiences to the audience. Change management, leadership style, intercultural understanding, goal setting, burnout prevention by setting boundaries, mindfulness, improved time management and organization, and so much more!
These soft skills and motivational aspects are essential for everyone’s improvement, but I’ve learned that humor is necessary to fulfill these aspects sustainably. So let’s turn your next meeting into an unforgettable, fun, and educational event!
It’s a thin line a humorous speaker is walking in a corporate setting to fulfill the client’s needs. So what do clients usually expect?
- Motivation and inspiration
- Humor
- Interaction
- A strong message on workforce development
- Great entertainment and encouragement
Pillow Fighting, Human Sofa and More
Michael does combine these factors successfully due to his MTV comedy background but also due to his adventure challenge background. In ‘How to Travel the World for Free’ (the most popular keynote), he shows the audience how he traveled the world without money. And here it gets hilarious.
Michael offered ‘pillow fighting’ as a service in San Francisco to collect dollar bills for his flight to Central America. He worked as a British butler in Panama and developed the ‘Human Sofa’ in Las Vegas and the ‘Hill Helper’ in California to have people chipping in a few dollars. This keynote is hilarious through its content.
Michael is a unique adventure traveler who faced an extreme challenge and met this challenge with his clever ideas. Feel free to hear more from Michael!
Thanks so much,
Michael Wigge
Motivational Speaker/Comedian
More links:
General Questions about Comedians as Motivational Speakers
How Much Do Humorous Speakers Charge?
You may find motivational speakers/comedians in the price range from ‘free’ to up to $30,000. But professional and hilarious speakers usually start at $5,000.
Could I Become a Comedian Motivational Speaker?
Yes, most likely. A speaker needs to be good on stage, have great marketing, and a comedian motivational speaker needs to be funny. Most people can learn how to be funny.
More on Michael’s how-to-guide:
Who Is the Best Speaker in the Comedy Scene?
The most famous speakers are Tony Robbins and Tracy Brian, but they’re not necessarily humorous. A motivational comedian speaker has the quality to make the audience laugh with little engagement. Check out how Michael achieves humor on stage on his other sites