In the dynamic world of business, effective communication is still the key to success. And some of the BEST communicators in the business are comedians!

Think about it - If the comedian Gabriel Iglesias (AKA Fluffy) walks on stage, you have an idea of the subjects and things he'll be joking about. Since he's famous and people know he talks about food, family, etc . . .

But the REAL communication challenge for a comedian is when people DON'T know who you are - which is most comedians. So comedians have to be fantastic communicators. They have to get a lot of information over to you in the short set-up line so that you "get" the punchline. They don't have time to tell you all about our family or where we live, we just have to get the essentials out fast.

Keynote speaker, comedian and comedy writer Jan McInnis says that one way comedians do this is by repeating the important information that they want you to focus on, in the set-up line. For McInnis, she shares an example of starting out by saying "I'm an aunt. Now that my sister has kids . . ." She points out that she says it twice, really quickly, so that you know she's talking about her nieces/nephews. That way your brain will lock on to that, and a few seconds later it helps you to "get" her punchline about her nieces and nephews.

"Keep this in mind in your business communications," McInnis warns. She says you need to lock in on only the essential thing you want to communicate and find a way to repeat it two different ways quickly, so that people consciously or subconsciously, pick up on your main focus.

This is just one of the many examples McInnis uses in her keynotes as she tours the country showing business leaders some of the leadership techniques that comedians use to command their audience.

Business leaders can learn a lot from how comedians manage an audience. Check out her website TheWorkLady.com for more ideas and information!