Stand-up comedy/keynote speaker coach/co-writer; acting teacher, artistic director--Redwood Empire Players (The REP Revue)

It is with a great deal of admiration and appreciation that I wholeheartedly endorse Jim Richardson's Teaching Skills for Stand Up Comedy & Professional Speaking. I first became a student of Jim in the Summer of 1987 when Jim conducted an all encompassing class for aspiring comedians and comedy writers. In the ensuing years, Jim broadened his teachings to include Professional Speakers in addition to the comedy focused students.
In addition, Jim has been at the forefront of using technology to help business professionals be more successful. A lot of business professionals, particularly those in their 40's and over, did not go to school with a laptop or even a desktop at their immediate reach. Through his thoughtful explanations of the benefits of using various software, a non-techie like me has gained a wealth of computer knowledge.
One of Jim's most salient attributes is that he has a very strong attention to detail. For example, in one of Jim's stand up comedy classes Jim taught me that the economy of words in the punch line in any joke is important; but, most important is the punch word in the punch line and the importance of where the punch word is located. This seemingly minor point has been a major enhancement for creating more, stronger and better laughs for me.
Without reservation, I give Jim the highest endorsement for his teaching skills with people from the arts community and people from the business community.

I have known Jim for over 40 years and worked with him on and off over that time. He is an exceptional, encouraging, thoughtful teacher, who has the ability to bring out the best to those he is teaching. His compassion while delivering criticism as amazingly effective and tenacity endless. You will feel lucky if you get the opportunity to learn from his wealth of information.