Jim Comer Email & Phone Number

Austin, Tx, Us

I owe my career to the CEO of America’s largest cosmetics company. I was asked to write his presentation for a banquet at New York’s Plaza Hotel to be streamed to a thousand district managers at gatherings across the country. I’d been writing sales meetings for these women and they were salt of the earth – my mother times a thousand! I wrote a warm, personal talk that was completely unlike a typical corporate presentation and the CEO loved it. I was asked to come up to the executive floor to hear him read it to 25 of his peers. He was thirty seconds into the presentation when I realized that he was a terrible speaker! Horrified that he was going to destroy my work, I gathered my courage and said, “Sir, I think you can be even better if we rehearse a few times. Would you like to do that?” There was a long pause as I saw my job disappear. He said, “No one has ever asked me to rehearse.” There was another endless pause and he announced, “I think it’s a good idea.”We worked together three times before the banquet, and he got better. Not great, but measurably better. On the night of the banquet, everyone noticed the difference in his delivery. His talk was a success and suddenly I was a presentation coach. My seven years as an actor had paid off after all.I have spent my career helping business leaders become confident, effective presenters. We build on their strengths, find their individual voice, and identify stories from their own experiences that they can use to make business points. We develop their own natural delivery that includes eye contract, body language, vocal variety, and effective pauses. My clients learn that a presentation is not just about information but creating a positive feeling and an authentic connection with the audience.

• Jane’s Window: My Spirited Life in West Texas and Austin by Jane Sibley, as told to Jim Comer, Texas A&M Press, 2013I worked as a ghostwriter for the legendary Jane Sibley, president of the Austin Symphony Orchestra for 25 years and one of the three women responsible for building Austin’s Long Center for the Performing Arts. We sat at her dining room table with a tape recorder between us and created the book. I asked questions and she told stories. I transcribed the tapes, edited them, she corrected them, and in six months we covered eight decades of her remarkable life. Working together, we told her story of growing up in Fort Stockton, Texas, marrying a local physician, striking oil on land they had leased, and moving their family to Austin in the early 60’s. Jane became a force of nature in the Austin cultural community. She took the almost bankrupt Austin Symphony and put it on a sound financial footing, recruited musicians from the UT music faculty, and hired top conductors including the current music director, Peter Bay. Working with the heads of the ballet and opera, she developed the concept, found the location, and created a board of directors that raised $85 million for Austin’s performing arts center.When they finish the book, people tell me that they feel as if they know Jane. There could not be a higher compliment.

When Roles Reverse: A Guide to Parenting Your Parents, published by Hampton Roads. Finalist Writers League of Texas Best Non-Fiction Book.After my father’s massive stroke and mother’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis, I found myself an overnight “parent.” Though everyone looked at me as “the man who knew all the answers,” I soon realized I didn’t even know the questions. In more than a decade of caregiving, I lived the questions and learned the answers. I wrote the book as a guide to help others who need to care for their elderly parents. I included all my mistakes, steep learning curve, the funny stories as well as the tough ones and, ultimately, my surprising ability to come through for my parents when they needed me the most. I wanted caregivers to see that if I – the most unprepared caregiver in the world – could do this essential job, they could, too. The most important discovery I made as a caregiver was accepting my mother as she was. An Alzheimer’s specialist advised me, “Stop trying to bring your mother into your world. She can’t go there anymore. You must go into her world.” When I accepted that reality, everything changed. Despite its challenges, caregiving helped me form an even closer bond with my parents and made me a better, and kinder person. It’s the most important thing I’ve ever done. Sample of Reviews:Jim Comer is a good-natured guide who brings significant tips on facing the challenges of parental care and enjoying the process.” Liz Carpenter, author, former press secretary to Lady Bird Johnson “Comer tells it like it is. If you are about to become a caregiver, read this book to get a good look” -- Caregiving News, November 30, 2006“…Provides important differences not covered in competing titles. Author's first-person experiences blend with humor to provide insights on real-life scenarios.” -- California Bookwatch“[Comer's] goal is to help caregivers make informed decisions, avoid disasters and face facts”. -- ForeWord, July/August 2006

Keynote Speaker on topics including: "The Message Is You" helps audience members realize that their greatest strength as communicators is the individuality they bring to every presentation. The talk emphasizes the power of making a few points well - not many points badly, how to deal with the unexpected and turn it to your advantage, and how to make a point memorable by telling a story. At the end of the speech, each member of the audience gets to practice what I've preached by sharing a personal story with a partner. "The Joys and Jolts of Caregiving" is based on my book, "When Roles Reverse". The audience shares the ups and downs of moving back to Texas after 30 years to become an overnight caregiver. Based on 14 years of experience, the talk appeals to those who will be caregivers and need to prepare, those who are current caregivers and can use encouragement and those who have been caregivers and deserve recognition. Audiences laugh a lot, cry a little and learn practical tips on how to deal with a subject every family will face."It's an Inside Job" is a humorous look at my many attempts to become "rich and famous" in NY and LA as a performer and writer. After glamorous jobs as a waiter, dog walker, apartment painter, and office temp - being on seven quiz shows including "Jeopardy" and writing one-ine jokes for Joan Rivers - I had a house on hill in LA and found a niche writing speeches for CEOs. When I was 50, I became a caregiver for my parents and learned that the most important job of my life would not involve red carpets or private jets. "How Not to Speak Like a Geek" - is desperately needed by PowerPoint-addicted presenters. Audiences learn to use slides effectively, focusing on great visuals and limited text. We even discuss the possibility of giving a great presentation with no slides at all. In a lively and interactive talk, I show how to avoid mind-numbing jargon and acronyms and bring authority and energy to every presentation.

* Speechwriter and speech coach for the CEO and other top executives.* Wrote the CEO's Shareholder Letter and front of the book for the annual report. The 1994 report won an award for Best Financial Writing in Orange County, CA.* Edited quarterly employee newsletter* Helped organize a million dollar Senior PGA tournament.

B.A., Political Science, English

Acting