What can businesses learn from comedians?

The conference speaker - whose clients include various Fortune 500 companies - firmly believes Jack Dee, Richard Pryor, Eddie Izzard and Chris Rock possess certain skills that could come in handy when selling a business to shareholders and investors.

He said: "I'm not proposing that chief executives put on red noses and start cracking jokes. They might get the sack, or the men in white coats might take them away.

"I'm simply talking about how people present themselves and their business."

Roger's book isn't a huge doorstop of complicated text. In fact, it's almost a collection of flash cards. He compiles fifty short rules of thumb for the business speaker, focusing on points such as self-awareness, creating stories, getting rid of technology, preparation and confidence.

He said: "I think the statistics are that only 10 per cent of business books purchased are actually read. Business people don't really have time to read these books.

"The nice thing about this book is that people who have picked it up from Amazon have often come back and bought four or five more copies each.

"I don't claim to have a great new theory on management and leadership. It's something someone can buy for their team to get them to think differently."

Roger is a big fan of comedians such as Jack Dee, Bill Hicks, Dave Allen and Frank Skinner. He believes that these acts exude a confidence that comes from preparation and creativity.

He said: "If you look at a good stand-up, all they have is a microphone. In business, Steve Ballmer of Microsoft isn't just standing there using PowerPoint. He's speaking from the heart.

"One of the key things is to be authentic. Too many people put on this corporate mask and they're just not themselves.

"A lot of corporate managers lack creativity. The organisation takes it out of them, especially if you're working in a big company.

"Bill Hicks was absolutely brilliant. He would walk on stage and make it seem so natural, like he'd just turned up at the venue and started to deliver. But he put a lot of effort in to make it feel natural.

"A lot of people wing it and don't prepare. They don't prepare for the heckler. In meetings, people ask questions, and it does throw some speakers.

"You've got to do the groundwork."

Just as a good stand-up set is about more than just reading jokes off a card, a good business presentation shouldn't be just a series of charts, figures and other sleep aids.

Roger said: "All the good comedians use stories, or at least the modern ones do.

"Some business speakers go out there and talk figures, bore the pants off people and everyone forgets what they heard.

"If you use some type of story to make it more engaging, you'll be remembered."

In a bid to further harness the skills of the stand-up, Roger tried it himself, booking himself into The Laughing Horse in Camden.

He said: "I gave myself two months, watched lots of DVDs and studied comedians at a lot of comedy clubs.

"I thought I'd bottle it at the last minute so I invited 30 of my best corporate clients. They all turned up to see if I could do it or not.

"Not everything got the laughs I wanted but overall it went well."

He is now asked to give talks on the subject for clients and at conferences. But he's not tempted to mine audiences for laughs full-time.

He said: "I've done it a few more times. But I've got a young daughter and I'd rather be spending time with her than going around the pub circuit in London."

What Can Chief Executives Learn From Stand-up Comedians? is available through RogerEdwardJones.com or Amazon.