Presentation Skills:
Using Humor In Your Speech

Contributed by Chad Barlew

Think back to some of your favorite teachers, presenters, instructors, or college professors and ask yourself what it was about him or her that made him or her such an interesting lecturer. Chances are one of the things you will remember is their keen sense of humor. Writing speeches or presentations is more difficult than simply giving anecdotes and information. It is a process of communicating and disseminating information in a memorable and enjoyable fashion. It is up to you, the lecturer, to entertain and inform your audience. Once you lose your audience, it is very difficult to regain their attention.

When you watch professional speakers, you may notice that they always weave humor into their presentations through stories and anecdotes. This is because they understand that laughter is one of the most effective ways to communicate with other human beings. Telling a humorous story can be a way for you to gauge your connection with your audience. If they are grumpy, they may release a small chuckle, or if they have just arrived after a good meal or a good night’s rest they may burst out into laughter. Regardless of their reaction, humor is a positive entrance into a discourse community. “What is a discourse community?” It is a community that shares information, questions, and humor.

You may be asking, “How should I add humor to my presentation?” There are a few ways one might add nuggets of humor to your presentation. We call them nuggets of humor because people often think of jokes as the small golden nuggets, the small surprise after digging through the information.

Let us say that your office asked you to lead an Excel training seminar for managers who want to teach their employees how to use the application. You understand that teaching shift managers how to lecture their employees on Excel is not the most fascinating subject, so you want to liven up your presentation with humor.

First, you should ask yourself, “Am I good at monitoring an audience and generating jokes on the fly, or should I prepare some funny stories?” Once you have evaluated your humor, you will be better able to create a speech outline. If you do not think that you can judge your own humor, call a friend and ask him or her to be brutally honest with you. It is better to discover that you are not funny from a close friend instead of a room full of strangers or coworkers. Regardless of your natural inclination for humor, you may want to keep an extra note card of jokes on hand, as it never hurts to be overly prepared.

Audience is everything, so remember for whom you are presenting. Eliminate any jokes that might be remotely offensive. Remember, just because you think it is okay to make fun of something does not mean that the person next to you will feel the same way. Try to stay away from political, religious, or judgmental jokes. The most effective way to use humor is to base it around the subject matter. When dealing with computer programs, make puns using software or industry jargon. If needed, poke fun at yourself and your struggles in learning the program. People always respond positively when commiserating with the learning curves of technology and complex software applications like Excel ®, Photoshop ®, or Digital Performer ®.

Once you have your first draft written and your note card filled with emergency jokes close at hand, meet with a friend or colleague you trust and read them your presentation. If your joke involves body gestures or funny voices, make sure to do them. After this first practice, you may find that your timing is off or that your delivery is stiff. Fine-tune it until it feels natural. Humor is not as easy as it may seem. Comedians write, revise, and practice their routines. Just because you are capable of telling an occasional funny anecdote or pun around the water cooler or at the company picnic does not mean that you have mastered the craft of humor. Take your humor writing as seriously as you take your market research or paper writing. Always come prepared and if your jokes do not pan out, do not take it personally. Sometimes, it takes a few flat jokes to make the perfect funny omelet.

Excel is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. Photoshop is a registered trademark of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the U.S. and other countries. Digital Performer is a registered trademark of Mark of the Unicorn, Inc.

About the Author:
Chad Barlew is a freelance writer in Denver, Colorado.