A speech can be interesting, informative and highly entertaining without being humorous. Most speakers are invited because they are well informed on a specific subject and it is of interest to the audience, the listeners do not necessarily expect to be entertained. For entertainment they would hire an entertainer. However, humor has a number of great benefits in helping the speaker to be more effective in achieving the overall purpose of their speech.

The advantages of using humor in your speech are:

• You’ll quickly gain control of the audience – it gains their attention and helps in pulling them together
• It can be used to transition from one part of the speech to the next
• Helps to illustrate the points that you are making
• It will give the audience a “breather” by breaking up your speech. It is difficult for listeners to concentrate for long periods and it gives them a rest and keeps them interested.
• The use of humor can show that you do not take yourself too seriously and will increase your “likeability” quotient
• When presenting new ideas and policies that may not be popular, you can use humor to put your point across without creating hostility.

Humor can be learned and utilized by anyone willing to try. Most of the best speakers use it. To develop the art of humor will take you only a few minutes a day. To put humor in your speech apply the following:

• Develop a stockpile of stories – be on the lookout for good brief stories in newspapers, magazines and the internet. Be a careful observer of life. Also be a “watchful “listener of stories on TV or other speakers. Note the stories down. Do not rely on your memory.
• Observe other speakers. Note how they tell the story, the tone of their voice, their gestures, face expressions, the timing and pauses.
• Memorize the stories. You cannot read humor – you need to be looking at you audience to sell it. Also you do not want to lose your opportunity by stumbling over the punchline.
• Be prepared to deliver “impromptu” stories. Carry an index card in your pocket with the first line or a suggestive line of several stories. By quickly glancing at the card you will be able to quickly recall the story.
• Practice. A story gets better the more times it is told. Practice in front of the mirror or your family. Try different things – your voice tone, pauses, gestures, facial expressions etc.
• If the audience does not laugh at your story or joke… move on. Don’t let it throw you off course. There will be time to assess after the speech.
• Make the stories relevant to your speech and appropriate to the audience
• Plan the “spice” in your speech. Most TV and radio performers follow their scripts so closely there is not even room for an “ad lib” sneeze.

Humor is an important tool in gaining and keeping an audience’s attention and can be applied by anyone with the desire to develop the art. In summary, memorize and practice, tell the right story at the right time, be prepared, and gather a fund of stories.

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Learn how to improve your speaking effectiveness in public or private. Claim your free preview of “The Art of Great Conversation” visit http://www.selfconfidentspeaking.com

I guess I need to start somewhere, so I thought I’d start out by referring to something that actually got me started with Stand-up Comedy; “Public Speaking”.

Now, many of you who know me today don’t realize that I used to travel throughout the States and Europe, training various Network Marketing organizations. A very enjoyable but none the less challenging task.

While as a speaker at business conventions of this kind, you usually already have the audience on your side, for they are noted for being hungry for the information you are going to provide to help them get rich, but they still want and need great content and a bit of a performance.

That’s when I started studying Comedy, because I discovered something very important and this is now my speaking mantra:

“If They’re Laughing, They’re Learning”©

I found time and time again that the presentations where I made the people laugh most were the ones that were remembered longest. Around 14 years ago I did a speech which I titled: “Let Go of Your Peanut”© (more on that in a later post) and people still approach me that heard that seminar back then and praise me saying they can still remember what I said because I left them laughing so hard that they were in tears. 14 years later! That is the type of impact you want to leave. Encase your message with humor and people will remember it longer.

Now mind you, using humor is not always possible. War talks, funerals and divorce proceedings are places where using humor could backfire on you. But then again you could go out with a laugh. Talk about “killing.”

Traveling internationally and speaking to audiences in foreign countries creates an additional challenge. Many don’t understand English and on top of that their sense of humor is different. I tried on several occasions to be funny in my presentations but found that people in places like Istanbul, Budapest or Brussels just might not get it. I’ll cover performing internationally in another post.

So remember this; if you find yourself not connecting to your audience, add a few jokes or funny anecdotes to your material and get them laughing. That connection will work wonders.

Here’s to Your Wealth!

It was on Friday, March 23, 2007 that shifted my thinking forever. For several minutes I watched a speaker give a humorous speech and laughed my head off. I couldn’t control myself. It seemed as if someone was tickling me and I couldn’t stop giggling.

The comedian had the audience rolling on the floor, holding their sides, laughing hysterically. His timing and delivery were superb. He had us in the palm of his hands.

That was a major learning point in my life. It was then that I decided to inject humor into my messages. Prior to that day I focused on the content, lessons and points. And on techniques like gestures, eye contact and breathing.

That was about to change because humor has multiple purposes…

It serves as a bridge to accept your ideas, beliefs and opinions. It dissolves anxieties and preconceived notions about you. It puts your audience at ease. It humanizes you. And it also lowers the invisible force field between speaker and spectator creating a larger circle of oneness.

Or simply put:

It makes people laugh. They have a good time. They become more involved with your entire message. They believe you are confident and approachable. And they will shower you with praises, approvals and compliments.

I recently gave a short lesson laced with humor. I spoke about the importance of having a good mentor. There were moments when that group of fifty adults was laughing out of control. (A Code Red situation.) After it was over I reflected on five features that made my lesson wildly intoxicating.

1) Set the tone early.

I began by telling a story. I didn’t even get past the first sentence when I got my first laugh. I didn’t say anything funny, but since I mentioned someone, whom most of the audience knew, liked, and respected, a few people couldn’t help but laugh. Setting the tone early with laughter perks people up and hints that there’s more funny to come.

2) Get your timing down.

One of the worst taboos you can commit in comedy is rushing your lines. One of the best ways to counter this is by listening to your audience with a pause. Let them digest what you’ve just said. Give them the opportunity to savor you and the picture you’re painting in their minds. Let them laugh out loud. When it finally dies down – then you proceed. Patience is truly a necessity.

3) Use vocal power.

In humor it’s not only WHAT you say that makes people laugh – but also HOW you say it. Portraying different voices (male, female, robot) or geographical accents (southern, Italian, Jedi Master) exponentially adds to the funny experience.

Also…

Speeding up, slowing down, growing louder, and shrinking softer, or a combination of these with well-placed pauses altogether creates the bellyaching raucous. Your vocal power builds the excitement, intensity, drama, and suspense that lead into your punch line.

4) Going big Hollywood style.

Victor Borge is a master at this. One head nod, one slicing glance, or one premeditated act often erupts the crowd into gut-wrenching hysteria. And often without uttering a single word.

Since my lesson involved a female mentor, I imitated her twice telling me “not a good idea.” On the third time I imitated an angry woman telling me “NO.” I shrugged my shoulders, parked my hands on my hips, tapped my foot on the floor and rocked my head. That caused an eruption of laughs because everyone who knew her knew she would never say or do that.

5) Mastering the tension-release.

In comedy, building up the “tension” is the science behind what makes the “release” so funny. A punch line alone is incomplete without the tension you create prior to it.

In my talk I crafted the scene, established the mentor’s credentials, and told the story of how I thought I was hot stuff. This created the tension. Then I methodically began tearing myself apart through the voice of the mentor. This resulted in many tension releases. And many laughs.

But that’s not all…

I included a lesson at the end to wrap things up. This was the reason behind the laughs. The lesson distinguishes the entertainer from the entertaining speaker. One makes a point of using humor – the other uses humor to make a point.

Are you ready?

Now go make them laugh!

Even if you are not a humorist, or maybe especially if you are not a humorist, if you can add a little humor to your speeches you will reap some major rewards. Humor can loosen up the audience, get them to like you, engage them, and actually improve the audiences learning and retention. Many people don’t think they are funny, but by using the following seven tips you can add humor to any presentation.

1) Use humor you find funny -

This one seems obvious, but in your quest to add humor you may try to think of lines that your audience will laugh at. While it is important to consider the audience, you must first start with things you think are funny. If you try to tell a joke or tell a story that you don’t think is all that great but you think the audience will like, chances are it will bomb. Find the intersection between what you find funny and what your audience will find funny.

2) Use humor you would use anyway -

This point builds off of point #1. If you are thinking about telling a story (funny or not, quite frankly), think about whether you would ever tell that story in that way to your friends or family when you are just hanging out. If the answer is yes, and you think your audience will like it, then go with it. If not, let it go, no matter how much you think the audience may enjoy it.

3) Watch funny movies and TV -

It’s very hard to *be* funny if you don’t feel funny. Exercise your funny bone by watching TV shows and movies that make you laugh. Not only will you be in a more playful and fun state, but you will learn a tremendous amount about comedy structure and timing, even if accidentally.

4) Ask “humor questions” -

The one thing that separates comedians from the rest of the “normal world” is that comedians process the world by constantly asking themselves, “what’s funny about this?” It may be so ingrained that they don’t realize it, but that’s what they do. Good, bad, happy, sad, whatever; their first response to everything is “what’s funny about this?” Start asking that question a lot. Not only will you start finding more humor you can use, but you will also be training yourself to be a more naturally funny person (and yes, that is possible!)

5) Pause -

You can have the best material in the world, but with bad timing it still won’t get a laugh. Comedic timing is an art that can take years to master. To start, just remember to pause at the moments when you expect the audience to laugh. It doesn’t need to be too long a pause, but give enough time for the audience to catch up and laugh. What if the audience doesn’t laugh? Well, that leads us to…

6) Don’t care if you get a laugh -

Perhaps the hardest tip of all. Watching a speaker or comedian not get laughs is uncomfortable. Watching a speaker or comedian be flustered or bothered by not getting laughs is deadly. You are not a comedian, so if you don’t get a laugh, that’s ok. Just keep going as if everything is a-ok. Chances are, if you don’t get flustered the audience won’t even notice. The best way to do this is to tell your jokes in the context of stories. That way if you don’t get a laugh you just keep telling your story.

7) Commit 100% -

Humor takes commitment. If you are uncertain about a joke and don’t tell it with full belief that the audience will laugh, the joke will fall flat. (this is why points 1 & 2 are so important). Some speakers have the self-delusion, “if I act like I don’t think this is a great joke and people don’t laugh, then I won’t look as bad.” That never works. Tell your stories and jokes with 100% confidence, and you are much more likely to succeed.

Use these seven tips and watch as your speeches and presentations quickly get bigger and bigger laughs!