Better Presentation Skills - 7 Tips to Being a Funnier Speaker

Even if you are not a humorist, or maybeGood, bad, happy, sad, whatever; their first
especially if you are not a humorist, if you canresponse to everything is "what's funny about
add a little humor to your speeches you will reapthis?" Start asking that question a lot. Not only will
some major rewards. Humor can loosen up theyou start finding more humor you can use, but
audience, get them to like you, engage them, andyou will also be training yourself to be a more
actually improve the audiences learning andnaturally funny person (and yes, that is possible!)
retention. Many people don't think they are funny,5) Pause - You can have the best material in the
but by using the following seven tips you can addworld, but with bad timing it still won't get a laugh.
humor to any presentation.Comedic timing is an art that can take years to
1) Use humor you find funny - This one seemsmaster. To start, just remember to pause at the
obvious, but in your quest to add humor you maymoments when you expect the audience to laugh.
try to think of lines that your audience will laughIt doesn't need to be too long a pause, but give
at. While it is important to consider the audience,enough time for the audience to catch up and
you must first start with things you think arelaugh. What if the audience doesn't laugh? Well,
funny. If you try to tell a joke or tell a story thatthat leads us to...
you don't think is all that great but you think the6) Don't care if you get a laugh - Perhaps the
audience will like, chances are it will bomb. Find thehardest tip of all. Watching a speaker or comedian
intersection between what you find funny andnot get laughs is uncomfortable. Watching a
what your audience will find funny.speaker or comedian be flustered or bothered by
2) Use humor you would use anyway - This pointnot getting laughs is deadly. You are not a
builds off of point #1. If you are thinking aboutcomedian, so if you don't get a laugh, that's ok.
telling a story (funny or not, quite frankly), thinkJust keep going as if everything is a-ok. Chances
about whether you would ever tell that story inare, if you don't get flustered the audience won't
that way to your friends or family when you areeven notice. The best way to do this is to tell
just hanging out. If the answer is yes, and youyour jokes in the context of stories. That way if
think your audience will like it, then go with it. Ifyou don't get a laugh you just keep telling your
not, let it go, no matter how much you think thestory.
audience may enjoy it.7) Commit 100% - Humor takes commitment. If
3) Watch funny movies and TV - It's very hardyou are uncertain about a joke and don't tell it
to *be* funny if you don't feel funny. Exercisewith full belief that the audience will laugh, the joke
your funny bone by watching TV shows andwill fall flat. (this is why points 1 & 2 are so
movies that make you laugh. Not only will you beimportant). Some speakers have the self-delusion,
in a more playful and fun state, but you will learn"if I act like I don't think this is a great joke and
a tremendous amount about comedy structurepeople don't laugh, then I won't look as bad." That
and timing, even if accidentally.never works. Tell your stories and jokes with
4) Ask "humor questions" - The one thing that100% confidence, and you are much more likely
separates comedians from the rest of theto succeed.
"normal world" is that comedians process theUse these seven tips and watch as your
world by constantly asking themselves, "what'sspeeches and presentations quickly get bigger and
funny about this?" It may be so ingrained thatbigger laughs!
they don't realize it, but that's what they do.