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Slide 31 to Slide 38
7 Things you should know about your
sense of humor
1. It can change the way you see yourself and the world
around you.
2. It improves relationships. Your sense of humor makes
relationships works.
3. 4 out of 5 doctors recommend it. Your sense of
humor is good for your health.
4. Everyone has a sense of humor.
5. Moods change, but your sense of humor doesn’t.
Your sense of humor is not a mood.
6. It is a welcome mat for solutions to your problems.
7. It is the real your. Your true sense of humor can’t be
faked.
Slide 39 to Slide 47
12 Benefits of using humor.
1. Makes you more likeable.
2. Helps you connect with the audience.
3. Arouses interest and keeps attention.
4. Helps emphasize points and ideas
5. Disarms hostility
6. Shows that you don’t take yourself too seriously
7. Makes information more memorable
8. Lightens up heavy material
9. It answers the question everyone wants to ask
10. Gives the audience some shuffle time
11. Improving Health
12. Antidote for stress.
Slide 48 to Slide 63
Famous quotations about humor
Slide 63 to Slide 97
Definition of Humor
1. Definition of humor.
2. Definition of wit.
1. Superiority theories.
2. Incongruity theories.
3. Relief theories.
• M – Material.
• A – Audience.
• P – Performer.
• Target.
• Hostility.
• Realism.
• Exaggeration.
• Emotion.
• Surprise.
Slide 208 to Slide 297
POW : Play of Words
• Double entendre.
• Malaprop.
• Oxymoron.
• Pun.
• Reforming.
• Simple truth.
• Take-off. Slide 298 to Slide 333
The Harmony of Paired Elements
• Phrases.
• Words.
• Statistics.
• Aphorisms.
Slide 334 to Slide 359
Triples : SAP Technique
•S = Setup (preparation)
•A = Anticipation (triple)
1. Surprise
2. Tension.
3. Relationships.
• Personal Anecdotes
• Printed sources.
• Joke books.
• Internet.
Slide 516 to Slide 525
Pitfalls of Public Speaking Humour
• You are not a stand up comedian.
• All speeches should contain at least one serious point.
• Never use offensive humor.
• Don’t stop the audience laughing.
• Use bombproof humor.
• Honest.
• Making the “Funny Story” Announcement.
• Put a Ban on Sarcasm.
• Avoid, Avoid and Really Avoid.
Slide 526 to Slide 556
15 shades of laughter
• Smirk.
• Laugh.
• Smile. • Cackle.
• Grin. • Guffaw.
• Howl.
• Snicker.
• Shriek.
• Giggle.
• Roar.
• Chuckle. • Convulse.
• Chortle. • Die laughing.
Slide 557 to Slide 589
Mel Helitzer
Comedy Writing Secrets
Slide 590 to Slide 603
Author and Toastmasters
• Ludicrous is an adjective
meaning amusing or
laughable through obvious
absurdity, incongruity,
exaggeration or eccentricity.
What is incongruous? It is
something lacking congruity,
inconsistent within itself.
Definition of humor
• Doctor Jarvis was a
professional public speaker
who focused on humor, and
he defined it in two ways.
One, humor is a painful thing
told playfully. Two, humor is a
tragedy separated by time
and space.
Definition of wit
the appropriate."
Relief Theories
• Since humor often calls
conventional social
requirements into question,
it may be regarded as
affording us relief from the
restraint of conforming to
those requirements.
Relief Theories
• The relief may be only
temporary: a smoking room
story, for example, is not
usually a serious challenge to
conventional morality; but it
does enable us to air the
sexual impulses which
society makes us repress.
Relief Theories
• Moreover, people who have
been undergoing a strain will
sometimes burst into
laughter if the strain is
suddenly removed. It may
be, then, that the central
element in humor is neither
a feeling of superiority nor
the awareness of incongruity,
but the feeling of relief that
comes from the removal of
restraint.
Relief Theories
• This theory has been reinforced
and brought into prominence by
the psychological discoveries of
Sigmund Freud (1856-1939)
[Viennese founder of
psychoanalysis: if you want to go
to the source for this, it's Jokes
and their relation to the
unconscious.
Relief Theories
• Freud himself regards humor
as a means of outwitting the
"censor," his name for the
internal inhibitions which
prevent us from giving rein to
many of our natural
impulses. It is not only our
sexual impulses that are
repressed by the censor, but
also our malicious ones.
Relief Theories
• In this way Freud is able to
account, not only for
indecent jokes and for the
appeal of comic characters
like Falstaff who ignore
conventional moral
restraints, but also for the
malicious element in humor
to which superiority theories
call attention.
Relief Theories
• According to Freud, the
censor will allow us to
indulge in these forbidden
thoughts only if it is first
beguiled or disarmed in
some way. The beguiling is
done, he thinks, by means of
the techniques of humor:
such devices as punning,
"representation by the
opposite," and so on.
Relief Theories
• Freud finds many similarities
between the techniques of
humor and the ways in which
our waking thoughts are
distorted in dreams. This
enables him to link his theory
of humor with his theory of
dream interpretation:
dreams are also a means of
eluding the censor.
Relief Theories
• The intellectual pleasure of
playing with words and ideas,
and of finding unexpected
connections, regarded by the
incongruity theories as the
essential element in humor,
thus finds a place in Freud's
theory as a means of tricking
the censor.
Relief Theories
• Freud explains this by adopting
Spencer's physiological
explanation of laughter. The
pleasure results, he thinks,
from the economizing of
nervous energy. Nevertheless,
he does not regard the intrinsic
appeal of these comic devices
as sufficient to explain humor. :
they would be pointless if we
were not able, under their
cover, to give vent to repressed
desires.
Conclusion
• Each of these theories of
humor is able to explain
some types of humor, but it
may be doubted if any of
them can satisfactorily
explain every type of humor.
Conclusion
• Superiority theories account
very well for our laughter at
small misfortunes and for the
appeal of satire, but are less
happy in dealing with word
play, incongruity, nonsense,
and indecency. Incongruity
theories, on the other hand,
are strong where superiority
theories are weakest, and
weak where they are
strongest.
Conclusion
• Relief theories account
admirably for laughter at
indecency, malice, and
nonsense (regarded as relief
from "the governess, reason" [a
reference back to
Schopenhauer]) but are forced
to concede that there is an
intrinsic appeal in incongruity
and word play that is quite
independent of relief from
restraint. Each type of theory
does, however, illuminate some
aspect of humor.
Laws of humor
Laws of humor
• Max Eastman wrote a book titled
fun".
Laws of humor
• The first law is that things
can be funny only when
we are "in fun".
• Ask yourself, "Is this
audience "in fun"; do I
dare use humor; can they
be moved into "in fun""?
Laws of humor
• The second law is that when we
are "in fun", a peculiar shift of
values takes place.
• Pleasant things are still pleasant,
but disagreeable things, so long
as they are not disagreeable
enough to "spoil the fun", tend to
acquire a pleasant emotional
flavor and provoke a laugh.
Laws of humor
• Similies and
metaphors are a great
source of humour on
any subject you can
think of.
Types of Humor
Similes / metaphors
some humor.
Types of Humor
Quotations
• I’m a kind of
paranoiac in reverse –
I suspect people are
plotting to make me
happy.”
J.D. Salinger
Types of Humor
Lists
• The pronouncements
with a wealth of
funny material.
Types of Humor
Predictions
• “Computers in the
future will weigh no
more than 1.5 tons.”
Popular Mechanics,
forecasting advance
of science, 1949
Types of Humor
One liners
over with.”
W.C. Fields
Types of Humor
Props
• If you're using an
overhead projector or a
PowerPoint presentation,
it's very easy to insert a
funny one-panel cartoon
into your presentation.
The funniest cartoons will
be ones that have
something to do with the
topic of your presentation.
Types of Humor
Pun
words.
Using of verbal humor
Using of verbal humor
• Anecdote
– Interesting stories
speaker make a
point.
Using of verbal humor
• Aside
– A statement added as
an after-thought,
appearing as though
the speaker said
something that
reminded him or her
of the aside
Using of verbal humor
• Banter
– Good-natured teasing
done back-and-forth
with another person,
sometimes with an
audience member
Using of verbal humor
• Blend word
– The combination of
two words to make a
new word; e.g.,
“murse” for “man”
and “purse”
Using of verbal humor
• Blunder
a mistake or verbal
faux pas.
Using of verbal humor
• Conundrum
– A word puzzle that
has a pun for an
answer; e.g., cows
wearing bells because
their horns do not
work
Using of verbal humor
• Freudian slip
– A humorous statement
that appears to come
spontaneously, but
really reflects the
speaker’s subconscious
Using of verbal humor
• Hyperbole
– Excessive exaggeration
Using of verbal humor
• Irony Words
– Statements used to
reflect the complete
opposite of their
original meaning
Using of verbal humor
• Joke
– A short anecdote that
has a funny twist at
the end
Using of verbal humor
• Parody
– A humorous version
of another writing or
speech
Using of verbal humor
• Recovery
– The appearance of a
blunder that the
speaker quickly
corrects, in an
attempt to save
himself or herself
Using of verbal humor
• Repartee
– Clever or witty
retorts, often in the
form of insults
Using of verbal humor
• Satire
– Humor that is critical,
or makes fun of
something
Using of verbal humor
• Situational Humor
– Humor that comes
from the speaker’s
own personal
experiences
Using of verbal humor
• Understatement
– Intentionally down-
sizing something to
make it appear
smaller or less severe
The MAP to being a successful
humorist
The MAP to being a successful humorist
• Performer – The
M – Material.
performer must present
the right material to the
A – Audience.
right audience in the
right way,. P – Performer.
The MAP to being a successful humorist
• Business practices
are more frequently
becoming targets of
financial hostility. But
jokes about business
practices actually
direct hostility
against two subjects
at the same time:
economics and
authority
Family Affairs: Coming Home Soon
• Children, especially
teenagers and
preteens, are common
family targets. Even
toddlers are targets
(they're not just cute
but, according to Bill
Cosby, exhibit signs of
brain damage). Parents
are unburdening
themselves wittily,
even if they can't do it
in reality.
Angst: The Ecstasy and the Agony
• Angst is the
intellectual
observation that fairy
tales aren't true—that
there is an unhappy
end to every happy
beginning. Angst has
pointed a devil's finger
at anxieties so
personal that, in the
past, we carefully
avoided discussing
them even in private
Angst: The Ecstasy and the Agony
• We hope to maintain
some sense of
superiority by
ridiculing abnormal
characteristics of
others. We're
responding to a
primitive form of
group therapy.
Group Differences: Us vs. Them
• Audiences rarely
counter a joke that the
performer has made
personal with an
admonition "You don't
expect me to believe
that?"
EXAGGERATION: Talking up a storm
• Only for humor is the
public willing to
suspend disbelief and
skepticism. We permit
humorists to utilize
hyperbole, blatant
distortion, and
overstated figures that
signal: Hey, it's only a
joke.
EXAGGERATION: Talking up a storm
• Therefore, the
audience laughs at
exaggerated banana-
peel acrobatics
because the clown will
certainly get up. That's
comedy! If he doesn't
get up, that's tragedy!
EXAGGERATION: Talking up a storm
• An example of the likely
next to the unlikely is the
classic story about the
newspaper that ran two
photos: one of a gray-
haired matron who'd just
been elected president of
the local Women's
Republican Club and the
other of a gorilla who was a
new addition to the local
zoo—but the captions got
switched. That's likely.
EXAGGERATION: Talking up a storm
• POW is a twist on a
familiar cliché; aphorism;
book, movie, or song title;
famous quote; national ad
slogan—in fact, any
expression widely known
by the public.
POW : Play of Words
• It can make use of
double entendres,
homonyms, or puns. A
humorist twist to the
aphorism The way to a
man's heart is through
his stomach is: The
quickest way to a man's
heart is through his
chest.
POW Techniques
• Double entendre.
• Malaprop.
• Oxymoron.
• Pun.
• Reforming.
• Simple truth.
• Take-off.
Double entendre
of two incompatible
contradiction in terms.
Oxymoron
• found missing
• living dead
• good grief
• working vacation
• larger half
• soft rock
• Exact estimate
• taped live
• small crowd
• Extinct life
Pun
• A pun is a word used in
such a way that two or
more of the word's
possible meanings are
active simultaneously. A
pun may also be a
reformation of a word to
a like-sounding word that
is not an exact homonym.
Pun
• here is one of the most
popular words to use,
because it can sound like
hear, hair, and hare: An
adolescent rabbit is a
pubic hare. Hair today,
gone tomorrow.
Pun
• Puns are very versatile
riddles.
Pun
• What do you call a smelly
chicken?
• A foul fowl.
• What does a grape say
when you step on it?
• Nothing. It just gives a
little whine.
Pun
• They can be simple quips.
rectal problems.
opposite of a double
word in an idiomatic
phrase.
Simple truth
• The simple truth makes
logic illogical. It's
commonly referred to as
the "Call me a taxi" or
"Call me a doctor"
formula. ("Call me a taxi."
"Okay, you're a taxi"; or,
"Call me a doctor." "Why?
Are you sick?" "No, I just
graduated from med
school.")
Simple truth
• Another way to craft a
simple truth is through a
childish riddle.
• "I bet you I can say the
capitals of all fifty states in
less than thirty seconds.“
"Impossible. It's a bet.
Ready, set, go!“ "Okay. The
capitals of all fifty states in
less than thirty seconds. I
said it. You lose!"
Simple truth
• As we mature
comedically, simple truth
techniques permit a
whole series of formula
jokes.
• I went to a bookstore and
asked the saleswoman
where the self-help
section was. She said if
she told me it would
defeat the purpose.
Take-off
• The take-off is a statement
of the standard version of a
cliché or expression,
followed by a realistic but
highly exaggerated
commentary, frequently a
double entendre.
Take-off
• I say live and let live.
Anyone who can't accept
that should be executed.
• If truth is beauty, how
come no one has her hair
done in a library?
• My mind wanders a lot,
but fortunately it's too
weak to go very far.
The Harmony of Paired Elements:
Phrases, Words, Statistics,
and Aphorisms
The Harmony of Paired Elements
• Humor is a feat of verbal
gymnastics, and paired
elements are examples of the
type of clever writing that is
commonly used in political
addresses, sermons, academic
oratory, and toasts. A paired
element consists of two
grammatical structures
(words, phrases, clauses, or
sentences) that are similar in
construction and that play off
each other in meaning.
The Harmony of Paired Elements
• There are three varieties
of paired elements.
– Paired phrases or
sentences
– Paired words
– Paired numbers
Paired phrases or sentences
• To be most effective,
paired phrases or
sentences must be
parallel—equal in
grammatical purpose,
structure, and rhythm.
Some need an
introductory setup line;
most do not.
Paired phrases or sentences
• In most cases, the first
unit in the pair is a simple
declarative statement.
The carefully crafted
second unit of the pair
echoes the first, but a key
word may be altered, or
the order of the words
may be reversed to
change the meaning.
Paired phrases or sentences
• As a humor technique,
paired phrases with word
reverses are facile but
not necessarily simple.
The basic rule, common
in most humor writing, is
that the last line is
written first—the last line
is the one that makes the
point and is most easily
remembered
Paired phrases or sentences
• Paired phrases are popular
with clichés, which afford
many opportunities for
take-off humor—the line
after the paired phrase.
• Boss to new employee:
"Relax, Bitler. You have
nothing to fear except fear
itself. And me, of course!"
– Robert Mankoff
Paired phrases or sentences
• Paired elements are
frequent applause-getters,
and writers know that the
audience is more
stimulated by the turn of
phrase than by its logic.
Homonyms get laughs even
when they don't make
much sense.
• It is better to have loved a
small man than never to
have loved a tall.
– Mary Jo Crowley
Paired phrases or sentences
• Most paired words fall
into one of four
classifications: synonyms,
homonyms, antonyms,
or groupings. No
professional humor
writer is without a
dictionary of synonyms,
antonyms, and
homonyms.
Synonyms
• Synonyms are different
words that share a
meaning. Synonyms are
popular word pairings.
There are so many words
in the language that have
a similar meaning that
there are countless
double entendre
opportunities.
Synonyms
• One simple technique for pairing
synonyms is to express an idea in
one line or phrase, then include
in the second line or phrase a
synonym for a key word in the
first. But the synonym should
evoke a different and
unexpected meaning of the key
word in the first phrase.
• SHOE SALESMAN: Don't worry
about the shoes.
• They'll stretch.
• WOMAN: Then don't worry
about the check. It'll bounce.
• —Rita Rudner
Synonyms
• In the example above,
the paired words are
stretch and bounce.
Although stretch and
bounce aren't strict
synonyms, their close
relationship (something
that can stretch may be
likely to bounce) allows
them to work together in
a play on words.
Synonyms
• He only acts mean. But
down deep in his heart,
he's thoroughly rotten.
• I love mankind. It's
people I can't stand.
• She wasn't just throwing
herself at him. It was
more like taking careful
aim.
Homonyms
• Homonyms are words that
sound the same but are
spelled differently or have
a different meaning. Our
language is rich with words
that are pronounced alike.
Take gene, for instance.
Gene can be a scientific
term or a man's name, but
when spoken, it can sound
like pants made of denim
(jeans) or a woman's name
(Jean).
Homonyms
• One DNA molecule to
another: Those genes
make me look fat.
• License plate of sheep
rancher: EWEHAUL.
• She was a girl who
preferred men to liquor.
• Ad for telephone system:
From high tech to hi,
Mom.
Antonyms
• While synonyms are
words or phrases that
share the same meaning,
antonyms are words or
expressions that mean
the opposite of each
other: hot vs. cold, tall vs.
short. Paired antonyms
generate humor because
they are the simplest
form of a reverse.
Antonyms
• Young boy to friend: If I'm
too noisy they give me a
spanking. If I'm too quiet,
they take my temperature.
• Let's get out of these wet
clothes and into a dry
martini.
• It's no wonder foreigners
are confused by our
language. Here a slim
chance and a fat chance
mean the same thing
Groupings
them laughing?
Where to use humor?
End of your speech
• Exaggeration
– "Then I talked to a
• Puns
• Self-Deprecation
I am an idiot."
Tip 3
Learn the Basics Of Humor
• Wordplay
• 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
– Tension and
– Relationships.
Surprise
• First, humor is based on
the element of surprise.
Humor often comes from
something as simple as
someone saying the
unexpected. The surprise
twist creates the humor.
Surprise
• Because of the element
of surprise, when we are
deliberately structuring a
piece of humor (perhaps
for a speech) we don’t
want to telegraph the
joke. A line like, “a funny
thing happened to me on
the way over here,”
signals your listeners
that a joke is coming.
This will lessen the
element of surprise.
Surprise
• To enhance the surprise,
it’s best to place the
punch line at the end of
the joke. And within the
punch line, the punch
word is usually given last.
The punch word is the
word that makes the
humor work. It’s the
trigger that releases the
surprise.
Surprise
• If your humor falls flat, do
what professional
humorists do. Pretend you
are serious. Since the
listeners didn’t realize you
were making a joke, you
never need to apologize or
explain it. Turn your
surprise into a secret.
Tension
• It’s no surprise to people
who work in pressure-
packed work
environments that
humor is also based on
this second principle:
release of tension.
Tension
• Laughter is a pressure
valve which releases
muscle tension.
Uncomfortable
situations, fear and pain
are all tension builders
that cry out for humor.
Tension
• We find ourselves
laughing at risqué humor
and embarrassing
situations because they
make us uncomfortable.
We release the tension
they create with humor.
Tension
• People who intentionally
and frequently use
humor know tension can
be used deliberately to
heighten the impact of
the humor. A pause
placed just before the
punch line or the punch
word builds a sense of
anticipation, a form of
tension, which makes
the joke stronger.
Tension
• In most jobs, daily
challenges give you the
opportunity to purposely
use tension in setting up
your humor. Simply by
sharing a real life
humorous situation, you
can recreate the
spontaneous
circumstances which
generated the laughter in
the first place.
Tension
• Although there’s nothing
like “being there,” you
can improve on the
actual event by
embellishing to create a
little more tension in the
set up. You can structure
the punch line for
maximum effect by
putting the punch word
last. And you can pause
to add impact.
Relationships
• As we plan our humor, we
also notice that the third
principle of humor is
relationships. Most humor
is based on how things are
related and not related.
We can create humorous
twists when we play with
relationships.
Relationships
• Gary Larson’s Far Side
cartoons are well
known for twisting
relationships. One of
his frequent tools is
giving animals human
characteristics.
Relationships
• For example, the cartoon
shows a car driving down the
road. Driving the car is a bull.
Sitting next to the bull is a
cow. And in the back seat is a
calf. They’re driving past a
field with humans standing in
the pasture. The picture, by
itself, creates a funny picture
by twisting the normally
expected relationships. The
calf sticks his head out of the
car window and says “Yakity,
Yakity, Yak!”
Relationships
• Understanding the
principle of relationships,
you are able to create
your own, original
humor. You can create
“shopping lists” from
which you search for
humorous connections.
Relationships
• Let’s say you had an idea
for building some humor.
We’ll call this idea a seed
from which the humor
can grow. Perhaps, on a
difficult shift at a
hospital, someone made
a comment that working
in a hospital was like
working in a war zone.
This is the starting point
for developing some
humor.
Relationships
• You’ll begin by creating
two “shopping lists.” On
one list you’ll put
“hospital things.” And on
the other, you’ll list
“military things.” It will
work better if you
choose “military” rather
than “war zone” because
it’s a broader category
which will give you more
options when looking for
relationships.
Relationships
• Your first step is to
brainstorm by making
the lists as long a
possible. The more items
you have on each list,
the more likely you’ll be
able to make some
humorous connections.
Relationships
• As you make your lists,
you’ll look for
opportunities to branch
out and create sublists to
multiply your chances of
finding humor. For
example, if the idea “basic
training” comes to mind,
your sublist should contain
everything you can think of
relating to basic training:
drill sergeants, marching,
inspections.
Relationships
• The next step is to search
for connections between
your two lists which
might lead you to humor.
Play with it. Then set it
aside and come back to
it later. Once you find
something with
humorous possibilities,
you’ll massage it to
maximize the humor
impact.
Relationships
• The next step is to search
for connections between
your two lists which
might lead you to humor.
Play with it. Then set it
aside and come back to
it later. Once you find
something with
humorous possibilities,
you’ll massage it to
maximize the humor
impact.
Developing Original Humor for Your Talk
• These three principles of humor
are illustrated by the classic slip
on the banana peel. The slapstick
spill illustrates surprise because
we weren’t expecting someone
to fall. We also experience
tension. When we see someone
get hurt we get startled, and
react with tension. It also twists
relationships. Seeing a
distinguished person sitting on
the sidewalk is something our of
the ordinary. Surprise, tension,
relationships… we laugh!
Developing Original Humor for Your Talk
• Natural, spontaneous
humor is one of your
greatest tools for coping
with stress as you work.
By understanding what
makes the humor tick,
you can become better at
planning and deliberately
using this powerful
adjunct to your success
arsenal.
Delivering the speech
Delivery
• A look at the definition of a
joke will have direct bearing
on your ability to "deliver"
humor. Consider the
definition: A joke is a brief
oral narrative with a
climactic humorous twist.
Delivery
• Within that simple definition
successfully.
• If someone will be
to it.
Rule 1 : Use humor in the beginning
• If you have traveled from
another city for the
speaking engagement, find
something funny to say
about your travel
experiences, the hotel
where you're staying, or
something similar that
most of the audience
might relate to.
Rule 1 : Use humor in the beginning
• If you have traveled from
another city for the
speaking engagement, find
something funny to say
about your travel
experiences, the hotel
where you're staying, or
something similar that
most of the audience
might relate to.
Rule 2 : Use humorous anecdotes
rather than jokes
• Told ineptly, you can kill a
joke fast. Humorous
anecdotes are much
heartier, and offer more
leeway in the telling. This
makes them a better bet
for the non-professional
humorist.
Rule 2 : Use humorous anecdotes
rather than jokes
• You may be a great joke
teller, and if so, go right
ahead. But try your jokes
out on folks beforehand to
make sure you won't be
the only one laughing
when you tell them.
Rule 3 : Don't try to make jokes about
areas outside your expertise
• If you are an insurance
salesperson speaking to a
group of nurses or
architects, it can be tricky
to try to inject humor
about the nursing or
architecture fields. Many
professional speakers have
flopped when they've
tried to talk "inside
baseball" to professional
groups.
Rule 3 : Don't try to make jokes about
areas outside your expertise
• This can also apply if you
are a man speaking to an
all-female audience, or
vice versa. Tread gingerly
on jokes about the
opposite sex. They are
probably not worth the
risk. Remember, bring the
relatable aspects of your
world to your audience.
Don't try to pretend that
you are "one of them."
Rule 3 : Don't try to make jokes about
areas outside your expertise
• This can also apply if you
are a man speaking to an
all-female audience, or
vice versa. Tread gingerly
on jokes about the
opposite sex. They are
probably not worth the
risk. Remember, bring the
relatable aspects of your
world to your audience.
Don't try to pretend that
you are "one of them."
Rule 4 : Use self-deprecating humor
• Self-deprecating humor is
a mainstay of humorists
• As a humorous speaker,
you must be acutely aware
of subject matter and the
psychology of the
audience. If you inject a
bit of humor that the
audience definitely does
not receive "in fun", you
are asking for trouble.
Rule 14 : Know your audience
• Another consideration is
topical humor related to
the group that you are
speaking to. Find out all
you can about the group.
Investigate well known
individuals, customs,
history and special
observances of the group.
Rule 15 : Use the rule of three
• A comment is humorous
when it sets up an
expectation, and then
breaks it. If you want to
make people laugh …
create an expectation and
then break it.
Rule 17 : Set and Break Expectations
Perret
How to use humor when things go
wrong?
• There’s a sudden crash
have children”
How to use humor when things go
wrong?
• Be Honest - Honesty is the
best policy when it comes
to bombing. Admit that
the joke didn’t work. Make
fun of yourself for thinking
it was funny at all. Then
move on.
Source of materials for humor
Source of material
• You may be wondering
where you can find good,
clean humor that you can
use in your talks. The
answer is everywhere. To
start, listen in on
conversations when you
are in public. Sitting in a
restaurant, a bar, going to
a store, wherever you are,
listen to people around
you.
Source of material
• Listen for comments that
make people laugh.
Again, ask yourself why.
Take the germ of what
was said, study the
meaning and the punch
line, look for applications
in your own field of
interest.
Source of material
• The humor that is the
most effective is humor
that you have experienced
yourself. Personal
situations that no one else
knows about or can copy.
Look for personal stories
that have an element of
self-effacing humor.
Remember the definition
of humor? A painful thing
told playfully.
Source of material
• If you draw your materials
from current sources, you
may end up presenting
jokes that are known and
consequently, not funny
for those who have heard
them already.
Source of material
• There are two things you
can do to alleviate this
problem. First, look for
material in places that are
dated several years prior.
You may well find an
appropriate gem that can
be polished and presented
that is likely "new" to your
audience. Second, you can
use situational humor.
Source of material
• Printed sources. One of the
best is the Readers Digest.
Not the new issues, but old
issues that have had time to
be forgotten. The material is
excellent, clean and likely
can be adapted to your
needs.
Source of material
• Joke books. You have to
skim the cream. You may
read 100 jokes and only
find one that really fits
your style or subject.
Write that one down.
Source of material
• Internet. Today, perhaps
the best source of
material, organized by
subject matter is the world
wide web. Search for
humor and you will find
thousands of possible sites
and sources.
Pitfalls of Public Speaking Humour
Pitfalls of Public Speaking Humour
• I know I’ve waxed lyrical
about using humor in your
speeches and
presentations but don’t
overdo it. Here are a few
tips to help you use humor
to its best advantage.
Pitfalls of Public Speaking Humour
• One of the worst nightmares of
every public speaker — especially
for comedians — is telling a joke
and getting no laughs from the
audience, or what we call
bombing. The bad news is,
everybody bombs. It’s just part of
the job, but it’s how you recover
from bombing that is more
important. The good news is, as
you become more experienced
and confident, it happens less and
less. And even when it does
happen, it won’t be as bad
anymore.
Pitfalls of Public Speaking Humour
You are not a stand up comedian
Dr Virginia Trooper
Pitfalls of Public Speaking Humour
You are not a stand up comedian
• The pendulum of
acceptability is forever
swinging and whilst stand up
comedians are there to
challenge and push the
boundaries, you aren’t.
Pitfalls of Public Speaking Humour
Never use offensive humor
verbal exhibitionism
demonstrated by modern
offensive humor.
Pitfalls of Public Speaking Humour
Never use offensive humor
offended.”
Robert Orben
Pitfalls of Public Speaking Humour
Never use offensive humor
• “One Catch-22 or Dr
Strangelove is more
powerful than all the books
and movies that try to show
war as it is. Joseph Heller
and Stanley Kubrick
heightened the truth about
war just enough to catch its
lunacy.
The joke is no joke.”
William Zinsser – On Writing
Well
Pitfalls of Public Speaking Humour
Making the “Funny Story” Announcement
• Sarcasm unintentionally
statement is.
Pitfalls of Public Speaking Humour
Put a Ban on Sarcasm