#70 Inject humour into your speeches

"A person without a sense of humor is like a wagon without springs. It's jolted by every pebble on the road....Henry Beecher”   This is especially true when you are a guest of honor or a key note speaker.  So humour is a very important skill.

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So you can't always rely on your best jokes and one-liners to get you through your speech.  Here are some ideas:
 
Set up the room/environment for laughter
Get the audience in the mood before you say anything!  You can do this by setting up lighthearted visuals displayed in the room or maybe playing some uplifting music as they enter.

Don't be afraid to make fun of yourself
Don't take yourself too seriously!  You can even think about some playful things about you in your introduction.  For example, have the introducer tell the audience that you are the author of three books which have sold well over 30 copies. Then the person corrects their mistake and says, "Oops, that's 300,000 copies."

Get started with a humor stories
Your audience likes stories, especially ones that have a punch line and a humourist plot.  So open your eyes and ears for funny stories and open a file to start your collection!

Get a laugh with Props
It has been said that 80% of what people learn is visual. If this is true, then speakers need to enhance their talks with something to visually illustrate what they are saying. A prop is a great way to do this because it not only makes your message memorable but it can also get a laugh. Among other things, I use balloons to illustrate how people can let go of their stress; an inflatable globe to illustrate how we often carry the world around on our shoulders; and a plastic hammer which I use to hit myself on the head when I goof up. All make a point and all get a laugh.

Use witty phases and words
While waiting for your own humor-related stories to appear, you might want to borrow some funny short quotes for famous folk to lighten up your talks. Quotation books, the TV, newspapers, and magazines such as Reader's Digest are great resources for locating great quotes.

Collect audience anecdotes
Sometimes audiences say the funniest things. When they do write it down. It could be a big laugh in your next presentation. A good example is when a commedian asked his audiences, "How do you spell relief?"  which a woman in the back row called out, "D-I-V-O-R-C-E." It got a huge laugh for her that day and continues to get a laugh when it is retold

Make it relevant
One final word about using humor in your presentations. Make sure it is relevant. Amusing an audience for the sake of getting a laugh might be ideal for a stand-up comedian or an after-dinner humorist but it's probably not OK for most speakers. If your humor doesn't make a point or have a purpose, then don't use it!

On a final word, I would encourage you to find ways to improving your humour and entertainment value of your talks because as Steve Allen once noted, "People will pay more to be entertained than educated."