4. Beware of Jokes: Dispelling a Common False Belief

One of the most pervasive pieces of advice bandied about in the presentation trade is to start a speech or a presentation with a joke. Wrong! No one can guarantee the success or failure of any joke—certainly not a businessperson, but not even a professional comedian.

Consider Johnny Carson. The legendary talk-show host spent 30 years on late-night television telling jokes written by a crack team of professional, experienced comedy writers, but the jokes didn’t always work. Fortunately, one of Johnny’s greatest assets was his ability to recover from failed jokes. Whenever a scripted gag elicited no reaction or even groans from his audience, Mr. Carson mugged a silent take or made a comment about the bomb; either response often produced more laughter than some of the scripted jokes.

Consider one of Mr. Carson’s most prominent successors, Jon Stewart of “The Daily Show.” Although Mr. Stewart’s adulatory studio audiences worship and roar at almost every word he utters, he occasionally produces a dud. Mr. Stewart recovers with one his many rubber-faced expressions or trademark cackles which, as with Mr. Carson, often produces more laughter than the planned gags.

If Johnny Carson and Jon Stewart can’t guarantee a laugh, how can you?

Still, the temptation persists to break the ice in presentations with humor, to lighten up the proceedings, entertain, or engage the audience; all are noble intentions but still risky business. Even if a joke beats the odds and gets a laugh, the laughter is a digression from the main message of the speech or presentation.

The risk of humor is even riskier in today’s globalized world and its diverse audiences. But diverse cultures still retain their original sensibilities, and comedy does not cross borders easily—even with a common language. U.S. humor and U.K. humour differ by much more than a single letter. If you have any doubt, watch Americans in the audience of a British music hall comedy. They are the only ones not laughing.

If, despite all these caveats, you still insist on telling a joke in your speech or presentation, make it self-deprecating. If you fail at making fun of yourself, your failure will be at your expense and not at your audience’s.