One of the main focuses of this book is to find ways to engage your audience. So far, we have covered the importance of stories and putting information into context so that it is easily understood.
Another way is to bring humor into your talk. You don’t need to try and get a big laugh; you just want to allow the audience a way to connect with your material.
Have you ever considered opening with a joke? Only some people can pull this off, so it is probably only a good idea if you are good at telling jokes and it relates to your content. If you are telling one for the sake of it, then don’t. Why would you risk it when you only have a few moments to make an impact—a good one? Comedians spend hours and days crafting a joke to make it their own. Then, they spend days and even months testing it in front of live audiences to see where the laughs are. You probably don’t have that kind of time.
However, you can open with a humorous story. Great comedians build their jokes into a story.
Are there any topics where it isn’t appropriate to add humor? Every video example I have used in this book so far to illustrate techniques has a serious message. The content has been serious—from suffering a stroke to being bullied. Yet, every single speaker in those videos has incorporated humor—they have taken us through a range of emotions to create contrast. You can make any topic funnier to lighten the mood.
You don’t have to be naturally funny or crack a joke to add humor to your presentation. Just look at Ken Robinson. Watch how he uses his conversational style and everyday stories to make us laugh.
Let’s look at the 2016 Toastmasters winning speech again. Darren Tay walks out onto stage, pauses, makes eye contact, and then pulls a pair of white underpants out from his pocket and puts them on—over his suit. He pings the elastic band for effect and then continues to stand there with his hands on his hips.
Without even saying anything, he gets a laugh from the audience. Why, because it is a funny sight and we didn’t expect it. He begins the speech, and then a few moments into it, he teases the audience by reprimanding us for staring at the pants instead of looking at his eyes.
The safest type of humor is your story—having fun at your expense is less likely to offend anyone and makes you much more approachable. Embarrassing for you—funny for them. Even simple things such as having an accent—make a joke about that.
You could reference back to something funny said earlier by another speaker or refer to something in the news lately that is amusing.
Your Story File
Just like researching your material generally and capturing ideas for content and stories, collecting ideas for humor is no different. If you see or hear something funny, record it somewhere, so that you can use it later. Start building a list of funny incidents you have experienced or notice everyday—whether that is in conversations or watching a movie—anything. This is just about collecting thoughts at this stage. Pull stories from your life—past and present. Remember if you don’t capture them, then they disappear into the brain attic somewhere!
You can always spin your humor to make it fit into your theme. On the face of it, how is talking about your four-year-old son’s school play relevant to schools killing creativity? It is, when the lesson that you draw out from it is that: kids are not afraid to make a mistake, and yet, as they grow up, they lose that ability to try things for fear of failure.
The Element of Surprise
Taking a surprise turn or deliberately misdirecting your audience usually gets a laugh.
On January 9, 2007, Steve Jobs gave a keynote at the launch of the first iPhone. During his presentation, he demonstrated how to access Google Maps on the phone, zoom in, and find the local Starbucks coffee shop. When the telephone number appeared on the screen, he clicked on it, and the phone dialed the shop. It was the first ever iPhone public call. When the unsuspecting barista answered and asked “Good morning, how can I help you?”
Steve said:
“Yes, I’d like to order 4000 lattes to go please,...just kidding. Wrong number. Goodbye.” The entire auditorium burst out laughing. He had done something totally unexpected—made a prank call, live from the Moscone Center in San Francisco. Of course it wasn’t just a whim—he had planned for it, but we in the audience would never know that. To this day, Apple fans remember that gag and try to recreate it whenever they are in the same coffee shop.
Steve Jobs calling Starbucks; the relevant part is at about 46 minutes into this video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqylGY_YSXA
When you write out your funny story, do so in full in the same way we discussed in the story chapter. Your editing process is the same—you keep cutting until you have only enough words and emphasis to get you to your punchline or point. Just as a comedian would craft a joke, get to the punchline as fast as possible.
Analogies and Examples
We looked at analogies in the story chapter, and even these can be funny. Here is an example:
Most people use PowerPoint as if they were driving a Ferrari at 20mph. It can do so much, but in the wrong hands, they may as well drive a station wagon.
Pictures and Video
You can also bring in the funny through pictures or video clips. Just remember to check copyright and be respectful of the company policies, and so on. Use Canva.com to create your own graphics, or take your own photos. A comparison between what’s good and less good works quite well.
Key Points
Start observing things that go on around you, in the media, and so on.
Capture ideas and store them for later.
Keep editing your humorous story until you get to the punchline as quickly as you can.
Add an element of surprise or misdirection to get you to the punchline.
Use pictures and video to add humor.
Links
Steve Jobs calling Starbucks—the relevant part is at about 46 minutes into this video:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqylGY_YSXA
Sir Ken Robinson
www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity
Darren Tay, World Champion—Toastmasters Speech Contest 2016
http://uk.businessinsider.com/toastmasters-public-speaking-champion-darrentay-2016-8/?r=US&IR=T/#-1