Humour Is a Powerful Public Speaking Tool: Here’s How to Use It Effectively
There's a great quote that says, "Humour is the shortest road between one human and another." I’m paraphrasing that a bit - but when it comes to public speaking, the sentiment is 100% true.
Humour helps you build a connection with your audience. It breaks down barriers and it can make your point:
more memorable
more sticky
and more relatable
It’s an incredibly effective tool to improve the impact of your public speaking, as long as you use it correctly.
Humour vs. joke-telling - there’s a difference
Humour is the classic way to strike up a rapport and make your listeners more open to what you’re about to say.
But there’s a difference between humour and telling jokes, and it’s important to make the distinction between the two.
You definitely don’t need to become a comedian to add humour to your speeches or presentations. That approach could go horribly wrong. Imagine standing at the top of the room after building up to your punchline and… awkward silence. Your joke falls completely flat - no reaction from the audience at all.
Not an experience anyone wants to have!
So let’s look at some simple ways to add humour to your speeches and talks without going down the stand-up comedy route.
#1 - Know your audience
Back to that old chestnut I've mentioned again and again, but it really does bear repeating. When you’ve done your research in advance and you know your audience, you’ll be aware if there’s a particular group or demographic you need to tailor your humour for.
For example, I might make a jokey reference to a TV show I watched when I was a teenager. But if the audience isn't of an age to remember that show, it won’t make sense, and I’ll likely get crickets in response.
If you’re clear on who’ll be listening to your talk, you can also avoid the pitfalls of making light of a topic that could offend your audience members - always a huge no-no.
Need more help with this? Download my free Audience Analysis checklist to help you determine exactly where to focus your research.
#2 - Poke fun at yourself, not your audience
The safest bet is always to make your humour self-deprecating - do not poke fun at your audience. (Remember Chris Rock at the Oscars this year?) Making your audience the subject of your humour is risky business.
If you single out an individual and make fun of them, the other audience members will feel uncomfortable, wondering if they’ll be next. And making fun of a particular section of the audience can be just as divisive. I recommend leaving that approach to the comedians and erring on the side of caution with your humour.
#3 - Choose “safe” topics for your humour
Choose the topics of your humour very, very carefully. Bringing current events into your presentation can be a great way to keep things relevant, but stay away from anything controversial or potentially divisive. The last thing you want to do is annoy your audience with a careless comment that ends up being the main takeaway from your speech rather than the message you want to communicate.
#4 - Keep it relevant
Does the humour make sense in the context of your speech? There’s no point trying to shoehorn in something witty just for the sake of it. Yes, you might raise a smile, but where is it leading? The only exception is at the beginning of your speech, where perhaps you’re joking around a little to introduce the topic and warm up the audience.
Humour should add to the point you’re trying to get across and make it more memorable. Always keep it relevant to the subject at hand.
#5 - If in doubt, leave it out
If you’re planning to include a joke in your speech or presentation that’s a little risky, you need to be very certain of your audience. That means knowing them well, being confident that you tell the joke well and that the punchline will land. If you’re at all unsure of the reception your humour might receive, leave it out. Just don’t go there.
#6 - Allow space for the laughter
If your humour is well-received and you get that laugh - don't step on it. Pause for a few moments and be comfortable with the pause, don’t try to rush on through. Allow space for the laughter, and then continue with the rest of your talk.
#7 - Everyday life is often the funniest thing of all
Sometimes the best inspiration for humorous anecdotes is your own life experiences. That can be as simple and straightforward as an incident in the supermarket last week, your take on a funny story you heard on the radio or something that happened while driving to the event. Those things are relatable and make it easy to connect with your audience. Add your own humorous spin to it so that it enhances the message you’re trying to get across.
I was delivering a talk about networking recently and wanted to emphasise the point that if you don’t know anyone in the room, you should avoid the temptation to whip out your phone and pretend to be busy.
As part of my talk, I shared a story about an event I was at, where a quick scan of the room revealed that I couldn’t see anyone I knew. Everyone else seemed to be already in groups, so I stood with my cup of coffee, trying to portray an image of someone warm, friendly and open to conversation.
To my relief, a colleague from a networking group waved at me from across the room and invited me over. When I joined him, he introduced me to his colleagues and said, “We felt sorry for you over there. You looked like you were waiting for your Tinder date to arrive.”
Not exactly the image I was trying to portray! But including that story as part of my speech was a memorable way to get my point across and break the ice with a laugh.
Keep it light, easy and don’t try too hard
The secret to using humour effectively in your public speaking is not to try too hard or force it where it doesn’t fit.
Think about how you can incorporate some humour very lightly and naturally the next time you speak publicly. And remember, it doesn’t have to be anything elaborate. The simplest anecdotes are often the ones that raise a giggle and connect most effectively.
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