Have you ever sat through a presentation that was a little on the dry side and fought to keep yourself awake? As a public speaker, you don’t want your audience to have that same feeling. That’s why adding a little bit of humor makes the experience more enjoyable for your audience, plus there are a number of benefits to make you and your presentation memorable.
When you add a little bit of humor to your talk, people will be much more likely to remember it and make you a more relatable speaker. Laughter and humor are tied to emotions therefore people remember things that made them feel good or laugh. This means they’ll be more likely to remember a humorous talk, even if it was on a topic they don’t personally find interesting.
When you crack a joke, it shows that you are a human being, just like them. This makes them much more likely to connect with you on a personal level and to engage with your content. When the audience feels like they know, like, and trust you, they are more willing to listen to what you have to say. But don’t feel that you have to become a stand-up comic to achieve this. Check out this clip of Jeanne Robertson, a wonderful speaker who is also a lovely southern lady and not someone you’d expect to be so funny. But she adds in her own personal style of humor and you can too. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1NvnDduZCs
Public speaking can be intimidating for most people. As Jerry Seinfeld says, “According to most studies, people's number one fear is public speaking. Number two is death. This means to the average person, if you go to a funeral, you're better off in the casket than doing the eulogy.” Humor is one tool that you can use to manage some of that anxiety. When you add humor to your presentations, you put your audience at ease, which can help you feel more comfortable and confident in your own delivery. And, when you feel more confident, you’re more likely to give a better presentation overall.
A number of speakers have topics that can be serious or controversial, and you may find the audience feeling tense or uncomfortable. This is where humor can be incredibly helpful. A well-placed humorous comment can diffuse tension in the room and actually help your audience feel more relaxed. Don’t fear that humor will diffuse your message but it will infuse it with impact. When people are more relaxed, they’re more open to listening to new ideas and perspectives.
Finally, adding humor to your presentations can actually help you boost your own creativity. When you’re considering ways to infuse humor into your talk then you start thinking beyond the safety of your subject and come up with unique and unexpected ideas. This can help you stretch your creative muscles, which can translate to stronger presentations in the future.
In short, using humor is more than just a way to get a few laughs during your presentation. It’s actually a tool that can help make your presentation more memorable, relatable, and effective. If you’re not already incorporating humor into your talks, now is the time to start experimenting. A well-placed joke can go a long way toward making your presentation truly memorable. So find your own personal funny to make yourself more money.
