They say laughter is the best medicine. But is it? I’m often asked by clients who need to give presentations and speeches, whether or not humor is a good idea.
The short answer: It depends. Who is your audience? What is your message? What are you trying to accomplish? It’s also important to ask, who might you offend? Will a joke at the opening of your presentation gain positive attention or negative feedback? Will humor in your speech override your point?
The long answer: There is no easy answer.
Dr. Sydney Ceruto, founder of MindLab, an organization which infuses data into their executive counseling believes, “Humor in public speaking can be a powerful tool, but it also comes with risks. When used effectively, humor can engage audiences, make complex topics more accessible, and humanize the speaker.” However, she also warns if humor, “… doesn’t land well, it can alienate the audience and undermine the speaker’s credibility.”
LinkedIn Customer Success Manager Nabeeda Bakali, a successful public speaking coach, is cautious when it comes to using humor in any sort of public speaking environment. “It is better to play it safe than to say something that might be offensive.”
The fact that you’ve been asked to give a presentation by a business, organization, or group is a positive nod that someone believes you are the right person for the job. You have the knowledge and skill set to present information to others. Still, most of us don’t want to fall flat. We want our presentations to be creative. There’s nothing worse than looking out on a sea of people scrolling on their phones.
As Dr. Ceruto references above, using humor can definitely help when you’ve got technical, and not necessarily glamorous, points to make. As a presenter, you want to engage your listeners and leave them feeling that your lecture was time well spent. Still, using humor, particularly if it isn’t something you would ordinarily do, can take you out of your comfort zone. That can be a good thing. However if your audience senses that you feel awkward in making a remark, you may lose their focus.
Will Greenblat, a public speaking and communications coach takes a midline approach. “Just be honest and cheerful and you’ll add a sense of ‘humour’ to your presentation.”
In truth, it’s probably a question you need to answer for yourself. If you feel confident and know your constituency, then try it on. Practice what you’re going to say to make certain how a joke or your humor will best fit it into your speech. Then, if it makes sense, do it. But if you are talking with a group you don’t know well, or you need to express a serious or difficult topic, think carefully if humor is the best tool.
Categories: Creativity