Tag Archive for: humour

Sometimes it can be a huge challenge to be funny.

But being funny and using humour are incredibly powerful tools in public speaking.  They can make an audience relate to your message.  They can provide contrast to a serious subject and lighten the mood, making the audience more receptive.  They can improve your image as a speaker and as a person.

Sometimes humour can be spontaneous and that is oftentimes the most effective it will be.  But sometimes it takes practice and serious attention to writing the speech to create that spontaneity - faking it till making it is one of the rules of public speaking after all!!

We can research jokes.  We can copy the successful styles of speakers who use humour.

And another way is to learn from the comedians.  While comedy is different in many ways from public speaking, or maybe can be seen as a specialised form of public speaking, there is much that can be learned from the comedians and implemented in your speeches.

Larry Wilde did just that.  He interviewed great comedians for a book and learned much in the process.  He interviewed famous comedians like  Woody Allen, Jack Benny, Milton Berle, George Burns, Johnny Carson, Phyllis Diller, Bob Hope, and Jerry Lewis.

And now you can hear an interview with Larry Wilde about his experiences and the education in comedy that he gained.  The interview is conducted by none other than Patricia Fripp, herself an award-winning speaker.

Learn the inside secrets of America's greatest comedians. Hear the collective wisdom of the people who defined American comedy.

What the Great Comedians Teach Us About Comedy - Recorded live at the National Speakers Association of Northern California.   Download here from Patricia Fripp's website.

Rule of Three Speech WritingIn the first two articles of this series, we learned how using the rule of three can improve your speeches by [1] writing triads of words, phrases, and sentences and [2] by applying three-part speech outlines.

In this article, you will learn how adding an unexpected twist to the third element can add power or humor to your speech.

Rule of Three + Unexpected Twist = Speech Gold >>>

-- John Kinde (JohnKinde@HumorPower.com)

The key is in the delivery. It's what you do.

In the business of delivering your humor, there is a technique referred to as a "take." A take is your physical response to a joke. For example, you may deliver a joke and then raise your eyebrows. Or tilt your head. Or open your eyes wide. Facial expressions are some of the most popular takes.

Using a take is like putting an exclamation point at the end of your humor line. It helps you drive home the humor. It signals the audience to realize, "Hey, this is supposed to be funny!"

There are a couple of approaches to using takes. One way is to look for a different physical delivery technique for every punch line. This can make the talk more interesting for you. And this can add a colorful variety to your speech. We also know from the acting business that it is easier to remember lines if they are linked to a physical action. So your jokes will be easier to remember, each linked to a different take.

Another approach is to use the same take for each punch line. This conditions the audience to laugh. Two classic comedians used repetitive takes which became signatures: George Burns' puff on the cigar and Rodney Dangerfield's tug of the necktie. They were sending signals to the audience that it was time to laugh.

You will find that even small takes can produce good results. Just a small wink might just be what you need to get the laughs. Experiment and have fun.

Have you talked in front of many people? Have you wondered what to do in order to get your ideas across?

Any public speaker who has faced a crowd of listeners knows that humor has a great effect and brings out a point like nothing else. I have talked to many presenters and all of them say they have a number of jokes up their sleeve, as well as visual gags -- CARTOONS.... more

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