Is laughter the best medicine for your speech?
Caption: Philomena
I can’t wait to see Philomena give a speech. Oh, for those of you outside of the Caribbean, Philomena is the local doyenne of comedy; she dresses in drag as a cleaning lady and dishes dirt on everything from politics to the economy to relationships.
But back to my point though. I would love to see Philomena deliver a key note address without the head-tie, the apron and the freakish makeup. Instead I’d put her behind a lectern, corporate suit and all and I’d bet a million dollars, she’d be good. Damn good really because right away she’d know that humour is one of the best techniques that a speechgiver can use to connect with his /her audience.
Injecting humour into a speech can be hard for the novice.
You must be careful it doesn’t sound canned, the joke must be relevant, not culturally offensive and of course, the speech giver must be trained for its delivery. For instance, a pause just before and just after your punch line sets it apart from the setup of the joke and gives the audience a chance to laugh.
My best source of humour is from the daily news, the world of the rich and famous and of course my own life (self effacing humour is very effective). Culling funny stories from various web sites is also a must do if you regularly write speeches. In all of this don’t forget that you should always make the humour relevant and your delivery as natural as possible.
Here’s the real reason why I like to use humour though. As a speech giver, there is no better temperature check of your audience than when they get your joke and your point. It’s a double whammy. The audience’s laughter is the ultimate feedback system. That, and of course the standing ovation at the end.
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I like some humor when listening to a speech because the obvious is that it grasps the attention of listeners and it holds it for as long as possible. I think she would do a great job indeed however do you think people will take her seriously? I was just wondering!
# Posted By Adanna
| 1/5/09 9:29 AM
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Judette Coward Puglisi (MSc, Dip IR, BA), Managing Director. Find out more 