February 12th, 2010
Everyone appreciates some humor in a presentation — it keeps the tone light, keeps the audience interested and breaks the ice. But there is a certain finesse involved in using humor appropriately in any situation. So from drug reps to sales professionals to corporate trainers, here are some basic guidelines for adding humor to your next presentation.
Tip #1 – Remember, you don’t have to be funny to tell a joke.
Sometimes a true life story comes off a great deal funnier than a one-liner. Begin to notice when you get laughs in your normal conversational life. Notice what jokes go over with what kind of folks, and this will begin to clue you in to what might work with your presentation audience.
Tip #2 – Appropriateness is essential.
As always, know your audience. What is appropriate for one group of people is certainly not appropriate with another. Understand the social boundaries and commonalities so that you can bend or break them in a manner that’s amusing and thought-provoking (if that’s what you’re going for). For example, a really good lawyer joke may be ideal if you are a lawyer who is speaking to non-lawyers. But if you are not a lawyer and you’re speaking to a group of lawyers, not so much. Use common sense and put yourself in your audience’s shoes.
Tip #3 – Be willing to laugh at yourself, but not ad nauseum.
If you make a mistake, or trip, or otherwise bungle something, a comical comment may be appropriate. But nobody likes to listen to someone constantly put themselves down. So use this technique sparingly.
Tip #4 – Look elsewhere.
If you are convinced that you are simply just not funny, don’t give up hope. You can look elsewhere to find a funny cartoon, movie clip, audio, etc. to incorporate into your PowerPoint presentation. Perhaps you have a friend or colleague in the audience who is a stellar joke teller and would be willing to stand up and share a preselected (by you) anecdote at a predetermined time in your presentation. The possibilities are endless.
Join us in the next installment for part 2 of using humor effectively in your presentation. And when you’re ready to present, contact Projector123.com to arrange for an easy, affordable, professional projector rental. Click here for rates and ordering info.
Leave a Reply
