Some Humor

Had a discussion today with colleague in the communication department in which I work; he is a comedian who studies humor academically.  He is of course very funny so even a serious discussion with him is pretty hilarious.  Humor is volatile in terms of public speaking, yet necessary.  Everyone should know his or her strengths in using humor in public speaking.  Jokes are not the only way to be funny.  Sometimes it is best to relate a funny, or appropriately quaint/cute story (children are always good for this) relevant to the topic of the speech.  I am not much for humor that is just being used to waste time or as unnecessary icebreakers.  However, even those have their place. 

What ultimately matters, though, is not if the speaker (you) think something is funny but whether your audience thinks it's funny, so this is my next non-negotiable rule of public speaking:  If it's not funny to the audience, it's not funny.

That being said, I heard a great line on Fox News tonight.  "Kim Jong Il turned 65 today, but he doesn't look a day over creepy."  (With accompanying photo to emphasize the point).  I am still laughing about it, although there is a part of me that says that little monster is not worthy of being laughed at.  He is as evil as Hitler, as far as I'm concerned. 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Kallman's Syndrome: The Secret Best Kept

Do I Really Have to See the Barbie Movie?