Humour And The Motivational SpeakerOne of the best ways to engage an audience is with humour. However, telling jokes is not for everyone. If your punch line gets no response when you tell a joke to friends you should probably avoid using them in a speech. It may be better for you to use a more subtle form of humour. Self deprecation (making fun of yourself) is good if it is not overdone, and body language can relay humour (as in second takes, etc.). You must remember that you weren't invited to give a speech full of jokes, but were asked to speak on a particular subject. If your humour can relate to the topic of your speech, all the better. Be aware of who your audience is. If you are speaking at a wedding for instance, in-law jokes would probably not be appreciated. It is also best to avoid off colour jokes as there could always be someone in the audience who is offended. I have attended many keynote speeches and always enjoy the ones were the speaker has a well developed sense of humour. Laughing feels good and sets up an instant rapport between the audience and the speaker. |