Peter Fogel’s “Simple Ground Rules to Help Any Public Speaker ‘Find The Funny’ in Any Speech!”

I always tell my Public Speaking Coaching Clients that it is a hell of a lot easier to be speaker who uses humor in your presentations — than it is to become a comedian who has to be funny for a straight forty-five to sixty minutes. Why is that? Because the bar is lower for you. A comic must get a certain amount of laughs per minute (and is constantly judge)

A speaker does not. You see, the beauty of public speaking is that all you have to do is add just the right amount of humor to cement your important message into the hearts and minds of your listeners for optimal effect.

As in any craft, it’s important to know the rules to “Creating the Funny” out of thin air. You cannot just blurt out humorous jokes and expect your audience to burst into laughter especially if what you were
discussing moments ago was serious. That would be a disconnect and confuse your listeners.

Peter Fogel’s “Is it Alright for a Speaker or Entertainer to Laugh at Their Own Jokes!?”

It seems the jury is out on this one, with opinion divided on whether or not it is okay to laugh at your own jokes. Maybe it’s just me (although I doubt it given the number of comedians and humorous speakers who also laugh at their own jokes), but I believe the aim of a speaker is to connect with the audience, and sharing a laugh is the perfect bridge to achieve that.