Do I need to tell jokes in a presentation?

Yes, go ahead and tell a joke if all of the following apply:

• Your joke makes sense for the topic and the environment.
• You can immediately tie in the joke with the larger theme for the presentation.
• Your joke is simple and short–audiences can’t remember more than three types of guys meeting Saint Peter at Heaven’s gate.
• Your jokes won’t offend women, Caucasians, Afro-Americans, Protestants, Catholics, Jews, or Seventh-Day Adventists; Republicans, Democrats, or Independents; cat, dog, fish, or bird lovers; people who don’t like jokes, and so forth.
• You like telling jokes and not just for speeches.
• Not only that, you’re good at telling jokes, especially for speeches.

Otherwise, don’t tell a joke.

If you flunked the above checklist, remember that there are other forms of humor besides jokes. Here are some suggestions for being jocular without telling a joke.

1. Use exaggeration. One presenter who had the misfortune of following an extraordinary speaker at a conference began by saying, "That was a superb talk, Carl. I’m reminded of the time I tried out for the opera, and the fellow before me was either Pavarotti or his twin."
2. Use real-life examples with a silly slant or a bizarre bent. A woman in my speaking-under-stress class shared this with the group: "I always thought my talks went pretty well, but my boss disagrees. He says I begin well and end well. But in the middle he says I always faint, and he’s getting a little tired of reviving me."
3. Use a touch of self-deprecation. Audiences respond well to a speaker who is able to laugh at him or herself. Be careful, however, that you put yourself down only when you have the group’s confidence. Otherwise, they may perceive you as a loser, not as humorously humble. A professor who received utter silence when he asked his graduate class a question did get a laugh when he said, "Now I know my questions are extremely thought-provoking, but don’t all jump to answer at once."

Excerpt from: Smart Speaking
Written by: Laurie Schloff, Executive Communication Coach

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