How to use humour in a talk without forcing it

How to bring humour into a talk from the way you already see the world, and why a joke outside your nature fails twice.

This lesson covers humour in a talk and where it should come from. Humour is one of the fastest ways to lower a room's guard. When people smile, they relax, they like you a little more, and a room that likes you listens harder. That makes humour worth having. The rule is the same one the previous lesson set for delivery. The humour has to be yours.

A joke that sits outside your nature fails twice. It misses, and it makes you look like you are trying. The lightness should come from the way you already see the world. That might be a wry observation, a moment of self-awareness, or a true and slightly absurd detail from your own story.

Some speakers have little natural humour, and that is fine. They can leave jokes out and give a sincere talk. Forcing humour strains a talk. The guidance is to use the humour you actually have and leave out any you would have to force.

Key ideas.

Humour is one of the fastest ways to lower a room's guard, because a room that smiles relaxes, warms to the speaker and listens harder.
A joke that sits outside a speaker's nature fails twice, because it misses and it makes the speaker look like they are trying.
Natural humour in a talk comes from a wry observation, some self-awareness, or a true and slightly absurd detail from the speaker's own story.
A speaker without a natural sense of humour can leave jokes out entirely and give a sincere talk, because forced humour strains a talk.

Questions.

Do I need jokes in my presentation?

You need no jokes if humour is outside your nature, and a sincere talk with none works. Forced jokes strain a talk. If you do have a sense of humour, use it. A room that smiles relaxes, likes you a little more and listens harder. The guidance in From Story to Stage is to use the humour you actually have and leave out any you would have to force.

Where should the humour in a talk come from?

The humour in a talk should come from the way you already see the world. That can be a wry observation, a bit of self-awareness, or a true and slightly absurd detail from your own story. Humour drawn from your own view fits you. A borrowed joke fails twice, since it misses and makes you look like you are trying.

Lesson 7.3 of From Story to Stage, a free written course by Aaron C. Leaman, published by Brighter Future. The terms it uses are defined in the glossary.