A Good Anecdote Helps Add Humor to a Speech or presentation

Above: Mark Twain who was world famous for adding humor to a presentation or speech.

In a previous blog, L.A.U.G.H. - The Formula for Adding Humor to your Presentation, I outlined 5 powerful steps to help you add the funny to your speech and presentation.

These were: 

L = Listen  (See Blog Step 1 in Adding Humor to your Presentation)

A = Anecdote

U = Uncomfortable

G = Google

H = Hee Hee Hee to Ho Ho Ho

Today we consider how Anecdote is a powerful vehicle for adding humor to your speech or presentation. 

Here's a typical audience interaction during my program on Adding Humur two you're Presentation.

The Irishman asks: "What makes you laugh?'

Audience: "Jokes," which is almost always first response.

Question: " Who do you laugh most with?"

Audience: "Friends" is by far the most popular response.

Question: "When you laugh with friends, is it mainly jokes that you are laughing at?"

Audience (now thinking of their relationship with friends): "Hmm, maybe not. It tends to be Stories, Family events, Reminisces."

FREE: 53 Humorous Quotes & Flubs you can use in any presentation

If we buy into the research that suggests the average adult laughs / smiles 15 times a day, we all know that we don't hear 15 jokes a day. Indeed, quite often we might not hear one joke. While the knee jerk reaction is that it is jokes we laugh most often at, the reality is that jokes are but a small percentage of the laughter generators for most of us. This is a key element I discuss in Adding Humor to your Presentation

Camaraderie and interaction between friends (especially in an informal situation with more than two people) is fertile ground for laughter that you can capture. You will be talking about your kids, dogs, cats, spouses, schools, work, visit to the dentist, doctor, dietitian, bad customer service, good customer service, car repairs, restaurants, shopping etc. Your friends will be talking about kids, dogs, cats, spouses, schools, work, visit to the dentist, doctor, dietitian, bad customer service, good customer service, car repairs, restaurants, shopping etc.

The stories and anecdotes will be engaging, natural and quite often funny and you will be leaving that conversation with a smile on your face. Most of the humor in that conversation is likely repeatable and usable in some other context, BUT, BUT, BUT, if you don’t capture and record what it was generated the laughter, either by you or your friend, you are unlikely to remember it.

Basic rule that I keep repeating: If you say something that your friends find funny (and you will) capture it. If your friends say something that you find funny (and you will,) capture it. Figure out where to use it later.

I would venture to suggest that the catalyst for the greatest laughter between you and friends is a good anecdote, particularly one where you are recounting something that went wrong, but you can now laugh at. Would you agree / disagree with this assertion.

In the next blog we will explore further how to use an Anecdote and combine it with the next lesson in the L.A.U.G.H. acronym which is "U" for "Uncomfortable." All to help you make your speeches and presentations just a little bit funnier.  

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Hope you find these blogs helpful. Stay safe and ...........

Keep On, Keepin' ON!

Learn more about Adding Humor to your Presentation

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Blog written by an Irishman, happily exiled in Chicago. Conor Cunneen is IrishmanSpeaks whose objective as a business keynote speaker and business humorist is to leave his audience with a smile on the face, a spring in the step and memorable actionable takeaways to improve the world just a little bit each day.

He hopes the ideas here will help you to write a funny speech or presentation and leave your audience with that smile on the face.