For most people, it’s perfectly normal to feel nerves when speaking in public. The only problem is, being nervous can have a big impact on your ability to deliver a great presentation.

One way to use humour effectively is to break down the barriers with your audience.  You can use it to address uncomfortable things, call out the ‘elephant in the room’, say the thing that everyone is thinking and dissolve basically anything that will stop people from listening to you.

I was having a chat with a Professional Speaker recently who said something that startled me a bit.  She said “I’ve been trying to do a Stand Up Comedy Course for years, but I’ve never been able to do it because I haven’t been in town for 8 weeks in a row to get to all the classes”.

he number 1 rule if you want to be funny is DON’T TELL JOKES.

Now I get this may seem completely contradictory, so let me explain.  Jokes are a real problem for Speakers because it puts you on the radar.  As a Speaker, you have the huge advantage that your humour is able to fly under the radar because nobody expects you to be funny.  

The first rule if you want to get a laugh from your audience is don’t tell jokes.  Jokes are a real problem for Speakers because it puts you on the radar and people know that you are trying to be funny.  If the joke doesn’t work, you’ve left it all hanging out, looking like a bit of a dill. #awkward