How to add Humour to your Presentation
Are your presentations full of beans? Because maybe they should be.
Thanks in large part to social media – especially the likes of Instagram and YouTube – there’s an increasing desire by audiences to be entertained. And at speed.
Simply relaying facts and figures no longer cuts it. The bar has gone up.
Hence the rampant requests for training in Storytelling. And also for humour, for telling jokes. After all, there’s no such thing as a dull topic – only a dull speaker.
Which creates a problem.
Storytelling is powerful. It’s universal, used by all people, ages, and genders. Provided they are appropriate, relevant, structured and told well, stories can embellish any presentation, increasing interest and aiding memory.
The same can be said about Humour. It’s universal. Indeed, babies laugh before they learn to speak. No society or group has yet been found that doesn’t have a sense of humour.
But here’s the rub.
Everyone has their own sense of humour. And because of that, it’s not only powerful. It’s extremely high risk.
On the one and, used appropriately, it can be used to stop the gathering of Nazi demonstrators — BBC; 2014 Wunsiedel
On the other hand, used inappropriately, it can force a multi-billion-pound business empire to restructure financially, for its shares to plumet from 4.20 to 7£ almost overnight, and for the CEO to be sacked from his own family business — The Guardian; 2009, a Jeweller’s tale
With that fear of being misunderstood, or, perhaps worst of all, no-one laughing at your joke, but laughing at you instead, it’s hardly surprising to find that many presenters shy away from using humour.
Whilst this reluctance is totally understandable, it’s also a shame. Frankly speaking, the World could do with a bit more humour.
The ‘Bean Approach’
Photo courtesy by Gerhard Heeke
With that in mind, here’s one tip for anyone wishing to be that bit more entertaining when presenting: “Bean it”
The fact is, humour doesn’t travel well. What’s funny in one culture may be seen as trivial or even offensive in another. Unless, of course, you’re Rowan Atkinson, better known as Mr Bean.
The series, “The Trouble with Mr Bean” has been sold in 245 territories worldwide.
Whilst its universal appeal is partly because there’s no dialogue, it’s also because each episode involves a common human incident to which everyone watching can relate.
So especially if your audience is multi-cultural (which is highly likely these days), consider adopting the ‘Bean Approach’:
Use simple wording
Be super relevant
Keep it short
And don’t forget to laugh yourself!
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Until next month!
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The Connect Family
