by Chris Brogan | January 26, 2012 | (1)

I REMEMBER WHEN I FIRST ADDED COMEDY TO MY SPEECHES. It was a hot August day a couple years ago, and I was about to perform at Carolines, a legendary comedy club that has hosted Jerry Seinfeld, Tim Allen, Billy Crystal, Rosie O’Donnell and that ne’er do well Jay Leno. The conference was called Audience, and it was about half marketing and media types and half up-and-coming comics. And I was terrified.

I’d been a pro speaker for a few years, and I was confident (whether or not I should have been is another matter). But comics? Bona fide funny people? I was going to have to up my game if I wanted to be memorable to these real-life joke slingers. 

Comedy and the Speaker

So, I studied. I watched YouTube videos of the comics who were scheduled to perform. I learned that most comics perfect their routines by doing them over and over and over and over and *sigh* over. I don’t—I try not to give the same speech twice. I also learned that timing and surprise were the two key elements that make comedy funny. This proved useful. As my little league baseball coach used to tell me, “Timing is...oh, forget it,” while I sat warming the bench.

Comedy Isn’t Canned

The big difference between integrating comedic elements in a presentation and reciting a joke you read on Bestjokestotellduringspeeches.com is like the difference between making a ceviche to impress your dinner date and peeling the plastic off everything but the berry cobbler when you serve her a TV dinner. I experienced the latter the other day at a CEO event. The speaker, who clearly would have rather stabbed his mouth with a fork, told a wispy, stale joke that fell apart between his mouth and the microphone.

If you’re going to add comedy, the reward is huge. But you need practice, cadence and knowledge of what works for you and what doesn’t. The advice I’m about to give you has worked well for me with two caveats: I’m not great at comedy, but I am funny and I’m telling you how to be funny based on what’s funny to me.

Actually, what I’ve failed to show is that audiences actually like me. I can tell you from those (oh-so-Satanic) speaker review forms that it’s a mixed bag every time.

“Speaker was well-versed in his subject matter, but I couldn’t stand his jokes. He seemed to be more interested in telling jokes than educating me.” Ouch.

“Speaker was hilarious. I have no idea what he was trying to tell me, but I laughed the whole time and stayed awake.”

And in both cases, I’m sure that I was darned funny. I’m also sure that I gave a lot of useful information. But my speaking style feels loose and unplanned, because I like the air of it being new for the first time. Sometimes, I deliver in a right-brain way to a left-brain audience, and that’s where things go squirrelly.

I digress. Take my advice with a pinch of cumin (salt is bad for you, the papers say).

Mix In the Funny

1. Repeat after me. “I will never, ever tell jokes that I found on some best-speech-jokes website…Also, I really like Chris Brogan.” 

2. People respond to situations that have happened to them, but that they don’t realize have also happened to you. I often talk about how people sleep with their cell phones beside their pillows as if they are surgeons or superheroes. When I joke about this, people realize how absurd it is, acknowledge that they do it and that I do it, too. It’s the mirror effect. And it’s funny.

3. Cultural references shared by (a super-majority of) the audience can be funny. But so are pointing out differences. I’m from New England, where we’re known to be a bit buttoned-up (standoffish). I often joke that where I’m from, people step over you if you fall down, but that’s because we’re busy being embarrassed for you. (Be careful with this one.)

4. Admit strange truths. When I tell c-level audiences that I’m wearing Batman underwear, it sets an off-kilter tone that helps my overall performance. When I say something else that’s factually odd but (could be) true, the audiences think, “Well, he did mention that Batman underwear. This must also be true.” (And I like telling people about my underwear.)

It’s not for everyone, but humor can keep audiences entertained and attentive. Why? Because the same parts of the brain we use to interpret funny are the same ones we use to pay keen attention (forgive the scientific jargon there). When you mix funny with important details, people retain important details. Try it. You’ll see. One+

TAGS: One+ January 2012 , column , speakers , core meeting skills , presentation , professional development