Humorously Speaking

Every speaker benefits from using humor. Learn how to begin a speech with a humorous story to get listeners' attention, end a speech with a humorous story, use humorous stories and anecdotes throughout the body of your speech to emphasize points, incorporate jokes into presentations and prepare and present an entirely humorous speech.  (order manual)

1. Warm Up Your Audience

 
Objectives:

  • Prepare a speech that opens with a humorous story

  • Personalize the story

  • Deliver the story smoothly and effectively

Time:

5 to 7 minutes

 
Evaluation:

  • How well did the opening story relate to the speech topic?

  • Was the story appropriate for the audience?

  • Was the story amusing to you?

  • Did the story attract and keep your attention?

  • How did the speaker’s delivery of the story help or hinder the story’s impact on you?

  • How could the speaker improve the story’s delivery? Comment on the setup, delivery, and pause.

  • How comfortable and confident did the speaker appear to be while telling the story?

  • Was the speech body organized clearly and logically?

  • What could the speaker do to improve the speech?

2. Leave Them With a Smile

 
Objectives:

  • Prepare a serious speech that opens and closes with humorous stories

  • Prepare a closing story that reemphasizes the speech’s main point

  • Deliver the stories smoothly and effectively

Time:

5 to 7 minutes

 
Evaluation:

  • How well did the opening story relate to the speech topic?

  • How well did the closing story reemphasize the speech’s main point?

  • How appropriate were both stories for the audience?

  • How amusing were the stories to you?

  • How effectively did the closing story end the speech?

  • How comfortable and confident did the speaker appear while telling both stories?

  • How well did the speaker deliver the set-ups, pauses before the punch lines, punch lines, punch words, and the ending pauses for both stories?

3. Make Them Laugh

 
Objectives:

  • Prepare a speech that opens and closes with humorous stories

  • Include jokes in the speech body to illustrate points or maintain audience interest

  • Deliver the jokes and stories smoothly and effectively

Time:

5 to 7 minutes

 
Evaluation:

  • How well did the opening story relate to the speech topic?

  • How well did the closing story reemphasize the speech’s main point?

  • How well did the jokes illustrate or emphasize the speaker’s points?

  • If the speech had any tedious or complex parts, were jokes used to break them up? If so, how effective were the jokes at doing so?

  • How smooth were the transitions between the jokes and the speech body?

  • How comfortable and confident did the speaker appear while telling the stories and jokes?

  • How well did the speaker deliver the set-ups, pauses before the punch lines, punch lines, punch words, and the ending pauses for the stories and jokes?

  • Were the stories and jokes appropriate? Were they amusing to you?

4. Keep Them Laughing

 
Objectives:

  • Prepare a speech that opens with a self-deprecating joke

  • String together two or three related jokes in the speech body

  • Close the speech with a humorous story

Time:

5 to 7 minutes

 
Evaluation:

  • How effective was the opening joke in breaking the ice with the audience?

  • How well did the jokes illustrate or emphasize the speaker’s points?

  • How well was each set of jokes in the speech body tied together?

  • If any parts of the speech were tedious or complex, were jokes used to break them up? If so, did the jokes succeed in doing so?

  • How smooth were the transitions between the jokes and the speech body?

  • How well did the closing story reemphasize the speech’s main point?

  • How comfortable or confident did the speaker appear while telling the jokes and story?

  • Were the story and jokes amusing to you? If not, why?

5. The Humorous Speech

 
Objectives:

  • Use exaggeration to tell a humorous story

  • Entertain the audience

  • Effectively use body language and voice to enhance the story

Time:

5 to 7 minutes

 
Evaluation:

  • What indicated to you that the audience was entertained?

  • What made the speech humorous?

  • How well did the jokes/stories fit the theme of the speech?

  • Did any of the stories/jokes seem awkward to you? Which ones? Why?

  • How did the speaker’s body language and vocal variety add impact to the speech?

  • How well did the speaker tie stories/jokes together? Were transitions smooth?

  • What could the speaker have done to improve the presentation?