It’s one of the greatest fears – and myths – about speech making: Speakers have to be funny.
Why oh why do speakers put extra pressure on themselves to be the next standup comedian? Why do some insist that every speech open with a joke?
Yes, humor add tremendous value to a speech. It can add warmth, it can show that your speaker is open, and it can make an uncomfortable situation a little more bearable by taking some of the tension from the room. But it also has significant risks and must be handled with care.
On the positive side, consider U.S. Army General Stanley McChrystal. The general was forced into retirement in 2010 for making unflattering remarks about Vice President Biden and others in a Rolling Stone article. During his retirement speech, he used humor to great effect.
He began with a joke about wanting to exaggerate his accomplishments then follows it up with another that signals he’s not there to dodge the question of his retirement.
“ ... to those here tonight who feel the need to contradict my memories with the truth, remember I was there, too. I have stories on all of you, photos on many, and I know a Rolling Stone reporter.”
He follows in a long list of public figures who have used humor to disarm their critics. President Reagan was a master at it. For those who thought his advanced age was a problems, he would deliver a version of this joke: “Thomas Jefferson once said, ‘We should never judge a president by his age, only by his works.’ And ever since he told me that, I stopped worrying.”
And even President Obama used humor – of all places – in an otherwise sobering State of the Union address earlier this year. In a very Reagan-esque line about the large size of the Federal government, Obama said: "The Interior Department is in charge of salmon while they're in fresh water, but the Commerce Department handles them in when they're in saltwater. I hear it gets even more complicated once they're smoked."
But those examples are the exception. Most speakers 1) don’t need to be funny and 2) aren’t that funny to begin with. I’ve found that most audiences react better to authentic warmth and caring than they do a forced joke.
And for every joke that goes well, there are many more that fall short of making your speaker appear warm and caring. Anyone remember Ricky Gervais at the Golden Globes?
So, what to do? My standing rule of thumb is: If your speaker is naturally funny, encourage him or her to be funny (with your skilled guidance). On the other hand, if they lack the humor gene, remind them of why they are speaking in the first place and put forward the argument that humor may detract from that goal.
Still want to proceed with humor? Here are a few guidelines. Never use humor that:
- Is based on ethnicity, gender or race. Don’t even try it.
- Is a canned joke you got from a joke book or the Internet. If you saw it, chances are someone else did, too.
- Is hurtful to anyone or any organization. Never ridicule. If there’s ever a doubt, leave it out.
- Takes longer than one minute to get to the punch line.
- Depends on context. Jokes can – and will – be taken out of context.
So what does work? A couple of things:
• Self-deprecating humor. McChrystal shows us the way. Poking a little fun at yourself is a great way to show humility and openness. It’s safe and shows the audience the speaker is comfortable. But please, oh please, never allow your speakers to make fun of their speaking ability. It’s the last thing an audience needs to hear.
Another self-deprecating example from President Obama, whose love of playing basketball is well known: When he was awarding the Medal of Freedom to basketball player Bill Russell recently, President Obama made light of his own basketball abilities. Basketball, he said, “... is what I do; that's not what I am. I'm not a basketball player; I am a man who plays basketball.”
• Funny quotations. Short, humorous quotations allow you to be funny even when you aren’t because your speaker is simply channeling someone else. They work especially well if the audience is familiar with the original source.
• Funny headlines. Competing newspapers or news web sites often have funny headlines or two separate headlines that seem to say the opposite things. Relating these kinds of personal observations can be a safe way to get people laughing.
• Personal anecdotes. Brief stories about your speaker’s background, kids or pets play well, especially if the humor is a bit self-deprecating or provides the audience with an insight into the speaker.
Fletcher,
I think you covered just about every salient point about using -- or not using -- humor in a speech. Great job.
I especially like your advice about helping people who are naturally humorous use humor in their speeches. Most people simply aren't that funny even when they're having a relaxed conversation. Why do they think they can be funny when they're giving a speech?
Posted by: Chris Witt | March 08, 2011 at 01:54 PM