Humor - Is it worth the risk?

This originally appeared at www.ragan.com.

Did you hear the one about the speechwriter, the priest and the CEO who walked into a gay bar? No? Well, maybe that’s because a lot of speechwriters these days are recovering from another outbreak of foot-in-mouth disease. They’re just not going to risk telling a joke, not even to one another.

First, National Security Adviser James Jones was forced to apologize after a joke featuring Jewish merchants—to a pro-Israel think tank—went awry. Then, although President Obama drew rave reviews for his jokes at the annual Correspondent’s Dinner, he also drew some criticism.

This after White House speechwriters were advised to be on guard from Slate’s Christopher Beam, who warned: “When politicians tell jokes, some kill. Others kill their chances of ever becoming president.” His article is a great “do-this, not that” of political joke-telling.

But how about the rest of us who write for corporate honchos or chief executives at universities, not-for-profits and other organizations? They deserve a right to be funny, too, right? Well, maybe.

Humor can help put an audience at ease, make your speaker appear warm and personable and provide a great segue into the main presentation. They can also make an audience angry, make your speaker appear cold and out of touch and cut off any audience rapport you might have hoped for.

My rule of thumb is: If your speaker is naturally funny, allow him or her to be funny (with your skilled guidance). If your speaker isn’t funny, proceed with extreme caution and an understanding of the limits of your funny-bone powers.

Here are a few tips to help you when you speaker demands you “write me something funny.” Let’s start with the humor you shouldn’t use. 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 punchline.
• Depends on context. As Obama and Jones show above, jokes can be taken out of context too easily today. 

So what does work? A couple of things:

• Self-deprecating humor. Poking a little fun at yourself is a great way to show humility and openness. It’s the safest and shows the audience the speaker is comfortable. But please, oh please, never allow your speakers to make fun of their ability to speak. It’s the last thing an audience needs to hear. A warm, shared joke on your profession, on the other hand, can work miracles.

Boeing CEO Jim McNerney warmed up his audience of engineers at the College of Engineering at the University of Michigan with the classic story of Icarus—with a twist. After telling of Daedalus’ wings of feathers, fastened with linen and wax, he reminded them of how Icarus soared too close to the sun and melted the wax.

“Though Icarus continued to flap his arms, they no longer caught the wind, and the poor boy plunged into the sea,” McNerney said. “In the language of engineering, Icarus exceeded his thermal limits—leading to structural failure and a subsequent loss of control. Ladies and gentlemen, students and members of the faculty, that is the wonderful— but unforgiving—world of engineering!”

• Funny quotations. Short, humorous quotations allow you to be funny even when you aren’t because you’re simply channeling someone else. They work especially well if the audience is familiar with the original source.

• Funny headlines. Many times newspapers 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 yourself help lighten the mood and allow the audience to see the real you. Gen. Douglas MacArthur used this to great effect when opening a speech at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, where he was being honored with the Thayer Award. Keep in mind that by this time MacArthur was one of West Point’s most famous graduates. First in his class. First Captain of the Corps of Cadets. Medal of Honor winner. If anyone had the right to think that everyone in the United States knew his story, it was MacArthur. All of which makes this opening so much more effective.

“General Westmoreland, General Grove, distinguished guests, and gentlemen of the Corps. As I was leaving the hotel this morning, a doorman asked me, "Where are you bound for, General?" And when I replied, "West Point," he remarked, ‘Beautiful place. Have you ever been there before?’”

MacArthur’s humility and self-deprecating humor in the opening earned him not only laughter but credibility. A joke—among soldiers—enhanced the already strong feeling of good will the audience felt toward him and set an easy tone.

Whether you decide to use humor is up to you. If you do throw in some humor, however, make sure it doesn’t end up being the headline. Otherwise, the joke could be on you.

Comments

[Chris Witt]

Fletcher,

I steer my clients away from telling jokes, especially at the beginning of the speech when the audience hasn't been properly warmed up.

But I'm always happy when people can pull off humor, which is a different thing all together. A little bit of levity -- using the techniques you suggest -- can help just about any speech.

I especially enjoy people who can laugh at themselves.