Yes, Folks! Another blog featuring simple, practical, and downright enjoyable ways to add humor to your presentation.
Now, before you start worrying that I’m about to turn you into a stand-up comedian, let me assure you—we’re not talking about comedy. Comedy – I suggest – is maybe a second or third cousin of humor, and let’s face it, not everyone has that comedic gene. Indeed, most people (incorrectly) think they are not funny. But that doesn’t mean you can’t use humor effectively in your presentations.
Humor vs. Comedy: What’s the Difference?
The basic idea of adding humor to your presentation is simple: you put a smile on your audience’s face, make them chuckle, or maybe even laugh. But more importantly, you are building a connection with them which can result in a very real reinforcement of your core message and make it memorable.
Comedy? That’s a whole different ball game. Comedy is about making people laugh just for the sake of laughter. In business, sure, it’s great if people laugh, but that laughter must be connected to your message. I want my humor to reinforce my professionalism, competence, and credibility. If it’s just a random joke about Kim Kardashian or some political figure, ask yourself is this humor reinforcing my core message?
VIDEO: Even More Tips for Adding Humor to your Presentation
The Power of Humor in Business Communication
Humor is not just about being entertaining. It’s a tool—a powerful one. Here’s why it matters:
- It reduces stress and tension. Whether in a sales call, a high-stakes meeting, or a presentation, humor helps people relax and makes your message more digestible.
- It enhances audience engagement. People remember stories, laughter, and lighthearted moments far more than a barrage of slides and statistics.
- It builds connections. Humor humanizes you, making you more relatable and likable—two traits that are invaluable in any professional setting.
See for instance: Effectiveness of a Humor-Based Training for Reducing Employees’ Distress*
A Simple Trick: Pay Attention to Everyday Humor
The best humor often comes from real-life moments—the small, slightly uncomfortable, and highly relatable experiences that people can nod along to and say, “Yep, been there!”
Take, for example, my recent child lock incident which I reference in the video. I was picking up my granddaughter, Maggie, from soccer practice. My wife gets Maggie strapped into the back seat, and being a crazy “Grampy” I hop in beside her, Maggie looks at me, wide-eyed, and says, “Grampy, you should be driving the car.”
I play around with her but eventually I try to exit the car—only to realize we’re on child lock, or as I now call it, Grampy Lock. So, there I am, stuck, trapped in the back seat of my own car, calling my daughter to come rescue me.
And guess what? She’s laughing her head off as she walks toward the car.
Now, aside from me proving what my wife has always know (that I’m basically a hopeless cause!) , there’s a valuable takeaway here: Not paying attention to your surroundings can land you in trouble. Whether it’s in manufacturing, safety, leadership, or public speaking, awareness is key. And when I tell a story like this, I’m not just making people laugh—I’m reinforcing a valuable lesson.
The COMPLIMENT Challenge
Humor isn’t the only way to build connections. Compliments are another fantastic tool.
I believe everyone can find a reason to compliment someone every single day. And no, it doesn’t have to be profound—sometimes, a playful remark works wonders.
For example, I regularly use the following line to reinforce my belief about the power of a compliment:
“Wow, your hair doesn’t look as bad as it did yesterday!” [Cue laughter and applause]
It’s light, it’s fun, and it gets people smiling. And honestly, who doesn’t like a compliment?
Final Thought: Make Adding Humor to your Presentation Intentional
If you want to add humor to your presentations, make it intentional. Start paying attention to:
- Moments in your life that make you laugh.
- Things you say that make others chuckle.
- Stories that have a lesson behind them.
If you commit to this, you will over a period of time develop a humor muscle—and trust me, your presentations (and your audience) will thank you for it.
So, that’s it from me for today. IrishmanSpeaks signing off—off to walk the land and find more simple tips, tricks, and techniques to make your presentations shine!
Cheers!
* Effectiveness of a Humor-Based Training for Reducing Employees’ Distress León-Pérez JM, Cantero-Sánchez FJ, Fernández-Canseco Á, León-Rubio JM. Effectiveness of a Humor-Based Training for Reducing Employees’ Distress. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Oct 24;18(21):11177. doi: 10.3390/ijerph182111177. PMID: 34769695; PMCID: PMC8583317.
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Includes funny quotes from Mark Twain, Mayor Richard J. Daley “”The policeman is not here to create disorder. The policeman is here to preserve disorder,” Mother Teresa (honest), George Bernard Shaw, Ronald Reagan, Barack Obama and many more.
IrishmanSpeaks – Conor Cunneen (left) is a Chicago-based motivational, humorous business speaker who delights in adding humor in his presentations and helping others to do the same.
About your Blogger on Adding Humor to your Presentation
Conor Cunneen – IrishmanSpeaks is an award winnng keynote speaker and business humorist. Conor’s mission is to leave his audience with a smile on the face, a spring in the step and memorable, actionable takeaways to improve people, performance and productivity – with a Smile. He also delights in helping others add humor to their presentation of sales pitch. Conor likes to play Metallica loud. His wife does not like him to play Metallica loud!
Video Text: Even More Ways to Add Humor to your Presentation
Hey, hey, hey! It’s Conor Cunneen, IrishmanSpeaks here, providing you with some simple tips, tricks, and techniques about adding humor to your presentation.
The basic idea here is that we’re talking about humor to reinforce core messages. We’re not talking about comedy. Comedy is maybe a second or third cousin of humor as far as I’m concerned. The basic idea of adding humor to your presentation is that you’ll put a smile on your audience’s face or your client’s face, you’ll make them chuckle, or maybe even make them laugh. But it’s designed to reinforce your core message and help your message be memorable.
Comedy, I would suggest, is different. Comedy is making people laugh just because you want to make them laugh. In business, it’s nice to have people laughing, but that laughter has to be associated with your message. It has to show that you are professional, that you’re competent, and the laughter will then help reinforce your message.
That’s basically what we’ll be talking about on this channel—simple tips, tricks, and techniques for adding humor to your presentation in a relevant manner that will reduce any stress, anxiety, or tension in a sales call or client presentation. It will help you better connect with your audience or client, and there is significant research to justify those comments. You will see some references to them in the description below.
So, Conor Cunneen, IrishmanSpeaks, off to walk the land again and come up with some other simple tips, tricks, and techniques to help you add relevant humor to your presentation.
Cheers!
What I also believe is that everyone in this room can find some reason to compliment someone.
I mean, you could come over with something like, “Wow, your hair doesn’t look as bad as it did yesterday!” [Applause]
That kind of thing will work. But everyone here can work on the COMPLIMENT acronym.
So, number one in CHAPS is COMPLIMENT—I will compliment one person when I get into work.
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