ADVANCED COMMUNICATION AND LEADERSHIP PROGRAM

HUMOROUSLY SPEAKING

 People like to laugh. Laughter is a release and escape from the serious problems and situations they encounter daily. Laughter has even been found to have positive physical benefits. It relieves stress and tension and relaxes us. Most everyone enjoys reading humorous stories and listening to comedians on radio and television and in person. Of course, everyone loves the "clown"- the friend or co-worker who has the natural ability to make people laugh with jokes and antics. And most people enjoy listening to public speakers and seminar leaders who use humor in their presentations. Yet many novice speakers are afraid of using humor in their own presentations. "I' not a comedian," some say. " I can't tell a joke." Others are afraid their attempts at humor will fail and they will be left standing embarrassed, humiliated, and alone in front of the crowd. But humor has many benefits for speakers. Humor can:

* Help establish a bond with your audience. Humor is a good "ice breaker." It shows, especially if you are in a position of authority over your audience, that you are indeed human and don't take yourself or the occasion too seriously.

*  Win over a hostile audience. Occasionally speakers are required to address audiences who the speakers know will not be receptive to their message. Perhaps the speaker's topic is controversial or maybe the audience has been required to attend the presentation by an employer. Or the speaker is delivering bad news. In these situations, a speaker's use  of humor can add levity to the event and help diffuse hostility.

* Keep the audience interested. People pay more attention to a speaker who uses humor. Humor keeps a presentation from becoming boring.

* Emphasize or illustrate a point. Humor makes an impression. An audience is more likely to remember your message if your message if you use humor to illustrate it.

*  Help people remember you. People remember witty and amusing people.

The purpose of this manual is not to make you a comedian. It's purpose is simply to help you use humor in the speeches you normally give to attract and retain the audience's interest and make points more effectively. You are not required or even expected to write your own jokes and humorous stories, although you may do so if you wish. Instead, you will develop your own "Humor File" and learn to adapt funny material found in books, cartoons, and other places to your own presentations.

    WARM UP YOUR AUDIENCE. ( 1)

Remember the speeches you presented while completing the basic Communication and leadership program manual? One of the lessons you learned was that the opening of your speech must immediately catch your audience's attention. It must arouse the audience's interest in you and your topic and lead into the speech subject.  

* Objectives  : Prepare a speech that opens with a humorous story. > Personalize the story. > Deliver the story smoothly and effectively. Time : five to seven minutes. 

    LEAVE THEM WITH A SMILE. (2)    

Another lesson you learned in the basic Communication and leadership program manual is that your speech is important. The audience remembers best what it hears last. Your closing must be memorable, reinforcing your main idea and leaving your listeners with a lasting impression. Using humor in your closing is an excellent way to remember you and what you said, the old saying "always leave them laughing" is good advice. Using humor in your closing.

   MAKE THEM LAUGH. (3)

Using humorous openings and closings are two ways to enliven your presentations and make them memorable. Another way is to include humor throughout the speech. If your opening humorous story was successful, you had the audience's attention as you moved into your presentations. However, after a few minutes, listeners' attention begins to wane. You need to say something periodically that will quickly bring their attention back to you. Humor is the most effective way to do this.

Objectives : Prepare a speech that opens and closes with humorous stories. > Include jokes in that speech body to illustrate points or maintain audience interest. > Deliver the jokes and stories smoothly and effectively. Time: Five to seven minutes.

KEEP THEM LAUGHING (4)

In Project 1, you learned how to open your speech with a humorous story to attract your audience's attention and lead them into your presentation . But you can preface your talk in another way-with a joke. And you also can string together several jokes- not just one, as learned in Project 3- in the body of the speech to illustrate points or break up tedious complex material.

 THE HUMOROUS SPEECH (5)

In previous projects you learned how to use humor in your speeches to attract and keep listeners' attention, to illustrate points, and to break up tedious or complex parts of a speech. Most likely this is how you will use humor in your speeches. The purpose of your speech is serious, but you add humor to effectively achieve your purpose. However, sometimes you may want to give an entirely humorous speech-one whose primary purpose is to entertain. In  project 4 you learned how to string together several jokes about the same topic. A humorous speech is based on the same principle. You select a topic, then find or create jokes about that topic. But a humorous speech has several special features.    

Objectives : Use exaggeration to tell a humorous story. Entertain the audience. Effectively use body language and voice to enhance the story. Time : Five to seven minutes.

                                                            RECORD OF ASSIGNMENT                                                             

HUMOROUSLY SPEAKING

                                                                       ADVANCED COMMUNICATION AND LEADERSHIP PROGRAM.