How to Add Humor to Your Presentation Without Adding Jokes

Stop trying to be funny in presentations.

You heard me.

But Beth, isn't that your whole gig? Showing people how to add humor to their professional interactions?

Yes it is, but I want to show them how to do it in a way that allows them to work smarter, not harder. Now stop bothering me, weird rhetorical device.

Whatever you're trying to write -- TED talk, keynote speech, conference presentation, marketing materials -- don't sit down to write with the intention of being funny.

I find myself giving this counter-intuitive tip fairly often, and it came up again this week on a call with a client who needed help with remarks for a boss' welcome to an office-wide party. He said, "I know how to write a speech, but I don't know how to write a funny speech."

So, don't write one.

Instead, write the earnest version of your speech, then go back and make your content edits, and then read it through looking for comedic opportunities you can exploit.

Thinking of it in terms of food, (my favorite way to think about anything,) imagine that the main content of your piece is the cake, and the humor you'd like to add is the icing and decoration.

Need reasons not to attempt making your content funny from draft one?

Four (4) reasons why focusing on humor is the wrong mindset

1) It's way too much pressure to put on yourself. "Be funny, RIGHT NOW!" That kind of pressure is right up there with, "Be romantic. NOW!"

2) Focusing on humor (while fun,) will distract you from your most important goal -- a thoughtful, well-constructed piece.

3) If you add jokes before you've fully landed on your content, Murphy's Law says you'll write a great joke -- inevitably, for a point or section you will later realize is an unnecessary darling that you must kill, along with the collateral damage of your great joke. I've been there. Often. It sucks.

4) Finally, a joke added before the rest of the content is fully developed will feel generic -- because it is. The best humor comes out of truth. It's specific. A random joke you've pasted in from an internet list of "funny speech openers" will never be as funny as something hard-wired to your presentation. It may be fine, but if you're reading this, I'm assuming you're aiming a bit higher than that.

I mean, who wants to make a cake from scratch and be told, "It's fine?"

All that said, it's fine to throw in a little humor along the way if something strikes you. Just don't make it a priority until the content of your speech is fully developed.

Need some help? Work with a presentation coach

Nothing improves your performance like confidence in your material and delivery.

I’m a speaker myself, and I spent nearly 30 years as a comedian and an Emmy-winning TV comedy writer, so I’m in a unique position to help speakers with their content from the page to the stage, teaching professionals how to use humor—not simply for laughs, but for connection, persuasion, and impact.

If you’d like help adding humor to your presentation — in a way that’s authentic to you and organic to the material — take a look at my one-to-one presentation coaching options, or go ahead and schedule a free call with me here.