Role of the Humour in speech
Answers
Explanation:
how do great speakers connect, engage and entertain their audiences?
The French author Victor Hugo said, “Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face.” Imagine the effect when you are speaking to an audience of dozens, hundreds or thousands!
When used properly, humour is a powerful tool in any speaker’s arsenal and it can have tremendous benefits:
It creates a bond with the audience
A speaker who uses humour well comes across as more human, more likeable. This puts an audience at ease and makes people more receptive to your ideas. As British comedian John Cleese has said, “If I can get you to laugh with me, you like me better, which makes you more open to my ideas.”
It energizes people and keeps them engaged
When we laugh, there is a lot that goes on inside our body. Our heart rate increases and that keeps us stimulated and alert.
It can provide emotional relief for the audience
Many talks are serious and many talks are emotionally challenging for an audience. Well-placed humour can give your audience some much-needed relief in an otherwise serious talk.
It helps the audience remember your points
Laughter has been shown to improve memory and cognitive function. This helps the audience remember your ideas.
It leaves the audience with a good impression of the speaker
American poet, Maya Angelou, said, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
Let’s look at three examples.
Andrew Solomon – How the worst moments in our lives make us who we are
In a poignant TED Talk, writer Andrew Solomon shares stories of courage in the face of adversity. In particular, he opens up about his past and his struggle to come to grips with his sexuality.
For the first eight minutes of his talk, Solomon shares stories of adversity. From a woman who was raped and had a child as a result, to a political prisoner who almost died in prison in Myanmar, to his own humiliation and the bullying he endured at school, he holds the audience in his grip but the atmosphere is fraught.
Then, around the eight-minute mark, Solomon says:
“In my own adolescence, I went to extreme lengths to try to be straight. I enrolled myself in something called ‘sexual surrogacy therapy,’ in which people I was encouraged to call doctors prescribed what I was encouraged to call exercises with women I was encouraged to call surrogates, who were not exactly prostitutes but who were also not exactly anything else.”
This line elicits great laughter and even a bit of applause from the audience.
Solomon immediately continues:
“My particular favorite was a blonde woman from the Deep South who eventually admitted to me that she was really a necrophiliac, and had taken this job after she got in trouble down at the morgue.”
More laughter. Solomon’s talk continues for another 12 minutes with at least four or five more laughs, and culminates with a very profound, very moving story and message