Set the scene for laughter.
If you want to lighten up your program,you might want
to let the audience know this, even before you say one
word. Project some lighthearted visuals as the audience is
entering the room. Play some uplifting music as they
enter. Or, add some humor to your presentation title or
program description. Your bio, for example, can have a list
of accomplishments, playfully followed by “His mother is
very proud.”
Facial expression is a big part.
In a funny situation where everyone is laughing, try hard
to look blank, like you don’t know what’s happening. You
get laughs, and all eyes are on YOU. Don’t be scared.
Some people like staring at other people unexpectedly-
that cracks up laughs.
Poke fun at yourself.
Again, even before you open your mouth, you can show
the audience that you don’t take yourself too seriously by
adding some playful things about you in your introduction.
For example, have the announcer tell the audience that
you are the author of seven books which have sold well
over 3 copies. Then the person corrects their mistake and
says, “Oops, that’s 300,000 copies.” Or go wild, put it
the other way around.
Get some laughs with a prop.
It has been said that learning is enhanced with visual aids.
If this is true, then speakers need to enhance their talks
with something to visually illustrate what they are saying.
A prop is a great way to do this because it not only makes
your message memorable but it can also get a laugh. Use
balloons to illustrate how people can let go of their stress
or an inflatable globe to illustrate how we often carry the
world around on our shoulders. All make a point and all
get a laugh.
Tell your humorous stories.
Open your humor eyes and ears and look and listen for
the funny things that happen all around you. Families are
an especially good resource for finding humorous stories.
One such story involves the author’s 93-year-old mother.
Every time she goes to the doctor, she hires a van service
to take her there and back. One late afternoon, it didn’t
show up to take her home. Since the doctor had to close
the office for the day, he suggested that she wait for the
van in the pizza parlor next door. After waiting a long
time without the van arriving, she went up to the counter
and asked, “Do you deliver?” When the man behind the
counter replied, “Of course, we do. We’re a pizza place.”
She said, “Great. Then I’d like a pepperoni pizza and I’d
like to go with it.”
Borrow some witty words.
While waiting for your own humor-related stories to
appear, you might want to borrow some funny short
quotes from famous people to lighten up your talks.
Quotation books, the TV, newspapers, and magazines such
as Reader’s Digest are great resources for locating great
quotes. For instance, if you frequently speak to hospice
groups, Woody Allen’s comments about death and dying
are appropriate (e.g., “There are worse things in life than
death. Have you ever spent an evening with an insurance
salesman?”) Quotes and one-liners from movies and TV
shows often work, but make sure they are not too
dramatic or well known. Studying sitcom characters like
Chandler Bing from Friends will get you in the mentality
of a naturally funny person.
Collect audience anecdotes.
Sometimes audiences say the funniest things. When they
do, write it down. It could be a big laugh in your next
presentation.
Remember the bottom line.
For non-humorists, some of the ideas presented here may
seem too frivolous for your subject matter. Nevertheless,
you are still encouraged to seek some way of upping the
entertainment value of your talks because it might also
increase what you can charge. As Steve Allen once noted,
“People will pay more to be entertained than educated”.
Fake stories.
Usually real comedians use fake stories to make a cheap
laugh. Kind of like Brian Regan uses the “Stupid in
school” joke. Even though it’s a fake story, he made it up
and the audience still laughed at it.
Make it relevant.
One final word about using humor in your presentations—
make sure it is relevant. Amusing an audience for the sake
of getting a laugh might be ideal for a stand-up comedian
or an after-dinner humorist but it’s probably not good for
most speakers. If your humor doesn’t make a point or
have a purpose, don’t use it.
Don’t laugh at your own joke.
As funny the joke might be, never laugh at your own joke.
It will make your audience bored.

Yeah, true

All of this