The shocking truth about humor

We have been examining one of the most effective tools public speakers can use to endear their audiences to them – humor.

In our examination we have discussed how humor is often nothing more than a “making fun” of someone else in a somewhat sophisticated manner. If you choose the right target, it can be very effective. If you select the wrong one, it can completely alienate the audience.

Another aspect of humor is that we often use it to hide embarrassment. If we are confronted with a situation that is embarrassing, we sometimes laugh rather than “turn red”. In a sense, we are laughing at ourselves.

There are many who speak in public who use this element of humor to their advantage. They will literally embarrass the audience into laughing. They have to be careful though. Just enough humiliation will be considered funny. Too much and the audience will respond by being offended. 

Who uses these techniques to maximum advantage? We’ll talk about that in next week's newsletter.

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