Funny = Money: 5 Tips for Funnier Speeches
So says Ava Diamond – one of the go-to people if you want coaching on how to speak. She recently wrote this post on how to get some humour into your talks.
In the speaking business, we often say, “be more funny, make more money.” You might wonder why that is.
Laughter connects people. It connects your audience to you and makes you more likeable, and it connects audience members to each other because they’ve had the shared experience of laughing together
Meeting planners love speakers that use humor. I’m not talking about telling jokes here—I’m talking about blending humor into your message.
When you craft your keynote or breakout speech, keep in mind that your average audience member can retain 2-4 points. The rest of the time, you should be having fun, telling stories, and using humor to reinforce those points.
Here are 5 ways to be more funny and make more money…
1. Look for the humor in your own life
For example, Mark’s mom told him she wanted to use twitter so she could “twerk.” That would be gold for a social media speaker.
And you know how sometimes when you inadvertently call someone, and we say you “butt-called” them? Well, when Mark’s mom accidentally called him, she said, “Never mind, I must have just booty-called you.”
You can’t make this stuff up. The key is to write these things down, and to think about how you might integrate them into your message. Your audiences will love you for it.
2. Pay attention to the headlines
Every day, there is stuff in the news you can use. Look for double meanings, headlines, and other things that will fit your message.
One example? When Facebook’s stock tanked: “Facebook stock dropped so low, they were happy if you just ‘liked’ their stock.”
Of course, you have to make sure your humor is current…that joke wouldn’t make sense today.
3. Mine the humor that’s all around you
Comedy is usually based out of the negative—anger, frustration, annoyance. These are visceral indicators. When you feel or notice these things, pay attention.
If there’s something that’s frustrating or annoying to you, it often is for your audience as well. Look for those universal things.
Watch the comic genius of George Campbell as he turns the frustration of the TSA into material that has his audience laughing and laughing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?
4. Make a humor grid
Let’s say you have a story about when you were flying from New York to LA. The comedy masters of Funnier U taught us to take the topic, i.e., flying, and create a grid.
This grid has a column for each of these: People, Places, Phrases, Things, and Words.
You brainstorm the people involved with flying, (pilot, oversharer, crying baby, etc.), the places (control tower, ticket counter, bathroom), the phrases (“upright and locked position,” “things may have shifted in flight,” “low and tight across your lap”), all the way across the grid. Brainstorm as many as you can for each column.
You might even do a grid for New York, and grid for L.A. Then, look for humor, for unexpected combinations and relationships, and “funny up” your material.
5. Use the unexpected, the reverse, and misdirection
Humor often comes when we’re being taken down a path, and them, bam! It switches direction.
If you watched the video in the link above, George says, “If TSA is going to make me take off my pants…” You expect some kind of complaint, right? Something like “I’m not doing it,” or “I’ll stop flying.” Instead, he says, “I’m flying more!” It gets a laugh because it’s unexpected.
Try these five tips. “Funny-up” your material. And watch the reaction of your audiences. They’ll love you even more.
Ava Diamond is a speaking mentor and messaging strategist, and is the founder of Big Impact Speaking. She has created such programs as Speak Your Way to Clients and Cash, and the Rock Your Speaking Academy. A professional speaker for seventeen years, she helps entrepreneurs rock their speaking so they expand their influence and reach, become known as the “go-to” expert in their field, and get all the clients they want.
Download the complementary Rock Your Speaking Power Pack at http://BigImpactSpeaking.com Contact Ava at ava@bigimpactspeaking.com or at 970-224-3015.
