Space out your appeals to humor. Some speakers try to engage in a stand-up comedy routine about their topic and then move into the serious part of the message. This too often feels disjointed or insincere. And it makes the heavier content less attractive, or at least less engaging, than the lighter content. That means your audience might miss the most important stuff because they’ve become bored with the more somber tone after a funny opening.

Timing Matters

<ul><li>Humor has a way of opening the audience up to engaging with your message for a few reasons:</li><li>It feels universal: almost everyone likes to laugh.</li><li>It feels connective: when we laugh together we remember we have things in common.</li><li>It feels safe: if we are laughing, we aren’t worried or fearful.</li></ul>When something makes us laugh, it catches our attention and invites us deeper. So every time the audience laughs together during Finley’s presentation, they feel a little more connected to each other, to him, and to his message. Which is something that all presenters desire.

Why Does Humor Work?

“Humor is a great way of engaging people, even if there is something a little sad underneath some of the pieces. Hopefully, people will find something there to think about as well.”

In his TEDx Talk which is just over 10 minutes, <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=finley+ted+talk&amp;cvid=c8a4baf0afbc47fda8b54c2de94e6664&amp;pglt=43&amp;FORM=ANNTA1&amp;PC=HCTS" dir="ltr">Ron Finley</a> makes the audience laugh five times. Want to guess what his talk is about? It’s about inner city food deserts. And gardening in South Central Los Angeles. Not exactly a funny topic. But Finely makes use of an ancient rhetorical tradition to truly capture his audience: humor.He knows that if he can keep his audience laughing, he can keep them listening. So he weaves jokes, offhand remarks, and sarcasm in with his very important message. And since over a million people have watched his message, it’s safe to assume it’s working. Which is an important reminder. We don’t have to abandon humor just because our topic is serious. So let’s explore what Finley does with timing and why humor can work to help us create our own engaging presentations.<h4>Timing Matters</h4>First of all, Finley spaces out his appeals to humor which is smart. Some speakers try to engage in a stand up comedy routine about their topic and then move into the serious part of the message. This too often feels disjointed or insincere. And it makes the heavier content less attractive, or at least less engaging, than the lighter content. That means your audience might miss the most important stuff because they’ve become bored with the more somber tone after a funny opening. But Finley spaces his humorous remarks, making one every couple of minutes throughout the presentation. You can keep the audience interested if they come to expect a bit of laughter around every corner.He also introduces humor early on, within the first minute. And he does so in a powerful way. Watch it here.He sets up the problem by making fun of past proposed solutions in a sarcastic tone. This paves the way for a better solution, his solution. And it also paves the way for a humorous and honest look at the problem. In other words, he sets the tone for the rest of the presentation. His opening basically says, “we are going to talk about some messed up stuff that I hope we can fix, but we are going to do it in a way that isn’t boring.”<h4>Why Does Humor Work?</h4>Humor has a way of opening the audience up to engaging with your message for a few reasons:<UL><LI>It feels universal: almost everyone likes to laugh.</LI><LI>It feels connective: when we laugh together we remember we have things in common.</LI><LI>It feels safe: if we are laughing, we aren’t worried or fearful.</LI></UL><a href="https://mymodernmet.com/michael-pederson-clever-street-art/" dir="ltr">Australian street artist Michael Pederson</a>, also known as Miguel Marquez, used humor to help provoke thought about unexpected things in unexpected spaces. He created street art installations in public spaces and said, “Humor is a great way of engaging people, even if there is something a little sad underneath some of the pieces. Hopefully, people will find something there to think about as well.” When something makes us laugh, it catches our attention and invites us deeper. So every time the audience laughs together during Finley’s presentation, they feel a little more connected to each other, to him, and to his message. Which is something that all presenters desire.Take time to watch Finley’s <a href="https://www.ted.com/talks/ron_finley_a_guerrilla_gardener_in_south_central_la?utm_campaign=tedspread&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=tedcomshare" dir="ltr">10-minute presentation</a>. And then think about how you can use well-timed humor to create more engaging and connective material in your own presentations. Remember, just because you are talking about tough stuff doesn’t mean you can’t still use humor.Get in touch with one of our experts now for <a href="https://ethos3.com/contact/" dir="ltr">more ways to elevate your presentation</a>.

There's a time and place for humor, right? Sure. But let's not be too quick to dismiss the powerful role humor can play even in serious presentations.

communication

Communication

entertainment

Entertainment

In his TEDx Talk which is just over 10 minutes, <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=finley+ted+talk&cvid=c8a4baf0afbc47fda8b54c2de94e6664&pglt=43&FORM=ANNTA1&PC=HCTS">Ron Finley </a>makes the audience laugh five times. Want to guess what his talk is about? It’s about inner city food deserts. And gardening in South Central Los Angeles. Not exactly a funny topic. But Finely makes use of an ancient rhetorical tradition to truly capture his audience: humor.

He knows that if he can keep his audience laughing, he can keep them listening. So he weaves jokes, offhand remarks, and sarcasm in with his very important message. And since over a million people have watched his message, it’s safe to assume it’s working. Which is an important reminder. We don’t have to abandon humor just because our topic is serious. So let’s explore what Finley does with timing and why humor can work to help us create our own engaging presentations.

First of all, Finley spaces out his appeals to humor which is smart. Some speakers try to engage in a stand up comedy routine about their topic and then move into the serious part of the message. This too often feels disjointed or insincere. And it makes the heavier content less attractive, or at least less engaging, than the lighter content. That means your audience might miss the most important stuff because they’ve become bored with the more somber tone after a funny opening. But Finley spaces his humorous remarks, making one every couple of minutes throughout the presentation. You can keep the audience interested if they come to expect a bit of laughter around every corner.

He also introduces humor early on, within the first minute. And he does so in a powerful way. Watch it here.

He sets up the problem by making fun of past proposed solutions in a sarcastic tone. This paves the way for a better solution, his solution. And it also paves the way for a humorous and honest look at the problem. In other words, he sets the tone for the rest of the presentation. His opening basically says, “we are going to talk about some messed up stuff that I hope we can fix, but we are going to do it in a way that isn’t boring.”

Humor has a way of opening the audience up to engaging with your message for a few reasons:

<ul><li>It feels universal: almost everyone likes to laugh. </li><li>It feels connective : when we laugh together we remember we have things in common. </li><li>It feels safe : if we are laughing, we aren’t worried or fearful. </li> </ul>

<a href="https://mymodernmet.com/michael-pederson-clever-street-art/">Australian street artist Michael Pederson </a>, also known as Miguel Marquez, used humor to help provoke thought about unexpected things in unexpected spaces. He created street art installations in public spaces and said, “Humor is a great way of engaging people, even if there is something a little sad underneath some of the pieces. Hopefully, people will find something there to think about as well.” When something makes us laugh, it catches our attention and invites us deeper. So every time the audience laughs together during Finley’s presentation, they feel a little more connected to each other, to him, and to his message. Which is something that all presenters desire.

Take time to watch Finley’s <a href="https://www.ted.com/talks/ron_finley_a_guerrilla_gardener_in_south_central_la?utm_campaign=tedspread&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=tedcomshare">10-minute presentation </a>. And then think about how you can use well-timed humor to create more engaging and connective material in your own presentations. Remember, just because you are talking about tough stuff doesn’t mean you can’t still use humor.

Get in touch with one of our experts now for <a href="https://ethos3.com/contact/">more ways to elevate your presentation </a>.

Using Humor Even When Talking About Tough Stuff

Timing Matters

Why Does Humor Work?

MIGUEL MARQUEZ

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