Make Your Presentation Humorous

Want to wow your audience? Make them laugh.

But using humor in presentations has some pitfalls. Learn about making presentations fun. Also, discover how to avoid the pitfalls of using humor in presentations in this guide.

Making your audience laugh is a good way to get them fully engaged with your presentation. Using humor in business presentations can make the difference.

Listening to your business presentation shouldn’t be like visiting a comedy club. But a laugh here and there can help your listeners take in relevant information. There’s just one question: how do you ensure your humor is appropriate?

If you want to give your presentations some extra appeal, it’s important to use humor the right way. In this guide, I’ll share techniques and expert tips on how to make a presentation humorous and fun. You’ll learn how to give a funny presentation that works.

Why Adding Humor to Presentations Matters

Many speakers hesitate to create a funny PowerPoint or add humor to a speech. The hesitation is easy to understand; they just don’t know how to be humorous in a speech.

Here are three reasons why using humor in presentations is a good idea:

1. Holds Attention: Adding humor to presentations holds your audience’s attention and creates a bond with them. If they’re laughing with you, then they’re connected. That’s key when you want your presentation to be successful.
2. Makes It Memorable: Using humor also makes your presentation more memorable. An oft-quoted saying is that people may forget your exact words, but they won’t forget how you make them feel. Adding humor to presentations generates the right kind of feelings in your listeners. Plus, making presentations fun reinforces key points and leads to a more interesting presentation.
3. Enhances Your Image: There’s one more benefit for those wanting to do lots of public speaking. Using humor in business presentations will give a good impression of you as a speaker. That can help you win future speaking engagements and increase traffic for any presentations you post online.

Find some expert tips about public speaking and business presentations in these tutorials:

• What Is Public Speaking? & Why Is It Important? (Definition + Tips) {.roundup-block__content-link}

• 20+ Effective Public Speaking Skills & Techniques to Master {.roundup-block__content-link}

Tips for Using Humor in Presentations

Ready to dive into the nitty-gritty of using humor in presentations? Here are some tips on how to give a funny presentation to keep your audience laughing:

1. Tell a Joke Near the Start

Are you wondering how to make a PowerPoint presentation fun for the audience? Many professional speakers believe it’s good practice to tell a joke at the beginning of your presentation.

Professional presenter James Altucher states:

“People need to laugh within the first 30 seconds or else you’re going back to your cubicle at the pencil factory and they will never remember you.”

While this is good advice, remember to read the room. Sometimes you need to let your audience warm up for a few minutes before hitting them with something humorous. Otherwise, it might fall flat and leave your audience less interested than before.

Heidi Cohen, Chief Content Officer at Actionable Marketing Guide, adds:

“Humor depends on context and shared culture. As a result, it may not translate to a specific topic or audience. Even top comics work through many iterations of their routines and practice them before they know what works. Instead of using humor, the real challenge for professional presentations is capturing and holding your audience’s attention, or you’ve lost them to their devices.”

So, with all the distractions out there, what’s a presenter to do? Cohen suggests building smaller arcs into your larger presentation story:

“[This] requires building smaller arcs into your larger overarching presentation story. Think of each point as having its own problem, action, and result. By doing this, you keep listeners engaged. Further, after you’ve outlined the presentation, block out how you will take advantage of the stage and what changes you’ll make for each point.”

2. Use an Anecdote

Not everyone has a prebuilt cache of jokes to put in a speech. If telling jokes isn’t your thing, consider using a humorous anecdote. Most people relate to a funny story. If it’s relevant, it can really make the subject of your presentation more interesting.

Andy Crestodina, Cofounder of Orbit Media, says:

“Telling tiny stories, especially in the middle of the presentation, keeps the presentation alive. Without them, the audience struggles.”

Crestodina suggests throwing in a very brief story during the middle of the presentation, ideally supported with a visual that is funny or personal.

For example, he shares a story about kids and yogurt:

“I need my free time. I’ve got two little kids, and I make them these yogurt popsicles from frozen mangoes and yogurt. They love them, but look how messy they are.”
“…pause for laughter. Resume presentation to newly awakened, reconnected audience.”

3. Don’t Be Afraid to Laugh at Yourself

When thinking about how to be humorous in a speech, don’t be afraid to laugh at yourself. Nancy Marshall, the PR Maven, states:

“Subliminally, everyone in the audience is feeling nervous for you as a speaker when you are the one up in front of the group. Being self-deprecating is a good way to help everyone in the audience, and to help yourself relax and settle in. Saying something like, ‘Yes, I have had my business for 30 years. Obviously, I started it when I was two.’ A statement like that can break the ice and help everyone be more present.”

Self-deprecating humor is very relatable. People appreciate that you’re willing to make yourself a little vulnerable. Instantly, that transforms you in their perception from a distant expert to a person like them, making them more likely to pay attention to the rest of the presentation.

At the start of her commencement speech at Harvard, J.K. Rowling alludes to the natural fear of giving a speech on a big stage:

“The first thing I would like to say is thank you. Not only has Harvard given me an extraordinary honor, but the weeks of fear and nausea I have endured at the thought of giving this commencement address have made me lose weight. A win-win situation. Now all I have to do is take deep breaths, squint at the red banners, and convince myself that I am at the world’s largest Gryffindor reunion.”

Rowling continues her address, adding more bits of humor throughout.

4. Tailor Humor to Your Audience

When brainstorming funny PowerPoint presentations ideas, tailor anecdotes and jokes to your audience. Humor works best when it’s relevant. Don’t worry; that still leaves plenty of scope for colorful stories.

Social Media Consultant Andrea Vahl uses humor by sharing her background in a unique way:

“I use humor in presentations in a few different ways. First of all, I have humor in the opening section of my presentation when I talk about ‘my story’ that is more universally appealing. I use a combination of funny images and unexpected twists.”

Vahl also suggests finding out some of the buzzwords or pain points your audience faces to incorporate quick quips or images into your slides. Additionally, consider any “inside jokes” that the organization may have.

To brainstorm about how to make something funny, ask yourself:

“What is weird about this?” or “What could be ridiculous about this?” Record your ideas without judgment, then see how you can work those ideas into your presentation.

5. Include a Funny Quote or Image

Memes aren’t just for social media; they can also make your presentations easier to access. If you can find a funny image or quote related to your presentation, people will remember it for two reasons:

1. Because it’s visual
2. Because it made them laugh

In the video below, Tim Urban uses humorous drawings to illustrate how his mind works:

6. Use Sound Effects

Using a sound at the right time can capture your audience’s attention. Our attention spans are short. For instance, when a growling bear pops up just over seven minutes into Morgan Spurlock’s TED talk, it instantly grabbed his listeners’ attention. If I’d been in that audience, I’d have been doubly attentive, waiting to see what would happen next.

7. Use Analogies and Contrast

Another tip for adding humor to a presentation is to use techniques like contrast, surprise, tension, and analogies. Some of the examples shared earlier illustrate how surprise works to get attention.

An example of an analogy used in a funny PowerPoint includes a speaker commenting that the best place to hide a body is the second page of Google search results. The speaker used humor to make an unforgettable point about appearing on the first page of search results.

Author and comedian Andrew Tarvin points out:

“Humor doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to laugh. Humor is something that is comic, absurd, or incongruous that causes amusement. Most marketing campaigns can benefit by adding levity. But if your brand is very serious inherently, it may not be appropriate.”

What to Watch Out for When Making Presentations Fun

Using humor is a great technique for improving your presentations. Here are a few more tips to help you get it right when writing a funny speech:

1. Don’t Try Too Hard

First, remember you’re not your favorite stand-up comedian. Don’t try too hard. The audience will relate to you better if you’re yourself. If you combine that with telling relatable stories, so much the better.

2. Be Mindful of Diversity

Know that humor doesn’t always translate. If you’re speaking to a diverse audience, be cautious about what you use as humor. Jokes that stigmatize a particular gender or ethnicity aren’t appropriate. Additionally, research in advance to identify any hot buttons to avoid.

To learn more about the importance of diversity in the workplace, study these tutorials:

• How to Set Up an Employee Network & Improve Diversity {.roundup-block__content-link}
• 10 Ways Your Business Benefits From Having a More Inclusive Leadership Team {.roundup-block__content-link}

3. Read the Room

It’s essential to read the room to know if a particular joke is appropriate. If a joke falls flat, don’t hesitate to change direction. Sometimes, simply acknowledging that you changed your mind about telling a joke can win your audience over.

4. If People Are Laughing, Let Them Finish

Don’t interrupt the laughter. If you’ve told a joke and it’s got people laughing, let your audience enjoy the moment. They’ll be much more kindly disposed to you by the end of that process.