OVER A CUP OF TEA

Prof. Henry S. Tenedero
Using humor effectively

(The author: Henry S. Tenedero is the president of the Center for Learning and Teaching Styles and MINDful IDEAS, an affiliate of the International Learning Styles Network, based at St. John’s University in New York. He is a graduate of the AIM Masters in Development management and of the Harvard Graduate School for Professional Educators. He is the author of the following books: “Cooking Up A Creative Genius”, “ SUPER TEACHER”, “MINDful Ideas”, “Using Passion and Laughter in Your Presentations” and “AHA! I GOTCHA”. He can be reached at htenedero@yahoo.com.)

The sound of laughter inside the lecture room does not point to a clownish speaker, but to one who knows how to harness the benefits of humor effectively. When a speaker assumes the role of a comedian, he helps break the ice and facilitates a more comfortable and enjoyable environment. He also enhances his credibility because it shows he is confident and in control.

Humor is more than telling a joke; it is the ability to be delighted with life. Do not allow a poor response to your attempt at humor keep you from trying again. Here are some ways to inject humor in your presentation: Draw stories from real life rather than canned jokes.

Good stories and jokes sweep the country by e-mail and can lose their punch once everyone has heard them. A personal anecdote, on the other hand, is uniquely yours and will be fresh to the audience. If you have to use a joke you found in a book, adapt it to you speech and style so it will be fresh.

Don’t “advance” your laughter. Don’t laugh at your own joke or story, especially before delivering the punch line. And don’t dilute its impact either, by explaining its meaning. Let the audience decide what’s funny (or not).

KISS - keep it (the joke) short and sweet. Remember that humans have short attention spans when it comes to passively sitting and listening to a speaker. If it takes you forever to get to the punch line, your audience might have tuned out and you won’t get the laugh. Humor itself is not the point. It’s a means to an end, not the end itself.

Animate your voice, gestures, facial expressions and body movements. Don’t telegraph your story. Practice vocal inflections, feigned looks of surprise, disappointment, fear, etc. to match the story. Not everyone, except perhaps Bob Hope, can get away with deadpan jokes.

Take pains to avoid offensive humor. Take care that your use of humor is never at the expense of your student’s emotional or psychological well-being. “Having fun with” is vastly different from “making fun of” someone. Follow the rule: when in doubt -- leave it out. Also avoid sarcasm. People almost always feel uncomfortable with a speaker who demeans others. ***
There are ways to engage emotions. Countless research studies point to the importance of emotions in the learning process. Emotions, at times, even overrule reason. Use emotions when pointing to significant learning inputs. Here are some strategies on how to engage the emotions of your students: High fives, low fives, high tens. Celebrate. Acknowledgements through certificates, verbal statements, compliments. Theatre, role-play, drama. Controversy: debate, dialogue, argument. Music: movie themes.
***
There are attention-grabbing strategies. One of the most difficult tasks a speaker faces is sustaining the attention level of his audience. It is easy to begin a presentation but the most challenging part is how to sustain the attention of the audience throughout the presentation.

Spice up your presentation by using the following unconventional strategies proven to catch their attention: Use rhythmic clap, blow a train whistle, rap a gong, initiate a round of applause, introduce topics by way of music, have someone else do the introduction, stand in an unusual location of the room and give your partner a powerful smile.