A good relationship with colleagues, supervisors or customers not only makesyour working day more enjoyable, but also ensures that you get more done.Mirjam Wiersma, author of two books about business flirting, tells how to putyourself on the map and build beautiful relationships with others. This time:use humor in your presentations
Maybe you had your doubts when you saw what this article is about. Presenting– public speaking – is our second biggest fear right after the fear of death,according to research, and then I’m also going to ask you to be funny doingsomething so scary? Yes, because humor can help you put yourself on the map.The vast majority of executives find a sense of humor important to progress inyour career.
Humor also grabs the attention of your audience and can make you appear moresympathetic. That helps if you want to convince people of something. The goodnews: you don’t have to be a born comedian to successfully add humor to yourpresentations. How exactly?
The power of self-mockery
Self-mockery can be used by anyone. By telling about your own blunders andshortcomings, you make yourself vulnerable. That creates more empathy fromyour audience. For example, watch Terry Moore honestly confess in this TedTalk that he never knew how to properly tie your shoelaces. “Up to that point,I would have thought that if – at age 50 – I really understood one of life’sbasic skills, it would be tying my shoelaces. But no.” Then the audience hangson his every word when he tells in scents and colors about the correct way totie shoelaces (which I didn’t know myself either, I must admit).
Something to keep in mind with self-mockery: make sure that your audience doesnot doubt your expertise. Tim Urban tells in his Ted Talk ‘In the brain of amaster procrastinator’ with the necessary self-mockery how badly he suffersfrom procrastination. After that, however, he also comes with impressiveknowledge and valid ideas about the origin of this behavior. The candidexamples make him more human, but no less knowledgeable.
Do you really have no inspiration for a good joke or anecdote that will makeyou laugh? Then you can use humor from another source: show a funny video orstart your presentation with the results of a high-profile research. However,make sure there is a link between this funny part of your presentation andwhat you have to say. Showing a funny video ‘just like that’ before you starttalking doesn’t work.
Also read at intermediary: ‘The importance of humor in the workplace isunderestimated’
Own blunder
I like the use of self-mockery. A recent blunder I’ve dished up a few times inpresentations. It happened to me during a session Business Flirting , so apresentation in English. Clients often ask if I can also present in English.Not infrequently I end up somewhere and everyone turns out to speak Dutch andwe switch to Dutch after all. I always ask if English is really necessary.That would certainly be the case here, I was assured.
Arriving at the location in Amsterdam, I only wait in the hall when I see thefirst participant. A woman with long blond hair. You see, I do meet a fellowcountryman, I think. I address her in Dutch; she doesn’t understand me andturns out to be Turkish. The second contestant who enters is a man with anIndian appearance and a turban. I also address him, now in English. To whichhe replies in neat ABN that he grew up in ‘t Gooi. oops. Both candidatesmisjudged and let this session focus on learning to read the other better…