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It's your responsibility to improve your communication skills so that
you can move the troops to action and keep from getting the axe
yourself. If you are a crybaby, boring, buttkissing executive, this
video is NOT for you.
There will come a time when you will either be in front of a hostile audience or a hostile question will pop up during a relatively calm presentation. This is a tough situation at best and you have to handle it with kid gloves. Humor can save the day and maybe even help you become President. When a hostile situation arises, you have to be especially careful that you don't antagonize the questioner or group further by making a flippant response. You can use humor to distract the antagonism, but you should always make a serious reply to the question at hand.
Example:
Let's say you are speaking at a stockholder's meeting and you are telling them about all the wonderful new products that are coming out. Then someone yells out, "What about the supreme turkey of a widget you came out with last year?" Now you are on the spot. If you ignore the question you will look like you are hiding. If you use a comeback that attacks the questioner or makes fun of him or her you will turn the rest of the group against you. So what do you do?
Use a prepared one-liner or some mildly amusing admission of guilt and then immediately go into a serious response to the question.
"We are donating all those widgets to the Navy because they have a shortage of boat anchors this year [pause for laughter]. But, seriously folks, based on all the available research we had at our
disposal the widget looked like it would be a good solid seller for us. Then when the gizmo industry took a big hit, we no longer had a market for the widgets. "
Then get back to your agenda.
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If you refer to a word or phrase you mentioned earlier in your presentation,
that's a callback. It works well if the previous piece of material got a good laugh or if it was a groaner. If the previous material was good, mentioning it again will get more laughter and will make you look polished for being able to tie the previous material to the present material. If the previous material was poor, the callback will show your willingness to tease yourself, which is an admirable quality the audience appreciates.
Here's how it works: Let's say you used a successful two-liner in your presentation Don't rely on health books too much. You could die of a misprint. Later in your presentation someone might notice a misspelling in one of your handouts or visuals. You could then call back and say, "See, that's one of those misprints I was telling you about earlier."
Another thing that might happen, that is just as good, is that one or more of the audience members might make the connection and do the callback for you. One of them may blurt out something about your health book line. That's great if they do. You are getting them involved and allowing them to feel superior to you, which makes them the stars. You could then comeback with, See, I put that there to test you. When you really get confident, you might actually make the misprint on purpose to set up this whole scenario.
An audience that has been at a cocktail event of one hour or longer usually means you will have some boisterous audience members to deal with. You could be faced with hecklers, disruptive and loud people, loud snoring sleepers, etc. Unless you are a comic who is very good at mild insult humor, you SHOULD NOT use heckler lines like: Hey, buddy. There's only one Mic. and I've got it. Or, If I'm going to make an ass of myself up here, I want to do it myself.
When you suspect you may have a problem because of a long cocktail hour, let the meeting planner know in advance that he or she should be prepared to tell the heckler that there is a phone call waiting. This gets the person out of the room where the meeting planner can try to calm them.
Request in advance that the bar be shut down when you are speaking, or people who really like to drink will be getting up and down during your presentation distracting everyone.
Many professional speakers guarantee their work EXCEPT when the audience is drunk or too tired. Patricia Fripp, C.P.A.E, told me about a time she was booked to speak to a vegetable company. They had the meeting in a winery. The entire group including the president were pickled. The meeting planner forced her to go on. Patricia said, "Half the crowd missed me completely and the other half saw two of me. I guess it evened out."
Remember, you are the one standing up there looking foolish. Take every precaution you can when alcohol is flowing.
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Regardless of one's nationality and culture, cartoons and comic strips (see Cartoons) are the most universally accepted format for humor. These pieces of visual humor are seen in newspapers and magazines in most areas of the world. They may be found in newsstands in large cities or in large libraries. It might be fun to collect cartoons and comic strips when you travel so you have a ready supply when you need one for a presentation.
Be careful to avoid cartoons that have political overtones. If you are presenting to a small group,
you can show the periodical or pass it around. If you want to use the cartoon or comic strip in a visual, you may need permission from the artist or copyright owner. Always read the caption for a foreign audience and give them time to mentally translate what you say. It may take what seems to be forever (4-6 seconds) for the idea to sink in. Another good resource for cartoons is
Witty World International Cartoon Magazine by Creators Syndicate (see appendix).
Other forms of visual humor that transcend most cultural barriers are juggling and magic. Good resource materials are available on both topics. Speaking With Magic is a book by Michael Jeffreys that not only teaches you simple tricks, but gives you the points you can relate to the trick. Two good magic videos for speakers by master magician Tom Ogden are Teaching and
Training with Magic and The Magic of Creativity. I got Michael's book and the two videos from Royal Publishing. For juggling and other magic books, call or write for a Morris Costume's Catalog. There is a small charge for the catalog, but it's worth it.
The size of your audience has a direct effect on the types of humor which are most appropriate, the expected audience response and the timing of the presentation. Members of very small business groups tend to be too self-conscious to laugh much. Use short one-liners. Be brief and informal with your humor; don't use any long stories or jokes.
In small groups laughter will come more quickly. It's now OK to stretch to jokes and short stories. Your presentation will take less time to deliver than to a large group.
A presentation to very large crowds in enormous rooms or venues such as stadiums will take longer to deliver because laughter comes in waves. The portion of the audience right in front of you will laugh first. Then most of the rest of the crowd will laugh. The third wave will come when those slower to get the joke finally do, and when those who laugh because everyone else is laughing kick in. You must allow time for this phenomenon to occur. In large crowds you must play to the back of the room. These people are hardest to reach.
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When staging a practical joke you must plan the many details carefully. You certainly don't want something that is supposed to be fun to turn sour. If you plan the joke as carefully as you plan all other details of the event you will find that the benefits far outweigh the risks. I use the following criteria when planning an event:
1. The joke should not be physically dangerous in any way.
2. It should not be humiliating.
3. It should have good intent, i.e., you should be able to laugh with the group that was fooled and not at them. Most of the time key insiders are involved in the idea anyway.
4. It should be creative. If you faithfully stick to the first three criteria you can be assured that your jokes will be well received. Item number four can be fudged with little or no problem.
For instance, the idea of a clumsy waiter is not particularly creative, but when you have a talented actor playing the part, your biggest complaint will be that someone's side hurts from laughing too hard. Make sure you only deal with professional and experienced characters. Even if you plan the joke carefully, once the person or group is "on stage" they must be able to ad lib and adjust to whatever situation arises.
On large productions you will need an on-site person to coordinate the action. The characters presented here are only three of the most popular gags you can pull at a meeting. You are limited only by your imagination and budget. If you truly want your participants to have a memorable experience, then give them something special to remember.
Advertising is the fine art of making you think you have longed for something all your life that you never heard of before.
Advertising is the fine art of convincing people that debt is better than frustration.
Advertising is the science of arresting human intelligence long enough to get money from it.
Advertising is like marriage. There may be a better way, but what is it?
In good times business people want to advertise. In bad times they have to.
Advertising without research is like shooting an arrow into the air and then looking for a target to catch it with.
If ad agents were smart they would schedule deodorant commercials to follow political ads.
Samson had the right idea about advertising. He took two columns and brought down the house.
Appeal to reason in your advertising and you appeal to four percent of the human race. (Advice given at a 1923 ad conference)
Nothing makes installment buying as easy as the advertising.
Advertising sure brings quick results--last week I advertised for a night watchman--the same night my safe was robbed.
Advertising helps raise the standard of living by raising the standard of longing.
Advertising transforms a yawn into a yearn.
I went to the bank and went over my savings. I found out I have all the money that I'll ever need. .. . If I die tomorrow.
--Henny Youngman
My girlfriend's father died of throat trouble. . . . They hung him. He used to work in a bank. But no matter how much the boss likes you, if you work in a bank you can't bring home samples.
--Eddie Cantor
Children are stupid. That's why they're in school. I'd lecture for an hour about percentages and interest rates and at the end I'd ask one simple question, "You put ten grand in a bank for one year at 5 percent and what do you get?" Some kid would always yell out, "A toaster."
One rule which woe betides the banker who fails to heed it . . . Never lend any money to anybody unless they don't need it.
--Ogden Nash
Regard your voice as capital in the bank. . . . Sing on your interest and your voice will last.
--Lauritz Melchior
Anytime four New Yorkers get into a cab together without arguing, a bank robbery has just taken place.
--Johnny Carson
If you'd lose a troublesome visitor, lend him money.
--Ben Franklin
He's got a wonderful head for money. There's this long slit on the top.
--David Frost
The safest way to double your money is to fold it over once and put it in your pocket.
--Kin Hubbard
Where large sums of money are concerned, it is advisable to trust nobody.
--Agatha Christie
Always live within your income, even if you have to borrow money to do so.
--Josh Billings
According to Sheila Feigelson from Happy Associates, Ann Arbor, Michigan, there are many
ways to encourage people to laugh with each other and get them in fun WITHOUT being an entertainer. Sheila says, "There is always a certain amount of tension when people get together. They're thinking about things like: Who's here? How long will the meeting last? What's this going to obligate me to? Is it going to be any fun? How will my opinions and ideas be accepted? Some lighthearted humor and shared laughter help to reduce the natural tension and put people at ease. It can have an energizing effect, and perhaps most important, it can create the kind of climate that invites participation."
Sheila makes creative use of name tags to help get her audiences in fun. She says when name tags are being used, they can serve as wonderful icebreaker by including more than the participants' name and title. At one meeting, Sheila got tired of the old standby name tag "Hello, My Name Is . . ." so she instructed participants as they arrived to write their own name and the name of someone they are NOT. People looked quizzical at first, and then they got into the spirit and started laughing. Since there are so many people that each of us are not, our choices are almost limitless. During the introductions, people told who they were and who they weren't! It was fascinating. One person said, "My name is not Mary. She's my sister, and everyone gets us mixed up." And that led to another person volunteering, "I'm not Robert Redford . . . but no
one ever confuses us!!!"
Another name tag idea is to have people write their name and three significant numbers. After all, what do people say after they read your name? It's hardly an invitation to conversation, let alone smiles and laughter. So, on one occasion, Sheila wrote down three numbers that just came into her head: 3, 1, and 10. As she greeted old friends and new acquaintances, they looked at
her name tag and asked about the numbers. She replied, "I have three sons, one husband, and ten years ago is when I think I last cleaned out my kitchen junk drawer!" She noticed that several people returned to the registration table and added numbers to THEIR name tags as well! The conversations became more animated and personalized.
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Selection of Material
I'm sure you take great care in selecting the educational material you present to your audience. The same care should be taken when selecting the humorous comments you plan on including. You must decide who and what to joke about while avoiding being offensive and/or inappropriate.
Appropriate Targets
You must constantly remember to base your humorous material on an important target shared with your intended audience. You get this information from your pre-program questionnaire and other pre-program research.
People
Use people they know in your jokes and stories. Talk about their CEO or supervisor (get permission from these people first). Joke about or insult the CEO of a major competitor, but be careful here. You may want to work for the competitor some day. Always pick BIG targets to
tease. Never pick secretaries, receptionists, or janitors as targets of humor.
Places
Quip about the places they go. Their cafeteria, the bar across the street from their plant, or the crowded highway leading to where they work are all good targets for humor. In Washington, D.C., where I live, everyone jokes about troubles on the Beltway.
Things
Joke about the things that mean something to them. Joke about their new marketing plan, company picnic, new voice-mail system, etc. Just be sure that they are joking about it themselves. The topic might be too hot to tease about. If you have a general audience and you cannot get specific information, use general humor. Most people are married and have children and experience family conflict. They go to the doctor and dentist. They stand in line at the motor vehicle administration. They deal with financial problems. Joke about any universal problem which your audience can relate to.
Remember, always pick BIG targets. Joke about celebrities, media stars, and athletes that everyone knows. Keep in mind that there is a genuine sports interest in virtually every audience.
The best and safest target to use is yourself. You can joke about your physical appearance, clothing, weight, etc., without much worry of offending someone else.
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