TIMING IS EVERYTHING
You’ve heard this phase hundreds of times—especially when it comes to comedy. The difference between a good joke and a laugh-out-loud, side-splitting great joke is all in the timing. You can apply the skills comedians know to storytelling even if you’re not telling a funny story. How? Let’s look at the different types of jokes:
1) Observational. This means talking about the things around you and your audience, whether that audience is one or one hundred people. Comment about the room, the food service—what ever you have in that room where it happens that you are all experiencing.
2) One-liners. Have you ever heard the acronym K.I.S.S.? It means: Keep It Simple Stupid. While you’ll sound like a robot if you keep all your messages quick, making a quick point here and there will bring special attention to that point.
3) Self-depreciating. This of course works better when you’re delivering a humorous message, but can be peppered into a more serious one for levity. Take for example President Obama’s address to graduating seniors in May 2020. He said wearing the “funny hat” isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, especially for him and his “big ears.”
4) Topical. Bring in real-world experiences to make your point, by all means. Just make sure you understand the room so as not to trigger sensitivities (unless, of course, that’s what you’re after). (See Work the Room.)
5) Anecdotal. Storytelling is an effective tool to get your message across. We all have millions of stories to share. Andrew Cuomo and the stories he tells about his family are a prime example of how this works. (See The New Bedtime Story.)
Get more exciting communication tips in Your Self-Sabotage Survival Guide by Karen Berg. Read more here: tinyurl.com/y786t4ax