A book on public speaking by Tom Antion

Humor Techniques

Acronyms and Abbreviations
Ads
Alliteration
Anachronism
Audience Gags
Callbacks
Caricature, Cartoons and Comic Strips
Comic Verse
Definitions
Exaggeration
Fake Facts and Statistics
Foods
Rule of Three 
To Laugh or Not to Laugh . . .  That is the Question
Deadpan Expression
Mock Ups
Juxtaposition / Oxymoron
Malaprops

Acronyms and Abbreviations
The use of acronyms is a mild form of humor taught in my book on public speaking. 

An acronym is formed from the initial letter or letters of each word, for example HUD means the Department of (H)ousing and (U)rban (D)evelopment. There are many acronyms and abbreviations that are widely known such as the IRS and the CIA. There are many more acronyms that you can research that might be relevant and funny to your audience.

To make this kind of humor work best in your program, make a well known acronym funny by changing one or more of the words that go with your well-known abbreviation or acronym. 

Here are some examples from my book on public speaking.
IRA Individual Rest-in-Peace Account 
TQM Totaled Quality Management 
IQ Idiot Quotient 
CPI Consumers Poorhouse Indicator 

If you practice what you read in my book on public speaking, it is very easy to customize acronyms and abbreviations to suit a particular audience. Here are some examples and explanations from a speaking engagement I did for a hotel franchise: 

OCC in the hotel industry means Occupancy Rate. I changed it to Oh! C'mon Clinton because at that time certain taxes were being proposed by President Clinton that would affect their industry. I always try to connect with the audience by mentioning the topics that are foremost on their minds. This gives you the best possible chance of having your humor, succeed and success with your audience is what you will learn out of your public speaking course.

ADR to hoteliers, means Average Daily Rate. This was changed to All Dated Rooms which is something no hotelier wants to hear. This would mean a fortune would have to be spent to upgrade and modernize the rooms.

IOC was the name of the group I was addressing (International Operator's Council). This was changed to I'm Ordering Chinese and I'm Out of Coffee. These phrases aren't particularly funny by themselves. They were coupled, however, with the fact that these people had just completed rigorous and exhausting inspections by the Franchisor. That is what made it funny. Knowing when, where, and what will be funny is a great asset you will master from my book on public speaking.

ANA This is one of my all time favorites. ANA represents Al Nippon Airlines. I mention that it is a good thing that this company had an American advisor before they used this acronym because the original version was . . . ANAL (this is revealed on an overhead projector just after a pause following the word "was"). 

This ANA versus ANAL story gets good laughter. I extend the humor with the line, 'How would you like to see that on a 747 coming at you?' This question gets even bigger laughs, and "leave 'em laughing when you go" is something I teach in my book on public speaking.

For the hotel presentation, the acronyms were on an overhead transparency and were displayed using the "reveal technique"  (where individual overhead lines were covered until it was time to reveal the funny version). You don't have to only project acronyms to use them in your presentation. You could also print them in your handouts, or just tell them out loud, almost any method can be used when utilizing the tools learned from my book on public speaking.

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Ads
When you read through my book on public speaking you will learn a fun skill, which is how to incorporate ads into your presentation. You can create your own fake ads, or find real ads that are funny and will work for your particular presentation. You can project your ads on screen, read them aloud or distribute them as handouts to your audience.

You should always be on watch for great, funny ads that relate to your presentation topic or your audience in magazines and newspapers. You will learn how to accumulate these types from my book on public speaking.

Jay Leno, a funny entertainer who is widely known for his comedy style has a series of books called Headlines I, II, and III. Besides being a collection of funny headlines from newspapers and magazines, the books have lots of blooper advertisements along with commentary from Jay. One of my favorites was of a funeral monument company that advertised a lifetime replacement guarantee. 

You can read these out loud to your audience without worrying about copyright infringement as long as you always attribute the source. You don't want to claim material as your own if you did not create it. Giving proper credit to the author is important for you to understand in your public speaking course.

*Be careful not to violate copyrights, remember you are a professional public speaker, who knows how to "break the rules" but always obey the law.

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Alliteration
In my public speaking course you will learn that humor doesn't always have to be totally crazy to be effective. Another mild form of humor you can use is called alliteration. It means the repetition of the same first letter or the same first sound in a group of words, or in a line of poetry. 

Advertisements and marketing promotions use alliteration in their titles all the time because it usually will catch your ear and eye. Learning to catch the attention of your audience is part of what you will learn in my public speaking course. One of my humorous speech topics is titled 'Pranks for Profit: Confessions of a Paid Practical Joker'. It has four 'p' sounds. 

Here is an example of alliteration used to give a positive message.
'We (B)agged the (B)aldridge award (B)ecause our (B)rainy, (B)eautiful (B)usiness people are the (B)est.' 

If you have a negative message to impart you can also soften the blow without appearing uncaring. Example: 

'The strike by one of our suppliers has put a (C)runch on our division. Even though we are (C)runched, we are still (C)reative. We are still (C)redible. And we will (C)onquer this problem.' 

Alliteration in this area can heighten the glow, or soften the blow.

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Anachronism
An anachronism is defined as a place, person, thing or event that is put into a time period it's not supposed be in. For example, Paul Revere riding a motorcycle or George Washington sitting in front of a computer would be anachronisms.  Anachronisms can be very useful and funny in your presentation and is taught in my book on public speaking.

Advertising and marketing agencies use anachronisms also, especially around federal holidays like Washington's Birthday , Columbus Day, and even Lincoln's birthday. In fact, to promote the Sacagawea golden dollar coin, full page ads of George Washington in a modern tuxedo at a cocktail party surrounded by young women were American Indian were seen often in newspapers and television commercials.  This relationship between new and old is always an interesting concept. Anytime you can highlight this type of relationship in one of your presentations you will evoke some humor and create more attention to your product, service, or point. 

I saw an ad once for fluorescent light bulbs that had Thomas Edison working on a phonograph. The caption read: "If Thomas Edison wouldn't have wasted his time on this (incandescent bulb), his phonograph might have been a CD player."

Here is a good fill-in-the-blank format. Would (big name from the past) have________________ if he had ________________? All you have to do is make a simple relationship and your message will be funny and memorable. 

"Would George Washington have thrown his money across the Potomac if he had ABC investment company on his side?" 

Once you get used to anachronisms while practicing in your public speaking course, you can adjust the content to suit your presentation. The "Man on the Money" George Washington/ABC investment anachronism could turn into a good, usable one-liner, to add some spice to your presentation. 

"George Washington wouldn't have thrown his money across the Potomac if he had come to us for advice." 

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Audience Gags
In my book on public speaking I will show you the right way to include audience gags, which are simply funny jokes that occur unexpectedly during your speech. Dr. Joel Goodman, from the Humor Project, does one where a telephone rings while he's giving his speech. He answers the phone that is hidden behind the podium and pretends he's talking to his mother. The same joke would be called a running gag if the phone continued to ring at several other times during the program. 

Here are some audience gags that I have done.

Ten Wanted Men 
I staged a gag at a seminar one time that was tons of fun and took less than one minute to complete. Concentrating on having a good effect and not on the amount of time spent creating is what you will learn in your public speaking course. Before the program, I picked out about 10 fun-loving audience members to help me. I gave them special instructions that were to be followed through on a certain cue during the program. To start the gag, I had my assistant interrupt the seminar to give me an important note. The note read (I used a serious expression): 

"It appears that someone is in attendance today with another man's wife. There is a large and irate man on his way here right now. If you want out, there is a backstage door you can use to escape quickly." 

At this point, 10 men jumped up out of their seats and hauled themselves out the door. Once they realized what was happening, several women jumped up and ran out too. It was great fun and the gag sure woke up everyone who had a heavy lunch. 

Stone the Speaker 
When I really want the audience to focus their attention on an important point, I use this gag. Either before the program or at a break, I recruit audience members who are sitting near the front. I give each one a piece of crumpled paper and instruct them to throw it at me when they hear a certain word. Unique ways of getting and keeping the audiences attention are special skills learned from my book on public speaking.

Some professional speakers tell me that is the stupidest thing they ever heard and that they would never do it in a professional presentation. They say that until they understand the reason behind it. I use this gag when I want to focus attention on an important point. Guess who is riveted on what I say until they hear the key word? Of course, all the recruits with the crumpled paper. Then, after they throw the paper and I make a big reaction, the rest of the crowd is totally focused in their effort to see what is going on. That is when I make my key point. I have virtually guaranteed the attention of each audience member. And keeping the attention of the audience is extremely important when using the skills learned in your public speaking course.

When your trying to add a little humor, anachronisms are the perfect choice.

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Callbacks
A callback means to refer back to a word or phrase you mentioned earlier in your presentation. Callbacks are very useful for your presentation, and will be practiced in my public speaking course. 

A Callback can be used whether the previous material got a good laugh, or received a bunch of groans. If the previous material had a good reaction, bringing it up again will create more laughter and make you look good for being able to tie the previous material to the present.
If the previous material got a bad reaction, using a callback will show your willingness to make fun of yourself, which is an admirable quality the audience will appreciate. A true professional having read my book on public speaking knows when he does well and when he doesn't. He can laugh at himself and learn from his mistakes.

Here's how to make it work : 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 you misspelled a word in one of your handouts or visuals. You can then 'call back' and say, 'See, that's one of those misprints I was telling you about earlier.' 

Another thing that could happen, that is just as good, is someone from the audience might make the connection and do the callback for you. One of them may blurt out something about your health book line. Laugh along with them, because you are getting them involved and allowing them to feel superior to you, which makes them feel like the star of the show. Participation is part of audience attention and is an important skill to focus.

You could then come back to the callback 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.

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Caricature, Cartoons and Comic Strips
An artist makes a caricature when they create a cartoon drawing that makes certain facial features exaggerated, and other features smaller.  In my book on public speaking you will learn the best way to incorporate caricatures in your presentation.

Studies have shown that people actually find it easier to identify a political leader from a caricature than from an actual photograph. Have a caricature of  yourself done and put it in your handout material or during your programs to poke fun of yourself.

You can also use caricatures to make fun of your competition and their products by exaggerating or diminishing whatever applies. 

Caricature artists are pretty easy  to find in the yellow pages under the categories of entertainment or party planning.. Thinking about how to find what you need is just another skill from my book on public speaking.

How to connect with members of a culturally diverse audience is a very important skill to master from my book on public speaking. Cartoons and Comic Strips are the most universally accepted formats for humor across different cultures.

'Show 'em' When You Cross Cultures'
There are three ways that you can add cartoons to your presentation: first, you can tell the audience members about a cartoon you saw; second, you can cut the cartoon and show it to the audience; and third, you can draw or makeup a cartoon yourself. 

I saw a cartoon once where a lady was holding a gun to her purse. The caption said, 'Give up the keys!' I tell the audience about this cartoon in my Business Lite Seminar when I want to illustrate the use of humor to help ease the tension in embarrassing situations. When I describe to the audience a cartoon that I saw, I am helping to paint a picture in their minds. 

If you don't have the audio/visual equipment to show them the cartoon, you can easily describe it to them instead.
Even though describing a cartoon is fine to do, showing a cartoon is a much more powerful way to convey its funny message. This is especially true in international audiences where the visual aspect takes on a greater significance. 

In a small audience I might hold up the cartoon or simply pass it around. In larger audiences, the cartoon should be projected (don't forget to get permission from the copyright holder) so everyone can see it clearly. I like this method better because I can control when it comes up on the screen. I want everyone to see the cartoon together so they will laugh together.
Fill the entire frame with your cartoon or comic strip to create a greater impact.

Another way to use cartoons in your presentation is to make them yourself. When I first started teaching this subject I could not take advantage of this method unless I hired an artist. Things are a lot different now. There are a number of inexpensive computer software available which can be used, one of which is Corel Draw. This program has 25,000 pieces of electronic clip art, many of which are cartoons. I can make custom overhead cartoons for my speaking engagements. All I do is pick an applicable cartoon, add a custom caption for my audience.