I don’t know whether the chicken or the egg came first. But I do know that this question preceded both: “Should I start my speech with a joke?”

Well, in fowl weather or fair, it all depends. (Here's a hint, though: one of my 5 Ways to Captivate an Audience is "have fun"!)

How To Use Humor to Succeed as a Speaker

There's no question that humor can be an entertaining and persuasive public speaking tool. But unless people laugh good-naturedly whenever you enter a room, you shouldn’t give humor the central role in your talk, unless it's an after-dinner speech. Even then, the humor in your speech still has to serve the message you’re imparting, just like every other element of your talk. (To learn more, download my free guide, "6 Rules of Effective Public Speaking.") First-class humor always contains something well worth listening to and learning from.

But let's stick to speeches and presentations that aren't in the after-dinner category. Let’s look at how humor can help you succeed, as well as the places where the ice gets a little thin.

Jeff Fleming said this in the pages of Professional Speaker, the journal of the National Speakers Association: “Humor makes an audience more receptive to your message, improves retention of points made, reduces tension, improves creativity and provides entertainment value to any presentation.”¹

Pretty good stuff, humor! We might also add: Humor allows your audience to see that you’re human and to identify with you. And it lets everybody in the room have some fun as well. After all, one of the secrets to great speaking is knowing how to connect with your audience. 

Like any presentation tool, however, humor must be used judiciously, and in the context of your message. Here’s an example of what happens when those two considerations aren’t taken into account. 

Want to Live Dangerously? — Then Do This!

Some years ago, I conducted a workshop at a large medical devices manufacturer. The vice presidents of a dozen different departments in this multinational were represented, from finance to human resources to sales to distribution. On the workshop’s second day, each senior executive was required to give a 10-minute presentation. We videotaped each talk, and I provided a critique and feedback afterwards.

One of the VPs decided to start his speech with a joke. This happened to be a stretch-limo of a joke that took up 3½ minutes of his allotted 10-minute limit. And this shaggy dog joke happened to be about the Pope! 

How’s that for living dangerously? It definitely wasn't part of knowing how to begin a presentation in the critical first 30-60 seconds!

This brief true story illustrates an important dichotomy in public speaking: using humor vs. telling a joke. Here are four reasons why using humor in speeches is safer than taking the stand-up route, and how to do so productively.

4 Rules for Using Humor in Public Speaking

Rule #1. The humor shouldn’t take up so much time that it competes with the body of your presentation. If you choose humor as part of your introduction, it shouldn't feel like the body of your speech! You can use humor as the "grabber" of you talk. Learn how in my free resource, "How to Start a Speech — 12 Foolproof Ways to Grab Your Audience."

Rule #2. The humor should be culturally appropriate. In other words, you should have a reasonable idea that it’s safe. Who knows, for instance, how many Catholics may sit in this VP’s future audiences and be offended by his eliciting laughter at the expense of the pontiff?

Rule #3. The humor must be closely related to your topic. In the above example, the presenter labored mightily to tie his punch line with the topic that followed, but it was an impossible task.

Rule #4. Humor should produce smiles or chuckles in an audience that make your time with them more pleasant. Telling a joke, on the other hand, is inviting T-R-O-U-B-L-E. That's because there’s a world of difference between telling a humorous story your audience can relate to, and handing them a zinger of a sidesplitting gag. 

If you choose the latter course, you are really out on that tightrope without a net. Why?

Well, telling a joke well means satisfying some tough requirements. You have to be good at timing, it helps to be able to assume funny voices and characterizations, and you basically need a reasonable facsimile of the skills of a comedian or naturally funny person. Also, of course, a joke's punch line either succeeds or it doesn't, which makes it absolutely a zero-sum game.

Face it: the requirements of telling a joke successfully are really worlds apart from your principal task: that of gaining and maintaining credibility on your topic that can lead to genuine influence. So keep it safe and in good taste—just like the products from the Good Humor Man.

P.S. As long as you're here, why not visit our Funny Public Speaking Stories page?