Engaging humour

Humour has a unique way of captivating the audience. When a speaker addresses an audience, the listeners often wonder: What value am I going to receive here? Is this worth my time? Why should I listen to you?’

Humour can quickly and easily gain audience attention. It’s also a useful tool to keep the audience engaged throughout the speech; this is especially practical when the topic is a heavy one.

Humour builds a quick connection with the audience
Humour makes a speech more memorable
Humour creates a fun and rewarding atmosphere

You don’t have to be a comedian to add humour to a presentation. Toastmasters allows you to work on adding humour to your speech craft through a dedicated set of online modules. The focus on humour in Toastmasters is through the educational pathway called ‘Engaging Humour’.

Benefits of Humour_Tropic City Toastmasters

ENGAGING HUMOUR

Engaging Humour has five levels. You are the creator of your experience. You choose your speech subjects and you can choose from a list of project electives (Toastmasters International, 2024). This is an opportunity to explore your creativity and the many facets that create laughter. This pathway gives you confidence to use a style of humour that fits your personality.

ASSESSING CROWD RESPONSE

There is an art to projecting humour in communication. Whilst the modules of online learning give you many ideas to work on, putting them into practice with a live audience is essential. Toastmaster group meetings are an ideal place to practice your skills and refine them for the ‘real world’. They give you the opportunity to understand what works and what doesn’t.

Creating Humour_Tropic City Toastmasters

ADD MORE HUMOUR TO YOUR SPEECHES

Humour is fantastic for balancing a speech with heavy content. If you find yourself giving speeches with content that may overwhelm, humour is a great way to restore balance. There are ways to use humour that are appropriate to the audience and topic. We recommend the ‘Engaging Humour’ pathway to learn the specifics of how, when and where to add humour to your presentation. If your goal is to be a humorous motivational speaker, join Toastmasters Today!