1 Know your audience

Before you plan your speech, do some research on your audience. Who are they? What are their backgrounds, interests, values, and expectations? What are their pain points, goals, and challenges? What kind of humor do they appreciate and respond to? The more you know about your audience, the better you can tailor your jokes to suit their needs, preferences, and sensibilities. Avoid jokes that might be insensitive, disrespectful, or irrelevant to your audience.

2 Know your purpose

Humor should serve a specific purpose in your speech, not just fill time or make you look funny. What are you trying to achieve with your jokes? Are you trying to break the ice, illustrate a point, reinforce a message, or challenge a belief? How do your jokes support your main objective and theme? Make sure your jokes are relevant, clear, and consistent with your speech. Avoid jokes that might be confusing, distracting, or contradictory to your purpose.

3 Know your limits

Humor is subjective, and not everyone will find your jokes funny or appropriate. There are some topics that are generally considered taboo, controversial, or risky for humor, such as politics, religion, sex, race, gender, or personal issues. Unless you are very confident and skilled in handling these topics, and you have a good reason to do so, it is safer to avoid them. Also, be aware of your own biases, assumptions, and stereotypes, and avoid jokes that might be offensive, discriminatory, or stereotypical.

4 Know your tone

Humor can have different tones, such as sarcastic, ironic, witty, self-deprecating, or absurd. The tone of your humor should match the tone of your speech and the mood of your audience. For example, if you are giving a serious or emotional speech, you might want to use humor sparingly and subtly, or use self-deprecating humor to show humility and vulnerability. If you are giving a light-hearted or inspirational speech, you might want to use humor more frequently and boldly, or use witty or absurd humor to show creativity and confidence. Avoid jokes that might be too harsh, rude, or aggressive.

5 Know your feedback

Humor is interactive, and you need to pay attention to how your audience reacts to your jokes. Are they laughing, smiling, nodding, or clapping? Or are they frowning, shaking their heads, or looking bored or annoyed? Use your feedback to adjust your humor accordingly. If your jokes are working well, you can continue or amplify them. If your jokes are not working well, you can stop or change them. Avoid jokes that might be too repetitive, predictable, or stale.

Humor can be a great asset for motivational speakers, but it can also be a potential pitfall. By following these tips, you can use humor effectively and appropriately to enhance your speech and engage your audience.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?