How to Have a Good Sense of Humor While Giving an Oral Report

Oral reports can be one of the most anxiety-producing events in higher education or the workplace. Although they are more or less serious affairs in which clear and persuasive information is imparted, a little humor goes a long way toward keeping the audience interested. The key is to keep the humor relevant and to use it sparingly, so as not to seem unprofessional. Before including humor in an oral report, learn about the backgrounds, values and interests of your audience so you can avoid offending anyone.

Instructions

    • 1

      Put yourself in the position of an audience member, both during the writing of your oral report and during the delivery. Those listening to your oral report want you to succeed at it, if only for selfish reasons, such as not wanting to be bored and/or disappointed. Think about speeches and presentations that have grabbed your attention in the past and make a note of what it was that got your attention.

    • 2

      Start your oral report with an appropriate and relevant joke or personal anecdote. This will hook your audience and maintain their attention during your presentation, whereas a lifeless introduction will make them tune out for the remainder of the report. Test your personal anecdotes or jokes on honest friends who will tell you whether they are funny, make sense, are relevant and whether they are appropriate.

    • 3

      Include humorous visuals in your oral report. These can be topic-relevant cartoons, photos or illustrations projected on an overhead screen. The intermittent use of humorous visuals can be particularly effective in breaking up blocks of spoken dialogue without coming across as overly irreverent to your professors, employers or colleagues.

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