This practical guide to the effective use of humor in public speeches and presentations includes step-by-step directions for telling jokes, working the audience, dealing with stage fright, and more. Also contains a special section on handling a host of surprising situations, from angry audiences to extreme temperatures, plus extensive coverage of roasts.

Ricky Olson is an award-winning humorous speaker. Although he was told all his life he was funny, no one was laughing when he gave stand-up comedy a shot. Being "naturally funny" failed him, so he was forced to figure it out or quit. After four years of intense study and after finding an amazing coach, Ricky shares what he's learned, so you, too, can Hook 'Em with Humor.

Lasso Them With LaughterThe way to your listeners’ hearts is through their funny bones. Want to grab their attention? Do it with humor. Need to drive home a point they’ll remember? Nothing does it better than a rib-tickling anecdote—like the ones in this book. 1002 Humorous Illustrations for Public Speaking is jam-packed with one-liners, jokes, humorous stories, and pithy proverbs for just about any subject or circumstance under the sun. Pick your topic. Appearances, Communication, Opportunity, Prayer, Self-Image, Sports . . . these and plenty more come to you conveniently alphabetized, numbered, and indexed for instant referencing. There’s even a space for you to log what you use, so fresh nuttiness doesn’t become old chestnuts.Tested by preachers and public speakers, this ensemble of humor is just the ticket to get your audience laughing—and listening.

No one will take you seriously unless your presentation is funny.Finally, a book that gives practical, precise and proven ways to add humor to any presentation. Author and award-winning humorist David Glickman has successfully used every one of these techniques to get big laughs from audiences--and now you can, too. You'll discover dozens of innovative and creative methods to make any presentation funnier. And the best part is how surprisingly easy they are to do! Learn how to: --Get big laughs in the first few seconds (and why that is so important)--Set up your speaking environment for maximum laughter--Know what's genuinely funny--Easily customize humor for your specific audience (Because the more specific the humor, the more terrific the humor--you'll learn why.)--And much, much moreThis book will show you incredibly creative ways to add humor to your: Employee Meeting--Keynote Speech--PowerPoint Presentation--Sales Pitch--TED Talk--Congratulatory Toast--Project Report--Campaign Speech--Product Launch--Tribute--Acceptance Speech--Opening Argument--Eulogy (well, not your eulogy)--and any other occasion where you are in front of an audienceWhen you stand in front of an audience, you only have one chance to make an impression on them. One chance to make that presentation memorable and powerful and significant. And no matter how good your presentation and preparation might be, if that message doesn't have some entertainment value to it, it will likely get lost in the multitude of distractions you're up against. And even if you do have the audience's undivided attention, if your talk doesn't have some entertainment value, your impact--at best--will be non-existent. And--at worst--it will mark you with the reputation as a really boring speaker.The easiest, most efficient, and most effective way to add entertainment value to any presentation is with humor. And that is exactly why the book "Speaking Of Funny" was written. With (actually more than) 77 Ways To Add Humor To Any Presentation, you will never have a shortage of strategies to get any audience laughing, anytime, anywhere. This innovative book details many easy ways to add customized and relevant and appropriate humor into your next presentation--humor that will not only have your audience laughing, but also listening and learning.

Public speaking can be terrifying. For David Nihill, the idea of standing in front of an audience was scarier than cliff jumping into a thorny pit of spiders and mothers-in-law. Without a parachute or advanced weaponry. Something had to change. In what doesn't sound like the best plan ever, David decided to overcome his fears by pretending to be an accomplished comedian called "Irish Dave" for one full year, crashing as many comedy clubs, festivals, and shows as possible. One part of the plan was at least logical: he was already Irish and already called Dave. In one year, David went from being deathly afraid of public speaking to hosting a business conference, regularly performing stand-up comedy and winning storytelling competitions in front of packed houses. And he did it by learning from some of the best public speakers in the world: stand-up comedians. Do You Talk Funny?: 7 Comedy Habits to Become a Better (and Funnier) Public Speaker shows how the key principles of stand-up comedy can be applied to your speaking engagements and presentations to make you funnier, more interesting, and better looking. (Or at least two of the three.) Whether you are preparing for a business presentation, giving a wedding toast, defending your thesis, raising money from investors, or simply want to take on something you're afraid of, this book will take you from sweaty to stage-ready. You'll learn how to: - Craft a story and content that your audience will want to listen to - Find the funniest parts of your material and how to get to them faster - Deal with stage fright - Master the two most important parts of your performance: timing and delivery Ten percent of the author's proceeds from this book will go to Arash Bayatmakou via Help Hope Live until he is fully back on his feet and thereafter to one of the many facing the same challenges after suffering a severe spinal cord injury.

The Humor Rx for Speakers offers speakers and speakers-to-be practical tips on how to use humor in their public speaking engagements, whether formal or informal. There are 77 tips on various topics related to humorous speaking. Numerous humorous examples have been used to illustrate the tips. You will also enjoy some of the exercises included in some of the tips. In addition to the tips, the book includes an introduction about what humor is all about, as well as some essential guidelines on how to make humor effective. You will also enjoy the illustrations that precede some of the tips, and you may want to try to caption them. Also, some of the finest humorous quotes have been selectively compiled that could give you some ideas for funny one-liners or personalized short stories. You can start this book anywhere. Even if you are not a speaker, you will get some musings from reading the tips. The foreword of the book was written by Mark L. Brown, the Toastmasters International 1995 world champion of public speaking.

Timeless advice about how to use humor to win over any audience Can jokes win a hostile room, a hopeless argument, or even an election? You bet they can, according to Cicero, and he knew what he was talking about. One of Rome’s greatest politicians, speakers, and lawyers, Cicero was also reputedly one of antiquity’s funniest people. After he was elected commander-in-chief and head of state, his enemies even started calling him “the stand-up Consul.” How to Tell a Joke provides a lively new translation of Cicero’s essential writing on humor alongside that of the later Roman orator and educator Quintilian. The result is a timeless practical guide to how a well-timed joke can win over any audience. As powerful as jokes can be, they are also hugely risky. The line between a witty joke and an offensive one isn’t always clear. Cross it and you’ll look like a clown, or worse. Here, Cicero and Quintilian explore every aspect of telling jokes—while avoiding costly mistakes. Presenting the sections on humor in Cicero’s On the Ideal Orator and Quintilian’s The Education of the Orator, complete with an enlightening introduction and the original Latin on facing pages, How to Tell a Joke examines the risks and rewards of humor and analyzes basic types that readers can use to write their own jokes. Filled with insight, wit, and examples, including more than a few lawyer jokes, How to Tell a Joke will appeal to anyone interested in humor or the art of public speaking.