Using Humour In Your Opening

I sometimes recommend that people begin a speech with a humorous story, if they can, to relax the audience and set the tone for the rest of the speech. If you intend for the rest of the speech to be funny, that is.

For the past few weeks, I've been competing in a speech contest with Toastmasters International and in my speech, I try to get the audience laughing within 30 seconds by using the contrast approach.

The premise is this: a few years ago, my uncle died and one of the last things I said to him was: "What are you, a moron?" Not my finest hour, I must say. In my speech delivery, I try to contrast the tragedy of the situation with my dumb words, in order to get a laugh. The result never fails: nobody cracks a smile. So this idea is heading toward the trash bin.

This could be funny. I know it, I can feel it in my bones. Furthermore, I've used that technique successfully in the past; it usually works very well with deadpan (no pun intended) delivery. But in its current incarnation, it isn't funny and here's why:

• Delivery counts: in an effort to make my punch line work, I adjusted my delivery accordingly. The first time I delivered the speech, I tried to let the punch line ("What are you, a moron?") stand on its own. It fell flat. The second time I used it, I added gestures: I hit my forehead, I smiled, I changed my tone of voice to make it sound stupid. It wasn't enough, though. For it to work, the delivery must be completely over-the-top.
• Edgy humour is risky: very risky. I like edgy humour. To me, eventually you're allowed to laugh at everything. As they say, comedy is tragedy plus time. Laughing about death is edgy, and probably uncomfortable for most people, if you don't do it right. I've used edginess successfully before, but it also becomes easy to rub your audience the wrong way. Speaker beware.
• Permission to laugh: in order to get a laugh, the audience needs to know that they are allowed to do so. Many people who were in the audience that day knew me. They know I'm usually funny on stage, and they expect it from me. After my speech, I asked a few of them how they felt after my opening, and most of them told me they weren't sure they were supposed to laugh. The punchline came too quickly and they felt I hadn't given them permission to laugh yet.
  If you plan on using humour at the beginning of your speech, you need to make it obvious to the audience that they are encouraged to laugh. For example you can set it up in your introduction (the one someone else reads before you speak). If there are some funny lines in it, by the time you begin to speak the audience knows that laughter is part of the game.
• Rehearsal is key: although I have recited my speech aloud countless times, I delivered it in front of an audience only twice. So the only perspective I had was mine. Of course I found my introduction funny, it is about my life, after all. But delivering a speech has little to do with what you think, and everything to do with what the audience thinks. If you want to gauge the reaction you will get, take the time to practise and test your material in front of a live audience comprised of friends and colleagues who will provide feedback.

Humour remains one of the most effective tools in your speaking toolset. It can be useful to get a point across, it can help deal more easily with difficult situations, and best of all, it's just plain fun!