How can you use humor in Q&A sessions?

In my experience humor when used intelligently and sensibly can facilitate the process of conveying of ideas and stances that can resonate with an audience of varying band width. Some of the most controversial topics are communicated smoothly with classy humor. A good sense of humor is integral to the art of diplomacy and also a reflection of both intellectual and emotional intelligence.

Understanding your audience will give you context on jokes and ice breakers that are relatable and get them going. Avoid getting too personal or too leaning

The key here is to use original humor, but to ground it in the form of a joke that your audience is likely to know. For example, in a Q&A session, if someone asks you a question, you reply with this question: "Why did the chicken ask a question?" If the person expresses confusion or lack of understanding to this response, follow up with: "Which came first, the question or the egg?" You have to be careful, though. You don't want your entire Q&A session to be poultry-themed. So you mix it up with an anecdote: A question, an answer and a politician walked into a bar. The question said: "Do I know you?" The answer said: "Of course!" And the politician said: "I am not a crook." This will make your Q&A session lively and memorable.

A good joke is a good joke. Everyone loves a good joke. If you can get one and are able to deliver it with the humor it bears then its a plus for you.

Respond to also the parts that were said passively. Use them to build up a funny discourse on the issue that may have appeared irrelevant or casual.

Spontaneity laced with intelligent wit are a recipe for delivering an impactful speech or narrative . The secret sauce is to maintain a grounded approach that the audience can relate to.

Humor interjected between moments of seriousness is a welcome break . Also it helps to rejuvenate the attention span of an audience .

Public speaking is all about audience management. You want to remain in control of the session and need to make sure humor does not carry away all the attention from the agenda too often.

I ask my audience to imagine visual humor since I speak on deafness and hearing loss. I encourage them to remove the sound from a situation, only seeing what is transpiring, but then add back the imaginary sound track to more fully understand what is happening to the deaf participants. Visually, deaf situations can be hilarious, like the old silent movies, but in the reality of complete sensory information, the humor evaporates.

Always get feedback on public speaking sessions. It is a sure way to know what to improve on, what to avoid, what to do more and how to do it better.

Feedback starts for a public speaker soon after the narration begins . The energy in the room , level of eye contact , the vibe of the audience are all indicators of the flow of the speech. The final feed back is a good tool to navigate the next speech which would have its own unique learning curve for the speaker.

If you’re NOT a naturally funny person don’t try too hard to be funny. You’re better off showing up authentically than pretending to be someone you’re not. Remember: If anything about you feels fake, including your humour – you’ll end up repelling them instead of connecting with your audience. Focus on making your content interesting and valuable instead of trying too hard to be humorous. If you ARE naturally funny, avoid telling jokes during a guest speaker introduction or while you are introducing someone else. Let the speaker make jokes about themselves – but don’t be the one making jokes about the speaker. Remember: Even if you’re naturally funny, the best joke in the world will not be well-received if it's not relevant to the topic.