Humor is a powerful tool to connect with your audience, break the ice, and make your message more memorable. However, it can also backfire if used inappropriately, excessively, or offensively. To use humor strategically, consider your audience’s preferences, expectations, and sensitivities; align your jokes with your tone, theme, and objective; and practice beforehand to observe the reactions. Additionally, use humor sparingly and selectively; don't force it or overdo it. With these tips in mind, you can use humor to support your main message without distracting from it.
I agree that humor is definitely a powerful tool when you know your audience. Another key callout with the use of humor is when it truly is unscripted and organic. For example, whenever there is a slight hiccup during a presentation like the slides not transitioning or completely forgetting your next thought adding humor to that moment always lightens the mood to remind your audience that you are just as human as they are.
As long as the subject is appropriate then humour really can work. I use an amount of self deprecation, again where appropriate as well as facial features and gestures. How they feel when you finish is very important.
One good way to elicit positive emotions is to remind your audience or followers to celebrate their achievements! Even if they’re small. Reward yourself with something positive, like self-care in its simplest form. -Take a walk, -Take a bath, -Read a book, -Close your eyes and breathe, -Pet your animal. These are all simple forms of self-care that take only a short amount of time… but add up to something big over time. Hey! That’s definitely something to celebrate 🥳
Positive emotions are not only pleasant, but also beneficial for your audience. They can enhance creativity, resilience, and optimism, while also fostering trust, rapport, and loyalty. To tap into these emotions, use positive language and imagery that conveys hope, gratitude, joy, or another positive emotion. Additionally, share positive stories and examples to demonstrate how people overcame challenges or achieved goals. Furthermore, express appreciation and recognition for your audience and their contributions. Acknowledge their achievements, challenges, and feedback; praise their strengths, values, and potential. Doing so can help create a more positive environment for everyone involved.
Something I’ve found helpful is connecting people to an outside source of strength, joy, hope, love, sadness, trust by questions like: when in the last four weeks did you feel loved? How about joy? By helping people connect an experience to an emotion, they awaken inside and become more self aware. Emotions are not positive or negative. They all need to be felt and listened to. We become less threatened and more aware of our bodies. Out of that we learn to respond in healthier ways
I agree positive emotions are an essential outcome that I look for. I want people to leave on a high and with a plan. they will go away and want to implement what they learnt and have a PMA about the future.
Emotional contrast is a technique of creating a contrast between two different emotions, such as sadness and happiness, fear and relief, or anger and compassion. This technique can make your message more impactful, memorable, and persuasive. To create emotional contrast, it is important to identify the relevant and appropriate emotions for your message and audience without manipulating or exploiting them. You should then build up the emotional tension by starting with the negative emotion and gradually increasing its intensity with facts, statistics, stories, or questions. Finally, you should switch to the positive emotion and provide a solution, resolution, or call to action with humor, inspiration, or encouragement to create a sense of relief, satisfaction, or empowerment.
Emotional contrast or 'light and shade' is a powerful tactic to move an audience from a position of apathy. If an audience is unclear why they should care about your idea, it's difficult to effect change. That is why a negative emotion like FOMO (fear of missing out) can get their attention. The key is to introduce balance with a positive emotion like reassurance or hope. It's the emotional contrast that encourages insight.
Emotional cues are signals that indicate how you or your audience are feeling or should feel. They can be verbal, vocal, or visual and can help you communicate your emotions more effectively, influence your audience's emotions, and create emotional alignment. To use emotional cues, consider using verbal cues such as words and phrases that express or evoke emotions. Utilize rhetorical devices like metaphors, similes, or repetition to enhance your emotional expression. Additionally, use vocal cues like volume, pitch, tone, or speed to convey or modulate emotions. Consider using pauses, emphasis, or inflection to create interest, suspense, or surprise. Utilize laughter, sighs, or exclamations to show spontaneity, enthusiasm, or emotion. Finally, use visual cues such as body language, facial expressions, gestures, or eye contact to communicate or mirror emotions. Also consider using props, slides, videos, or images to illustrate or amplify emotions as well as colors, fonts, or symbols to represent or trigger emotions.
I agree with many of these techniques. Also important is to smile (some) while explaining complex ideas. It sends a positive emotional charge to your audience that says, "Don't worry, we'll get there together!"
Emotional participation is the process of involving your audience in your message and making them feel part of it. This can increase their attention, retention, and action, as well as create a sense of community, belonging, and influence. To invite emotional participation, ask open-ended questions that invite your audience to share their opinions, experiences, or feelings. Listen actively and empathetically to their responses and validate and acknowledge their emotions. Encourage interaction and feedback by using polls, quizzes, games, or exercises to stimulate their curiosity, creativity, or challenge. Solicit and respond to their feedback, comments, or questions. Additionally, share your own emotions and stories that relate to your message and audience; be honest, vulnerable, and relatable. Show your passion, enthusiasm, and humor and invite your audience to join you on your journey.
Encourage interaction and feedback by using polls, quizzes, games, Use short video clips of people, animals or scenes that evoke humor or other strong emotion or stimulate their curiosity, creativity, or challenge. Encouraging them to express their reactions or feelings through feedback, comments, or questions. Responding quickly and positively to their feedback keeps things real, improving and caring. Show your passion, enthusiasm, and humor and invite your audience to join you in sharing and caring compassionately for each other.
Every time you capture someone’s attention, it’s a sacred moment to help them connect more deeply with themselves so that they grow and become life giving to the people around them. When you speak, you have the opportunity to leave someone with values, thoughts that shape and form them. When you teach people how to think you are leading them. Humor and creative expression are all woven in to tap into emotion yet at the end of the time, give them something to walk away with where they learned more about themselves and have the opportunity to grow in self awareness as well as celebrating their individuality and loving others well.
Just be yourself. Your real personality with realistic level of hope, joy and other specifications could be enough attractive to the audience.
I try and include participation wit questions and interactivity. I do not want it to be all one way, and will also ask for opinions, because I know not everyone will have the same opinion so healthy discussions can ensue
Sharing personal stories helps to confirm your authenticity. If the audience engage with your story, they will not only remember you but are also more likely to absorb your message.