Use Humour 

          If you want to be a leader in business, or in your community, it will be a sound investment to learn to tell appropriate stories well.

          A good story can help get your message across and keep your audience interested and amused.

           Humour depends on life experiences and these can vary greatly between countries and different social groups within a country.

          The essence of humour is that it should contain an element of surprise.

          You should enjoy the story or joke yourself if you want to tell it well.

A handful of tips to help you make use of humour at your next meeting, or when giving your next presentation 

* Take care!

          Select your jokes carefully.

          Consider the background and experience of the audience.

          Take care not to offend.

          Sexist and off-colour jokes could upset some people so select jokes that are suitable for your audience and relevant to the occasion.

          Before you tell jokes in a foreign country test them out first on some locals to see if they are suitable and can be understood.

* Collect good stories and jokes

          When you hear a suitable joke or story, jot it down for future reference.  It will be readily available for an appropriate occasion.

          Research joke books and online jokes for suitable occasions.

* Make them your stories

          Rewrite them.  Put yourself into the story.

          Make them topical, using local names and places.

          Revise, edit and rehearse them.  

          Act them out using facial expressions and gestures in front of a mirror. 

 * Practise telling them to friends and colleagues

          Keep telling them until you get a good laugh every time. If there is a punch-line, pause, then make sure you deliver it loud and clearly.

* Build your own joke library

          File jokes so you can use them with relevant topical references at the next appropriate occasion.  One-liners are always appreciated.      

          There is a lot of work involved but it can be a sound investment if you are ambitious. People enjoy a little nonsense now and then.

-Geoffrey Moss (mossassociates.co.nz)

“Collect, revise, test, rehearse and practise are the golden rules for good storytellers.

Source: “Persuasive Ways. ‘Tricks of the trade’ to get your ideas across”. First published by  Moss Associates Ltd., New Zealand and in Chinese by the Shanghai People’s Publishing House, the Singapore Institute of Management, Kogan Page Ltd, U.K and in Hungarian by Bagolyvar Konyvkiado.  Also published as the “Secrets of Persuasion” by Cengage Learning Asia and as an e-book and sold by Amazon.com.