Ed Balls in his new book “Speaking Out” tells about the then Prime Minister Gordon Brown employing a comedy duo to write jokes and punch lines for his speeches.
In over 20 years of speaking to political and business audiences, Gordon had learnt that a good sense of humour makes a connection with an audience. The better the joke, the better the connection and impact.
Ed says the first joke he heard Gordon use was in 1994. He delivered the old stalwart of the speaking circuit:
“Mr Chairman, thank you for your kind remarks. What a pleasant change to the remarks made last week by a chairman who said “Would you like to speak now or shall we let them enjoy themselves for a little bit longer””
Pedestrian maybe, but it raises a smile and a laugh and you’ve broken the ice.
There are books of jokes you can buy, but we would also urge you to become more observant of the world around you. Write jokes down and catalogue stories you hear. Become more aware of the things which happen to you which make you smile, because these are often the tales that resonate most with your audience
Posted by Sally Clare on Wednesday, October 12th, 2016 in Features › News ›
Tags: humour, making a better connection, writing speeches and presentations