TJ Walker explains why humor matters in public speaking. He shares stories about being called a ham, cites Winston Churchill as an example of wit in leadership, and argues that well-placed jokes build credibility and keep audiences engaged.
Chapters
I enjoyed public speaking. I admit it. I had a lot of fun. I'm a bit of a ham. In fact, I was called a ham, a showboat. One of the things I like to do when I'm speaking is make people laugh, especially if I'm making fun of an opponent. I once said about one of my colleagues, Mr. Attlee is a modest man. Indeed, he has much to be modest about. People had to think for a second and then they saw the zinger. Every once in a while, someone would try to correct me, imagine or not imagine that, and tell me I'm not supposed to end a sentence with a preposition. I told them that is foolishness up with which I will not put. I think they saw the absurdity of what they were saying. Now, I have famously been quoted, misquoted, re quoted on numerous, numerous witticisms. I've made some of them I said, some of them I didn't. One of the beauties of showing wit here and there is people start attributing witty things to you even if you didn't say them. Did it sometimes get me in trouble? Sure, but it delivered credibility to me as someone people should listen to. And when I had to talk about the dangers of the Nazis and Hitler's, people were listening to me. My name is Winston Churchill. Churchill, of course, is widely respected for his public speaking skills. He could talk about serious matters, but the other thing that differentiates him from so many other world leaders is the witness. He was constantly needling his opponents, making fun of his opponents, ridiculing them for their shortcomings. These days, some of that might be considered politically incorrect, rude, obnoxious, mean spirited. But it worked for him in his day. You might not consider yourself a great wit, but if you do have a sense of humor, don't keep it bottled up. Too many people who are really funny and engaging, one on one or in small groups, they start to give speeches or presentations or on panels, and they think they have to be all clammed up, buttoned up, serious and professional. No, there certainly is some difference of what you might say to your best friend over a couple of years versus what you say to the whole world on national tv. But where you can be funny and not wildly offensive, let the humor come out. It builds so much goodwill and it's going to build a much bigger audience for you for when you are talking about serious issues.
