How to Make a Presentation Funny: 6 Easy Ways + Examples
A touch of well-timed humor transforms a dry presentation into a memorable one. It instantly builds a connection with your audience and makes your message stand out.
Here’s the tricky part: striking the right balance between being funny and staying professional.
The big question, then, is how to make a presentation funny without losing credibility. Well, that’s exactly what I’ll be covering in this article.
For years, I’ve used humor in my presentations in big and small ways, from team updates to conference keynotes. (It all started when I impulsively signed up for a comedy class while working in LA.)
I slowly began paying attention to humor elements all around me.
Over time, I learned the different types of humor that universally work in professional settings.
Today, I’m sharing 6 humor techniques with you, categorized from easy to advanced based on time and effort.
That means, even if you’re pressed for time, there’s a humor technique that you can use in your presentation – no excuses.
Organic vs. Forced Humor in Presentations
Let’s be clear: we’re not forcing humor into our presentations.
We’re certainly not reciting canned jokes. Leave the jokes to the stand-up comedians.
The goal here is to use authentic, organic ways to add elements of humor in presentations.
Ultimately, we want to make our audience smile, feel connected to us, and maybe remember our message a little longer.
So, from the humor methods I’ve listed below, I want you to pick what seems most authentic and “natural” to you.
How to Make a Presentation Funny: 6 Easy Ways to Infuse Humor
1. Modify the last line of your introduction bio
Humor scale: Easy. Requires very little time and effort
Let’s start with an easy one.
When you deliver a presentation, someone needs to introduce you. They might say something like, “Let’s welcome our next speaker…”, and then read a prim-and-proper, serious-sounding biography.
Here’s what you can do to include humor: add one sentence at the end of your introduction bio that reveals a little-known or quirky fact about you.
Examples:
(1) At a science conference I once attended, a professor added this last sentence to her introduction bio:
“Dr. Jones is a mother of three and wife of only one.”
It made us all smile. It also indicated to me — a member of the audience — that this speaker isn’t going to bore me. I ended up paying more attention to her research presentation.
(2) Another example I recall is that of an author who adds this line to his speaker bio just before he takes the stage:
“As a published author, he always prefers the book to the movie.”
It immediately struck a chord with the bibliophiles in the audience.
(3) I use this technique too. Here’s what I add to my introduction bio:
“When Anita is not speaking or writing, she spends significant time researching storytelling… by binge-watching Netflix.”
Why this humor method works:
By adding a fun fact to your introduction, you’ve made yourself a little more relatable to your audience. They’re smiling even before you started your presentation! Plus, this technique is easy, quick and requires no slide changes (hurray).
2. React to your success or failure with exaggeration
Humor scale: Easy. Requires very little time and effort
This humor technique can be used during two common presentation scenarios:
- Scenario 1: You’re highlighting a challenge or issue (and then address how it can resolved)
- Scenario 2: You’re sharing a success story (and then expand on how that was achieved)
During these moments, to make things humorous, you react to the success or failure in a slightly dramatized or exaggerated manner.
Examples:
(1) Success exaggeration humor examples:
Rather than simply saying, “We’re pleased with these results,” try this:
“We’re so happy with these results that the only thing that can make us happier is if we scored free tickets to Taylor Swift’s Eras tour.”
(2) Challenge exaggeration humor examples:
“I kept running into issues back-to-back. Honestly, after three months of not getting any results, my best friend was a tub of ice cream at night. I almost felt like Bridget Jones.”
OR
“What kept us going through this challenging project was our talented team… and lots and lots of free coffee.”
Why this humor method works:
Exaggeration (or hyperbole) is considered a persuasive communication technique. It’s also one of the most commonly used humor methods. As we’re all generally quite familiar with it, there’s very little risk of the humor falling flat.
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3. Use “I know exactly what you’re thinking…”
Humor scale: Medium. Requires a bit of preparation
Your audience can feel a variety of emotions during your presentation.
If you’re sharing highly cerebral, complex information, they can feel overwhelmed. If you’re implementing an unwelcome change, they can feel hesitant or frustrated.
In these instances, you can use a tactic that many stand-up comedians use.
Use the phrase, “I know exactly what you’re thinking,” to react to your audience’s unfiltered thoughts at that moment.
Example 1 of 2:
There are two ways to use this method. The first way is as follows:
- “I know exactly what you’re thinking,” + [saying the opposite of what they really feel]
Let’s assume that your audience feels slightly overwhelmed with the rapid-fire sharing of information.
In this instance, you’d say:
“I know exactly what you’re thinking,” + “all of this seems super easy and straightforward, right?”
Why this humor method works:
The stark contrast between what you said and what they’re actually feeling in the moment comes as a surprise and lightens the mood.
Example 2 of 2:
The second way to use this method is:
- “I know exactly what you’re thinking,” + [mirroring their raw, unfiltered emotion at that moment]
Let’s take the same example of an audience overwhelmed with information:
“I know exactly what you’re thinking,” + “this is all just too much to take in!”
But you’ll notice that the above isn’t quite funny enough.
Because it’s missing an important ingredient: a GIF!
That’s what we’ll be doing next. 👇
4. Capture the exact emotion with a GIF
Humor scale: Medium. Requires a bit of preparation
GIFs are my absolute favorite way to add humor to any presentation. I use them all the time.
They’re sprinkled into my slides at key points where I want to address my audience’s emotion or just offer a short visual break.
I’ve noticed that GIF-based humor translates across different industries. Whether I’m giving a technical talk to scientists or speaking casually at a lunch-and-learn, I’ve always seen smiling faces when the GIF slide comes on.
The best place to find GIFs is giphy.com. They have a huge collection of GIFs from a range of different sources.
You can use emotion-based search terms like frustrated, overwhelmed, tired, confused, excited, etc. Or simply type in the words used to convey that emotion, for example, “Are you kidding me?”, “What on Earth!”, “Why, God, why?” and so on.
Examples:
(1) Continuing on from the previous example of mirroring your audience’s emotion, here’s how the whole humor set-up would look:
“I know exactly what you’re thinking,” + “this is all just too much to take in!” + [GIF that conveys confusion]
(2) You can even use GIFs to share your reaction to success or failure (from humor method #2).
“Honestly, after three months of not getting any results, my best friend was a tub of ice cream at night. I almost felt like Bridget Jones.” + [GIF from the movie capturing that very scene]
(3) If you are an animal lover, a dog or cat person, you can find endless GIFs of dogs and cats to represent your emotion or your audience’s reaction in your slides.
Why this humor method works:
GIFs mirror exactly how your audience is feeling at that moment. It’s candid, direct, and relatable. As a stand-alone visual element, it requires no comedic delivery and translates across language barriers.
5. Use an industry-specific meme
Humor scale: Medium. Requires a bit of preparation
What’s better than a GIF? A meme.
What’s better than a meme? An industry-specific meme.
There are industry-specific memes for almost all fields. Some examples include PhD memes, neuroscience memes, biology memes, engineering memes, legal memes, and medical memes, among dozens of others.
If you don’t find what you’re looking for, you can customize memes specific to your topic.
Examples:
(1) About ten years ago, I was sitting at a lunch seminar waiting for a scientific talk to begin. Now, these talks can be quite dry and, dare I say, boring.
But in this instance, the speaker began her talk with a Ryan Gosling meme.
The meme said:
Hey girl, are you corpus callosum? Because you’ve crossed my mind.
It’s been a decade and I still remember this slide!
And, for the rest of my life, I’ll never forget what the corpus callosum does. (FYI, it connects the two brain hemispheres.)
That is the power of adding industry-specific humor. It makes you and your message memorable for years to come.
(2) This engineering meme appearing as an ice-breaker slide for a career development workshop
Why this humor method works:
Using industry-specific memes that bring humor to a specific subject matter is highly effective because it works like an ‘inside joke’ that only you and your audience understand. And this shared experience immediately connects everyone in the room.
6. Weave a fun theme throughout your presentation
Humor scale: Medium-Advanced. Requires considerable preparation
Roll up your sleeves for this advanced humor technique. We’re now adding humor elements at different points along the presentation to make the audience smile not once but multiple times during your talk.
First, choose a unifying theme or angle for your talk, then modify the presentation title to reflect that. Finally, include recurring humor elements related to the theme you chose.
How to choose a fun theme or angle for your presentation?
You can draw inspiration from popular books, movies, TV shows, current events, or seasonal topics. The point is to add a bit of personality in any way that feels comfortable.
Examples:
(1) Before:
Introduction to Microscopy
After adding a fun theme:
Microscopy 101: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly
By picking this theme (loosely based on a popular movie) and modifying the presentation title, the speaker has opened up several opportunities to use humor with ‘the bad and the ugly’ versions of this topic.
(2) Before:
Sales Training for European Markets
After adding a fun theme:
Sales Training: How to Win (or Lose) a Client in 10 Days
In this example, sales training is re-imagined with a cheeky take on a popular romantic comedy movie.
The presentation now lends itself to including funny anecdotes, amusing facepalm moments, and, equally, some winning tactics that can keep trainees engaged.
Why this humor method works:
By introducing a light-hearted angle or fun theme to your presentation title, you’ve already primed your audience to expect humor. You can now add humor elements at several points during your presentation, keeping your audience engaged until the end.
Concluding Remarks
Hope the above techniques have given you some fun ideas to make your presentation humorous in a tasteful, professional way.
Remember, humor is a vastly under-utilized strategy in communication, especially in the tech and scientific industries. So, even adding subtle hints of humor to your presentation gives you a competitive advantage.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is it a good idea to start my presentation with a joke?
While including humor at the start of your presentation is a good idea to break the ice with your audience, it’s not advisable to start your talk with a canned joke. Not all jokes work. If the joke falls flat, your confidence may be shaken for the rest of the talk. And worse, if the joke ends up offending a subsection of your audience, you’ve instantly lost credibility.
Do I need to use humor in my presentation? It feels so forced.
Humor is just one of the many tools in public speaking. Only use humor if it matches your personality. For instance, I organically use humor in my daily life, so it feels “natural” to me. But if there’s any part of you that feels icky about using humor, honor that inner voice and try another public speaking tactic, such as storytelling, to make your presentation memorable.
How can I use humor without offending anyone?
Stick to light-hearted, observational humor that avoids sensitive topics or stereotypes. When in doubt, remove the humor element.
What if no one laughs?
Don’t worry if you don’t get proper laughs. Move on naturally, and get back into the flow of your presentation.
Are there topics I should avoid joking about in a presentation?
Yes, avoid jokes about politics, religion, race, gender, stereotypes, or any hot-button topics that are considered controversial. Our goal is to stay professional and respectful.
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