Starting a speech with humour.

There’s a reason the best speakers start with a laugh.

It’s not just to be liked. It’s because humour is the fastest way to break down the barrier between you and your audience.

Why start with humour?

Because humour makes people feel good, it relaxes the room and builds instant rapport. It buys you attention, connection and goodwill.

What kind of humour works?

Your goal here is to choose a topic that's universal for your audience. Something everyone can relate to.

Themes like:

The weather. A national obsession in the UK
Travel. Everyday frustrations with trains, traffic and delays
Office life. Those Reply All email chains that land 100 emails in your inbox.  Coffee machines that never work.
Office canteens. Where the queue is longer than the one for the Queen's funeral
Self-deprecation. Poke fun at yourself and the audience will root for you. Make yourself the butt of the joke and you'll be seen as instantly human and relatable.
The news. Choose big, safe stuff like royal events. Don't choose something polarising like referendum results.

Some topics to avoid.
They're easy to reach for but ...

Avoid politics.
Avoid sport.
Nothing divides a room faster. Don’t risk it.

And it’s not just what you say. It’s how you say it.

Here’s something a lot of people don’t know: delivery is vital. If you mess it up, you'll just end up with a weird sentence.

So here’s how to make your humour hit:

Practise it beforehand. Out loud. Several times. Especially the pause before the punchline.
Say it like you mean it.  Confidence sells the joke. If you look unsure, the audience will be too.

Final thought

If you want to start your presentation or speech with some humour, go for it.

And don't worry, you don’t need to be a comedian. Don’t put pressure on yourself, you don’t need to write an absolute side-splitter.

You just need to put a little thought into choosing a universal topic. Then say it like you mean it.


Hate public speaking? Let’s fix that.

If you want to start your journey to banish your fear of public speaking and presenting, improve your confidence, and boost your career prospects, then check out the online masterclass here at Better Public Speaking.