- A great way to cover feelings of nervousness is to use humour. Letting your audience know you are nervous may not necessarily create a bad impression, it could endear you to them.
- Humorous anecdotes and sharing personal experiences could help support your objective and create a memorable experience for your audience.
- Do not share unrelated jokes or stories as they are distracting and waste time. They also do nothing to support your presentation.
- Do not use humour in inappropriate situations. For example, making jokes about the loss in a company’s market share will only reflect badly on you.
- Don’t overthink jokes beforehand as it feels forced. Spontaneous humour comes more naturally and feels more genuine.
- Use humour when you feel at ease. The audience may not laugh if they see you bothered and on edge.
- Never use humour to criticize or disrespect anyone. Sarcastic and mean comments will only create animosity among your audience.
- Do not falter if the audience does not react the way you hoped they would, brush it off and continue presenting your PowerPoint.
- If the audience continues to not understand your humour, remember- you can always opt out and continue your presentation without humour.