Adding Humor To A Grief Presentation Challenges And Advantages

Each and every presentation requirements range. With no range the speaker risks losing his or her audience. Humor is among the ideal ways to retain audience focus. Because I am an skilled speaker, I know this. Still, I struggled to find ways to insert humor into a workshop about increasing from grief.

Why did I want to add humor? 1 explanation was the healing power of laughter. Laughter relieves tension and can energize us. I also feel people today who are grieving have to have to offer themselves permission to laugh. Laughter lightens the mood and assists us to believe within the future once more. When people laugh together they come together.

So I reviewed my workshop outline and looked for places to add funny stories. This process made me believe with the actor Eddie Albert, who was a close pal of my father-in-law's. Dad and Eddie had been each Minnesota "boys" and attended the University of Minnesota together. Years ago, Eddie called to thank me to get a book I had sent him.

Through our conversation he pointed out he was providing a talk that afternoon. He said his talk was done, but he hadn't added humor however. "You have to entertain to be able to educate," he explained. I've quote believed of his comment a lot of occasions.

Adding humor to a speak could be difficult simply because humor varies from region to region. I am originally from Long Island, New York, and have a New York sense of humor. Would this humor appeal to my audience? The only strategy to know was to add some funny stories and give the talk.

Very first, I brainstormed on possible stories I could inform. Second, I produced certain the stories fit the points I was making. Third, I reviewed the words I would use to tell the stories -- action verbs, unusual word alternatives, and some of my favorite words. Fourth and lastly, I practiced the speak together with the stories and determined if the stories added power.

As Edward P. Bailey, Jr. writes in his book, A Practical Guide for Small business Speaking, boosting the speaker's energy can boost audience power. "Just act within your own personal character," he advises, and how you behave then you actually care.

The very first time I gave the talk I gave it to a group of grief experts. They loved the stories and laughed when I hoped they would. The next time I gave the speak I shorted one particular story and impulsively added a further. Once again, the audience members "got" my humor along with the stories lightened the mood. Humor cannot be added to all your talks, but I believe it could be added to most.

Harriet Hodgson has been a freelancer for 35+ years and may be the author of 33 published books, such as eight grief sources. Her most current releases are "Help! I'm Raising My Grandkids" and "Happy Again! Your New and Meaningful Life Soon after Loss.' She has offered presentations at nearby and national conferences. Please stop by her web site and find out extra about this busy author and grandmother.