Humor is a powerful tool to capture and maintain the attention of your audience, especially during a panel discussion. However, using humor effectively requires some planning, preparation, and practice. In this article, you will learn some tips and techniques to spice up your panel discussion with humor, without offending or boring your attendees.
Before you decide to use humor in your panel discussion, you need to know who your audience is and what they expect from the event. Do some research on their demographics, interests, preferences, and challenges. Find out what kind of humor they appreciate and what topics they are sensitive to. You can also use surveys, polls, or social media to get some feedback and insights from your potential attendees. Knowing your audience will help you tailor your humor to their needs and avoid any inappropriate or irrelevant jokes.
Let the humor flow naturally from the conversation. Don't push it. Especially avoid inflammatory topics (politics, religion, race, gender, etc). Important rule: never make a joke at the expense of someone else.
It's important to be in tune with the current wave of culture, and what topics would be sensitive to your audience. People appreciate a good laugh, when its tasteful.
Em minha experiencia com treinamentos e eventos, costumo usas as seguintes técnicas: Quebra do Gelo: Comece o painel com uma piada leve e relevante. Isso ajuda a relaxar a audiência e cria uma atmosfera mais amigável. Histórias Engra?adas: Introduzindo histórias pessoais ou exemplos engra?ados relacionados ao tópico em discuss?o. As pessoas lembram-se melhor de informa??es quando est?o associadas a emo??es.
Um ótimo jeito de trazer a aten??o do público de volta à palestra quando est?o distraídos é compartilhar de forma descontraída algo n?o planejado que acontece com frequência quando as pessoas est?o fazendo determinada atividade. Todas as pessoas que já passaram pela mesma situa??o v?o dar risada e prestar muito mais aten??o à fala do palestrante.
It’s important to know the tone of the event, the conversation and understanding of the context in which your panel fits into that ecosystem.
The success of your panel discussion depends largely on the quality and chemistry of your panelists. You want to choose panelists who are knowledgeable, credible, and engaging. You also want to choose panelists who have a good sense of humor and can deliver it naturally and confidently. Avoid panelists who are too serious, too shy, or too controversial. You can also look for panelists who have some experience or expertise in using humor in their field or industry. You can interview your panelists beforehand to get a sense of their style and personality, and to brief them on the goals and format of the panel discussion.
Avoid choosing panellists whose sole aim is to create controversy. Find panellists who are able to voice their opinions professionally, respectfully, coherently and are open to listening to differing opinions and perspectives calmly and openly.
The panelists in my opinion should be out of the box, I mean you should always have new perspectives an persons that could be a challenge, or add new approaches. Imagine using humor approaches and inviting panelists with a total different scope but at the end that will allow to all, to discover new bridges between different themes, that would be something that would make everyone feels out of the comfort zone and allow as well different conclusions and insights than the typical ones on this kind of events.
I feel your selection of panellists needs to include a variety of perspectives. Some complimentary and yes some conflicting.. in order to reach more demographic, this would be ideal because you gather people from both sides of fence per se. However, they need to be able to demonstrate diplomacy and tactful discussions.. to exhibit to the public healthy ways to debate/agree to disagree
This is an optionality that is missed. We tend to want panelists who can be agreeable to a unified message. I think that some of the more interesting panels I have served on and observed have been where there is a little bit of contentious discussion. Being respectful and discussing the options of the issues at hand is a delicate journey. As the authors and questions suggest, don't get too personally involved or allow others to bring this energy to a productive dialog. keep a BROAD perspective and don't necessarily allow perception to rule the day
Choosing the right panelists is key, however, I find the most critical component is to get the panelists together before presenting so they have an opportunity to get to know one another. This simple but respectful practice sets your panelist at ease and allows for a more natural and authentic session.
One of the easiest ways to use humor in your panel discussion is to prepare some jokes and stories that relate to the theme or topic of the event. You can use these jokes and stories to break the ice, introduce the panelists, transition between segments, or wrap up the discussion. You can also use them to illustrate a point, make a comparison, or challenge a stereotype. However, you need to make sure that your jokes and stories are relevant, original, and tasteful. Avoid jokes and stories that are too long, too complex, too clichéd, or too offensive. You can also test your jokes and stories on a small group of people before the event to see how they react and adjust accordingly.
Nothing sells humor or a story more than authenticity. Can you rock a punchline? Sprinkle in some one liners. Is your style drier? It's not the time for slapstick humor. Are you a natural storyteller? Channel your narrative superpowers. Make it real and authentic to you, and that makes it memorable. It's always best to be the best version of you versus trying on a new persona. Your audience will see through that and, in turn, question your trustworthiness and accountability. Remember, our attention spans are ever-shrinking. It's always better to leave them wanting more, than leaving them with a snore.
Key Account Manager | Client Executive | Manufacturing & CPRD Sector
I always use humor on my presentations, I think that could unblock some messages and the environment in the room. The storytelling always allows to make us be stuck into a program, a presentation or even in a client approach. It has the authenticity and creates an icebreaker in some occasions. For me it is a must have!
Humour is an amazing way to increase engagement! If crowd work and spontaneous humour isn’t part of your skill set, researching and planning some witty moments is vital, as is knowing where the line between what’s funny for everyone, what’s offensive, and what is bullying. Authenticity is key, not trying to hard, and finding humour that is natural to you is important. Googling jokes or getting chat GPT to do the work for you usually doesn’t hit the mark. Be yourself and remember you’re there to facilitate a conversation, not be the superstar!
Piadas s?o bem vindas. Porém, com inteligência e parcim?nia. N?o tente transformar sua apresenta??o em um stand-up comedy (a n?o ser que você seja um comediante, claro). Prefira contar histórias de supera??o, com alguns toques de humor. Preocupe-se como a audiência pode se ver dentro daquele personagem. Ser divertido e interessante é um desafio enorme. Cuidado para n?o escorregar numa "casca de banana" imaginária.
I think its hard to fake humour, it either comes naturally or someone has to do another of work behind the scenes to work on their delivery. Authenticity screams in today's modern world, people are very adept at sensing fake vs real..
Another way to use humor in your panel discussion is to encourage interaction and improvisation among the panelists and the audience. You can do this by asking open-ended questions, inviting comments or questions from the attendees, or creating some scenarios or games that require creativity and spontaneity. You can also use props, visuals, or music to add some fun and variety to the discussion. Interaction and improvisation can create a lively and dynamic atmosphere, as well as generate some unexpected and hilarious moments. However, you need to be careful not to lose control of the discussion or to let it go off-topic or off-script. You also need to be prepared to handle any awkward or difficult situations that may arise from the interaction or improvisation.
A fun interactive intro is to introduce panelists with fun facts about them. This organically opens up connections with the audience. Example: "Our next panelist comes to us from Australia and when they aren't wrestling alligators, or playing in a rugby tournament, you can find them solving recruitment challenges across the globe."
Statt Menschen argumentativ umzustimmen, versuchen sie sie doch mal aus der Reserve zu locken. Nicht immer nur an der Oberfl?che kratzen, sondern intellektuell auf charmante Weise herausfordern.
Ive always found that asking the audience a couple of well placed questions tend to perk them up ad involve them more that just speaking at them. You sometimes can change the energy in a room of "listeners by force" to active listeners which in the end will be more productive for you and may get you repeat engagements.
Ahora les comparto un truco que me ha funcionado bien En tu próxima presentación en público. Al inicio de tu presentación introduce una historia humorística. Atraerá la atención de los oyentes, los relajara, guiándolos delicadamente hacia tu discurso. Una historia humorística de introducción debe estar alineada con el tema de tu discurso y ser fácilmente identificable como humorística y apropiada para ese público. Recuerda que la mayoría de historias se componen de 5 partes: La preparación, la pausa, la frase clave, la palabra clave y otra pausa. narra la historia con confianza y asegurate de que tu lenguaje corporal no descubre la historia. Te dará toda la atención del público para luego entrar en materia.
Encourage panellists to interact with each other and the audience, fostering spontaneity and humour. Incorporate audience participation through Q&A sessions or interactive polls, allowing for improvised comedic moments. Utilise light-hearted banter between panellists to keep the atmosphere lively. However, maintain a balance between humour and the discussion's substance to ensure engagement and relevance.
While humor can enhance your panel discussion, it should not overshadow or undermine the content and value of the event. You need to balance humor and content, so that your attendees can enjoy the discussion and also learn something from it. You can do this by using humor to support, complement, or contrast the content, rather than to distract, contradict, or confuse it. You can also use humor to emphasize, summarize, or reinforce the key messages or takeaways of the discussion, rather than to dilute, obscure, or contradict them. You also need to be mindful of the timing, frequency, and tone of your humor, so that it does not interrupt, dominate, or offend the discussion.
Balance is key here. Bottom line - the content should be the important thing. That said, humour can work very well as a tool to enhance content and make it more memorable. A small bit of planning goes a long way here. The temptation to involve, say, a comedian as MC or moderator for a panel can be strong and it can lead us think ‘that’s funny covered’. BUT It’s worth planning the funny and the jokes somewhat by chatting with the person in advance. I’ve been at events where the MC - who isn’t immersed in the industry like the panel members /m- has fallen back on their material about a topic etc. and it’s not been appropriate or wasn’t received well. Be careful with that.
I agree, it also contributes to engagement if you have the ‘graveyard’ shift at the end of the a long 2 day conference. Humour can be a great addition to content however ensuring you have the right audience and it is complimentary, can be ensured with good planning and sessions with your panel.
Humour can captivate attendees during a panel discussion by injecting levity into the conversation. However, it's essential to balance humour with substantive content to maintain engagement and convey key messages effectively. Use humour strategically to break the tension, illustrate points, or build rapport with the audience. Ensure jokes are relevant and culturally appropriate to resonate with attendees. This harmony between humour and content cultivates an engaging and memorable discussion experience.
Humor is very effective to brake the ice but, note that it has to be within the content of the event. In one of my events, we conducted an activity just in the middle of the discussion and it was very funnily interactive but at the same time it is connected to the topic we were discussing. The humorous activity made the panelist more engaged and felt at ease.
Humour is a important aspect of engaging crowds of people no matter the size; as they need to feel comfortable and be able to relate to the topic. However, make sure the humour is part of the topic being discussed, you can't make a joke about a duvet colour for your bed if your talking about something unrelated to your original topic - I mean you can but it has to be relatable to what you're talking about.
Finally, you need to practice and evaluate your use of humor in your panel discussion. You can practice by rehearsing your jokes and stories, simulating the interaction and improvisation, and getting feedback from your panelists or colleagues. You can also practice by watching and learning from other panel discussions that use humor effectively, and by observing and analyzing the reactions and responses of the audience. You can evaluate your use of humor by measuring and monitoring the engagement and satisfaction of your attendees, and by asking for their feedback and suggestions. You can also evaluate your use of humor by reflecting on your own performance and identifying your strengths and areas for improvement.
Practice practice practice - ya know - the adage of how do you get to Carnegie Hall. A practiced delivery that looks natural is a skillset we all should have in our arsenals. One of the team mentoring exercises I do is to take a presentation that someone gives you and morph it "live in front of them" to show a different approach. Oftentimes when we prepare a talk or a presentation, there are messages that are important to us and resonate with the inside voice with which we speak with and listen to. This may not be what the audience needs.... you're speaking to THE not yourself.
Je mehr übung desto routinierter wirkt man, was wiederum Selbstbewusstsein ausstrahlt und für eine Diskussion zur Glaubwürdigkeit viel beitr?gt.
Makes it's natural, change things, adapt. But the art of perfection is practice and repetition. So, just do it. If you can record you pitch you can also review the most interesting part and others that you can avoid. Again, it's to turn it to something you just do.
In my experience with panel discussions, practice is important. I personally carefully use humor to "break the ice" in my introduction piece during a panel discussion. So I ensure to practice my lines and assess it to see if there is any connection to an individual, who might be offended or embarrassed by the humor. The key is to keep the panel engaged and alert, not to confuse or offend anyone.
Grave a sua apresenta??o diretamente no power point, por exemplo e assista: perceba se os momentos das suas falas est?o oportunos, aproveite para analisar se há repeti??es desnecessárias. Identifique o clímax da sua apresenta??o e explore bem este momento. N?o deixe a energia cair: se o assunto está em um momento muito complexo ou técnico, talvez seja a melhor hora para uma fala com algumas pinceladas de humor.
Never let the first time you tell a joke or attempt humor be in front of a live audience! Practice and get some feedback from trusted friends first. And be authentic! If telling a joke or using humor doesn't flow naturally from you, your audience will pick up on that right away! You don't want to be perceived as trying too hard.
Self-awareness is just as important as knowing your audience and panel. Are you naturally funny, witty, and animated, or is your sense of humor more dry, obvious, and stoic? Use your personal style to create authentic and timely humorous moments between you, the panelists, and the audience. Be prepared to laugh at yourself or test the audience if something intended to be funny doesn’t land — awkward moments turned comedic opportunity can break the tension and humanize the experience. Being yourself, owning your style of humor, and knowing how to use it effectively while being equally engaging during serious/deep moments is a gift!
Being funny is harder than it looks! Here are three rules to follow when deciding how to infuse a discussion with humor: 1. Say yes to comedy: One rule-of-thumb in comedy is, when interacting, a panelist should accept a joke that a fellow panelist offers up and then expand on it. 2. Tragedy + time = comedy: Ok, maybe not tragedy, but misfortune. Give it time, and your frustrating trip to Costco becomes a funny anecdote you can share to help relate to your audience. 3. Punch up, not down: Targeting a group that is historically marginalized or underrepresented just isn't funny. The same goes for a one-on-one power dynamic. Telling your boss, "You're fired!" is funny, but having your boss say it to you? Not so much.
Utiliser l'humour dans une table ronde pro, mon conseil : partir de son expérience pro en racontant une anecdote avec une touche d'autoderision?? et pour améliorer la dynamique de la table ronde faites appel à un animateur-journaliste qui saura rebondir sur votre trait d'humour et relancer le débat facilement pour éviter un flop !!!
De ouvidos ao que seu colaborador que falar, preste aten??o, elogie, enrique?a sua fala. Seja pra somar e n?o diminuir, deixe ter confian?a.