How can you handle unexpected situations or reactions with humor and emotion?

Knowing the demographics of your audience is key whether you are a speaker or entertainer. From that you can get your boundaries on what you should present.

Totally agree and would add that having knowledge on the audience’s cultural background would help one craft the kind of humour to deliver in a speech

I agree, knowing the demographics of your audience shapes your speech. Where is the speech taking place, how many people are attending, what age groups audience belong to, what is the topic, all add on to the structure of speech.

In my experience, it is impossible to please everyone. In a room full of people, there will always be someone who is hypersensitive to what you have to share, even if it's just a lighthearted joke. Instead of fixating on the audience's reactions, we must connect with our true, authentic selves and use that voice to convey our message. If our intentions are pure and our hearts are clear, we should stay true to ourselves and let our authentic selves shine, rather than constantly adjusting to meet the demands of others.

I agree. Humour and emotion should be part of speech to establish a connection with the audience and grasp their attention towards the main topic. It’s important to have a balance and not to steer away from the main topic.

Yes. The appropriateness of humor depends on the topic being discussed and the audience's context. Overusing humor can detract from the clarity of our message and cause the audience to misunderstand our intended meaning. It is important to strike a balance between humor and clarity to ensure that our message is effectively communicated. This is a valuable lesson for anyone seeking to communicate effectively and build strong connections with others.

If the audience is new to you, using dark humour, sarcasm or irony can easily backfire. So tread light in that area. You can still be you, and add a hint of dark humour and sarcasm. Remember, you can’t always make everyone happy in the room.

Stay away from humor related to politics, religion, race, or sexual orientation. Unless you know your audience well and the topic is directly related to it, you may lose credibility fast with any witty comments, jokes, or comebacks. Always assume there are people with opposing beliefs in the audience.

Having some preparation for what scenarios may present in a public speaking event definitely provides a standing ground for the speaker. More speaking engagements you indulge in, the better you become at expecting and handling these situations.

Consider being a member of a toastmasters group and practice with them if you have enough time. They can always provide valuable feedback in a safe space.

Begin building a pool of witty comebacks as well. Practice using them and even pay attention to stand-up comics. Have a selection that you like for various situations, but only use if it is warranted. Forcing a witty comeback to any situation is groan worthy.

A lot of argument fallacies are actually humorous. This proves that mistakes can be inherently funny, especially if they are acknowledged. When experts put their egos aside and choose to entertain the audience whilst correcting themselves, they gain not only credibility but likeability.

Learn verbal judo! Judo is the art of using your opponent's energy to counter their attack. Verbal Judo is just that. Practice it regularly until it becomes comfortable to you. You will be able to more easily inject humor and emotion in your conversations once you get to that point. For example: Your presentation slide deck fails to load at a tech conference. You could use verbal judo as you scramble to fix it and say, "As you can see, installing the latest version of powerpoint on a computer that only runs Windows 98 is a bad idea."