I just cannot tell a joke successfully. I usually forget key parts of the joke or simply blow the punchline. Knowing this, I rarely include a joke in my presentation. That doesn’t mean I leave humor out – I can be funny – I just can’t tell a joke well. On occasion, though, I will try to include a joke, and on occasion, no matter how many times I’ve practiced getting it right –I bomb. I’m uncomfortable and so is my audience. This is where humor comes in. I’ve learned, I just need to get over it. Even better, I’ve found if I poke a little fun at myself, my audience gets over it. The audience usually laughs, and I can almost hear a sigh of relief as they realize I know I bombed and am okay with it. Often, I will turn that into a teaching moment to help them recover from their own mistakes in life. It’s a win-win for all, and I’ve even had audience members ask later – did you plan to bomb that joke. I wish…
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