Category Archives: Humour

Quotes for Public Speakers (No. 299) – Adam Duritz

Posted on 19/12/2018 by

“People ask me if I have stage fright. I say, ‘God, no, I’m completely comfortable there. I have rest-of-the-day fright.’“ —  Adam Duritz Photo courtesy of Taylor Spaulding / Flickr

Posted in Humour, Quotes for Public Speakers | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Quotes for Public Speakers (No. 279) – Dave Barry

Posted on 27/02/2018 by

“All of us are born with a set of instinctive fears—of falling, of the dark, of lobsters, of falling on lobsters in the dark, of speaking before a Rotary Club, and of the words ‘Some Assembly Required’.” — Dave Barry Photo … Continue reading →

Posted in Humour, Quotes for Public Speakers | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

12 ways to piss off your audience

Posted on 20/02/2018 by

Why make an effort for your audience when you can just piss them off? Too difficult, you say? Not at all! There are so many things you can do to anger, frustrate and confuse an audience. If you’re struggling for … Continue reading →

Posted in Humour | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Quotes for Public Speakers (No. 273) – Jim Harvey

Posted on 30/01/2018 by

“If you don’t understand what the audience wants, you can’t be relevant. If you can’t be relevant, you won’t be interesting. If you aren’t interesting, you won’t be heard. If you’re not heard, you’ll be forgotten. If you’re forgotten, you’re … Continue reading →

Posted in Humour, Quotes for Public Speakers | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Quotes for Public Speakers (No. 272) – Oscar Wilde

Posted on 26/01/2018 by

“When both a speaker and an audience are confused, the speech is profound.” — Oscar Wilde

Posted in Humour, Quotes for Public Speakers | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Stretch your Speaking – Stand-up Comedy

Posted on 25/01/2018 by

This post is the second in a series about finding ways to stretch yourself when it comes to public speaking. The goal is to encourage people to explore different ways of developing their speaking skills and thus to become better … Continue reading →

Posted in Humour, Motivation | Tagged , , , , , , | 16 Comments

The benefits of humour and 10 tips for using it in a speech

Posted on 03/01/2018 by

I am one of the co-founders of Presentation Guru, a digital magazine for public speaking professionals. This post is part of a series designed to share the great content on Presentation Guru with the Manner of Speaking community. ——— French author Victor Hugo said, “Laughter … Continue reading →

Posted in Humour, Presentation Guru | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Quotes for Public Speakers (No. 269) – Robert Kennedy

Posted on 26/11/2017 by

“‘Give me a place to stand,’ said Archimedes, ‘and I will move the world.’ These men moved the world, and so can we all. Few will have the greatness to bend history itself, but each of us can work to … Continue reading →

Posted in Humour, Quotes for Public Speakers | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Quotes for Public Speakers (No. 263) – Winston Churchill

Posted on 01/10/2017 by

“Of all the talents bestowed upon men, none is so precious as the gift of oratory. He who enjoys it wields a power more durable than that of a great king. He is an independent force in the world.” — Sir Winston Churchill

Posted in Humour, Quotes for Public Speakers | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Quotes for Public Speakers (No. 238) – Alfred E. Neuman

Posted on 07/08/2016 by

“Political speeches are like steer horns: a point here, a point there and a lot of bull in between.” — Alfred  E. Neuman

Posted in Humour, Quotes for Public Speakers | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Ending a Speech the David Cameron Way

Posted on 18/07/2016 by

The impact of Brexit has been swift and brutal. British politics has been turned on its head. One of the first victims was David Cameron. Cameron took a big gamble when he pledged to hold a referendum on the United Kingdom’s membership in … Continue reading →

Posted in Humour | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Quotes for Public Speakers (No. 227) – Boris Johnson

Posted on 13/03/2016 by

“My speaking style was criticised by no less an authority than Arnold Schwarzenegger. It was a low moment, my friends, to have my rhetorical skills denounced by a monosyllabic Austrian cyborg.” — Boris Johnson

Posted in Humour, Quotes for Public Speakers | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments