Cultivating Organic Humor
by Jay Speyerer
Humor is a funny thing. Everyone thinks they have a sense of humor, but not everyone is right. You can be an effective speaker even if you don’t have a sense of humor, as long as you don’t try to fake it. The audience can always tell.
On the other hand, if you have been blessed with a good sense of humor, that isn’t enough to be a speaker; you also need a sense of timing. A sense of humor allows you to see the funny aspects of everyday life and the funny relationships between unrelated things. A sense of timing lets you talk about them in a funny way.
We all know what’s funny, but we laugh at wildly different examples. One theory says that some nationalities are funnier than others, but I don’t buy it. I’m German by ancestry and I’ve been known to be amusing, even though you’d probably be hard pressed to come up with a good example of German hilarity. Sure, we have lederhosen and yodeling, but they don’t count because we were serious about those. You might ask how on earth we could be serious about such cultural oddities. I answer with another German tradition: beer.
When aspiring speakers ask me if they can open their presentation with a joke, I suggest that they use humor instead. The term ‘joke’ hits me as being stand-alone and unrelated to a topic or theme. Effective humor is always organic, blending seamlessly with the topic and the audience.
Are isolated jokes funny? Sure they are. The vaudeville comedian Henny Youngman was famous for his disconnected one-liners. “My wife dresses to kill. She cooks the same way.” But funny isn’t the only criterion; for humor to work within a presentation, it has to be effective, appropriate, and supportive of the topic. You know - organic. Unrelated one-liners don’t fit the definition. Besides, being able to tell a joke does not necessarily mean you have a good sense of humor; maybe you just have a good memory.
Organic humor is most effective when it’s woven into a story. But for the humor to work along with the point of the story, you really have to know the story. Really know it. REALLY. Pittsburgh radio personality and storyteller Jack Bogut says that a good speaker practices a story until he gets it right. A professional speaker practices a story until he can’t get it wrong. For any story - humorous or otherwise - to be effective, it must be told properly and flawlessly, and timing plays a major role.
This assumes you’ve mastered the basics, such as structure (beginning, middle, and end), progressive disclosure (what details you reveal and when you reveal them), and judicious use of dialogue and description. But it also includes minute details like the choice of language and the rhythm of the words. It isn’t only poetry and song lyrics that have rhythm; so do prose and the spoken word.
Let’s say you want to make a specific point using a humorous story as an illustration. Here’s one for you. The state of New Mexico recently unveiled (if that’s the right word) a series of public service announcements for the tipsy male from an unusual source: the urinal. Talking urinal cakes will spout messages in a female voice, such as the following: “Hey, you! Yeah, you! Having a few drinks? Then, listen up! Think you’ve had one too many? Maybe it’s time to call a cab or call a sober friend for a ride home. It’s sure safer and a hell of a lot cheaper than a DWI! Make the smart choice tonight. Don’t drink and drive!”
(I don’t know what you would illustrate with this story; that’s your problem.)
The article I read didn’t say how the talking urinal cakes are activated and I don’t want to know. But a Department of Transportation spokesman is quoted as saying that the device is a great idea because it’s guaranteed to get “ten or fifteen seconds of undivided attention.” Wait a minute. If you’re in a bar restroom and you can take care of business in ten or fifteen seconds, well, you’re just not doing your part. And there’s another problem. If the poor guy is really swacked and he’s in there all by himself and suddenly hears a woman’s voice coming out of the urinal … that could really throw off his aim. Worst case scenario: there’s a whole bank of urinals, each with its own babbling deodorizer, all being used at the same time. The cacophony could drive a man to drink.
Notice that each of my comments on the story ends in a one-syllable word. That isn’t essential every time, but it’s more effective. Find an amusing story in the newspaper or notice something funny at work, and then see what else it makes you think of. How much funnier can you make real life?
While Henny’s one-liner would not fit into a speech or presentation, it offers some valuable examples of structure and rhythm. This joke has two parts, the setup and the snapper. “My wife dresses to kill. She cooks the same way.” The setup has six syllables and the snapper has five, making only 11 syllables in the whole joke. And every word but one has only one syllable. That’s tight and economical writing.
Let’s try it another way: “My wife dresses to kill. You could say the same thing about her cooking.” It makes the same point, but not as well. Too many words and too many syllables. Plus, the second sentence doesn’t match the staccato rhythm of the first. In my bad example, I waited until the final word to reveal what is being compared to dressing, and that can be effective. But cooking has one syllable too many. Pay attention to the rhythm. A one-syllable word has more punch, especially if it’s the last one.
Many audiences expect a presenter to attempt humor. If the presenter is not a professional speaker, they’re also expecting the attempt to be lame. Surprise them.
Jay Speyerer has been a writer, a speaker, and an educator for more than 30 years, successfully helping people achieve their communication goals in memoir writing, e-mail, cross-cultural communication, and presentation skills. Want to communicate better? Find out how at his web site: => http://www.jayspeyerer.com
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What Causes Vocal Hoarseness?
by Lynda Stucky
Did you know there is a correlation between physical fitness and vocal health? Vocal sound begins with a complex and dynamic interaction of various muscles in the vocal tract. A good exercise program increases cardio-respiratory endurance, muscular strength, flexibility and coordination. These benefits (especially endurance and flexibility) contribute to more efficient use of energy during speaking and singing by reducing tension and increasing airflow for breathing. But you still might be experiencing hoarseness if you don’t take care of other factors that can create vocal problems.
Vocal hoarseness occurs for a variety of reasons. Here are 16 examples with explanations of vocal abuse that may cause hoarseness or vocal fatigue:
Coughing/Throat clearing — When you cough or clear your throat, you are slamming your vocal cords together very hard. If done frequently, you may become hoarse, raspy or breathy because your cords have become swollen. There is a method for coughing and throat clearing that isn’t hard on the cords that is especially effective for people who clear their throats or cough out of habit.
Excessive speaking during an upper respiratory infection — Since we are talking about coughing and throat clearing, it is highly likely that you are experiencing a cold. If so, it could mean that there is excessive mucous drainage which adds to the irritation of the vocal cords. This is a good time to take a rest from your speaking. Giving your cords a break will be very beneficial!
Grunting (as in weight lifting) — If you lift weights on a regular basis, you may be abusing your vocal cords. Weight-lifters slam their vocal cords together for the resistance needed to lift heavy weights and then grunt at the same time. This activity, repeated over time, may damage the vocal cords because the slamming together of the cords can cause a callous to build up, thus changing the mass of the vocal cords. This may result in a change in pitch and/or create vocal hoarseness.
Excessive talking — Anyone who likes to talk frequently and also abuses the vocal cords by doing any of the other behaviors listed here, will most likely experience vocal fatique (the voice wears out by the end of the day), hoarseness or have a complete loss of voice.
Talking in noisy environments — We all tend to speak louder in noisy environments and frequently speak at a higher pitch when talking loudly. This combination hurts the vocal cords.
Talking with excessive tension — Imagine holding a tight fist all day. What do you think your hand will feel like at the end of the day? Tired? Sore? This is what happens to your voice when too much tension is present.
Smoking cigarettes/marijuana — This one should be obvious…the smoke that passes through the vocal cords on their way to your lungs is extremely drying to the entire vocal tract. If you smoke, quit!
Speaking/singing in smoky environments — Second hand smoke has been shown to hurt people almost as much as taking puffs yourself. Consume a lot of water if you are performing or working in a smoke-filled room.
Drinking alcohol — Alcohol is dehydrating and will rob you of your fluids. See the next point on drinking water.
Not drinking enough water — Most experts recommend 8-10 glasses to stay well hydrated and keep your vocal performance edge!
Inadequate breath support — Good breath support is essential when it comes to voice projection and maintaining good vocal health. Make sure you are using diaphragmatic support and not shallow breathing. Poor breathing technique is a common problem among speakers.
Reverse phonation — To do this you must be speaking while inhaling. Think of gasping or certain types of sighing or even heavy sleeping. Some kids may talk like this for fun too! There may be an occupation that may use reverse phonation such as a clown. But, it isn’t a good practice over the long term.
Abusive laughter — Too high of a pitch, laughing with reverse phonation, or too loudly are the things that people can do wrong while laughing.
Yelling/Excessive habitual loudness — Yelling, like throat clearing and coughing, slams the vocal cords together. Too often we also talk at a higher pitch when we get louder. This combination is hard on the vocal cords and over time, will result in hoarseness. Speaking too loudly over time will also hurt your vocal cords.
Inappropriate high/low pitch — If you speak with a pitch that is too high or too low from the optimal place in your pitch range, you will experience hoarseness. Often times, individuals try to produce and maintain a pitch that is too low for their pitch range.
Hard glottal attacks — The habit of building up pressure below the vocal cords and releasing the air abruptly on words that begin with vowels is called hard glottal attacks. Say “I” sharply and forcefully and then say “I” with a silent “h” in front of the “I.If done correctly, the resulting sound will be very different. When the vocal cords are chronically brought together forcibly, the result is hoarseness.
If you are hoarse and still not sure why, schedule an appointment with a physician or an Ears, Nose and Throat Specialist to find out if there is a physical problem.
Copyright (c) 2008 Lynda Stucky
If you need assistance identifying or eliminating a vocally abusive behavior, seek help from a professional!
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For Your Board Game Lover on Your Holiday Gift List
by Lynda Stucky
How can you increase your vocabulary, be creative, learn about the language and have fun all at the same time? Play board games that promote language skills! No matter what your age or native tongue, these board games will strike the fancy of any of your word crafty friends!
Like anything else, practicing healthy habits and developing new speech and language skills can escalate self-confidence, improve memory and cognition. If you were told that this process could be accomplished by playing games and having fun, would it sound too good to be true? Well, it is true. Here are a few games that will really bring joy this holiday season and build language and cognitive skills!
- Mad Gab-an excellent game for learning the importance of stress in words.
- Taboo-learn to describe an action, idea, or thing using different words.
- Cranium-develops word finding, spelling, unscrambling, and vocabulary skills.
- Scattergories-a game that requires you to express yourself quickly.
- Balderdash-learn to use creative word expression.
- Scrabble-an all time classic that builds vocabulary and spelling.
Do you fumble when trying to pronounce new words? Mad Gab gives you the opportunity to explore how stress on words changes the meaning completely. Figure out the following group of simple words as fast as you can (for more points): Poor Toe Reek Hoe OR Mack Her Owe Knee Inch He’s. Can you figure it out? This game proves that stressing the right syllables is important to figure out words and it shows you how we link words together to form thoughts. The slogan for this game is: It’s not what you SAY, It’s what you HEAR!
Do you fall short sometimes trying to select the correct words in speech? Learning to describe actions and ideas coherently is an important skill. Most ideas can be expressed in multiple ways. We can say the same thing using different words. As we grow older, finding the right words is a skill that sometimes slips, but Taboo helps us to exercise new ways of communicating a thought or an event. In this game, you must describe something without using specific words that are listed on your card. For example, try describing sugar without saying the words sweet, white, brown, coffee or candy! The game further develops speaking with clarity. When you aren’t understood, being able to communicate more clearly is essential for the times when your listerner needs clarification.
Improving your vocabulary will reap benefits throughout your life. New vocabulary helps build knowledge while ensuring brain activity for the aging brain. When you can use and speak new words, you’ll produce a message that is clear and intentional. By playing with new words, you may also be able to access them more readily and decrease the number of times that you experience word finding problems. Both Scrabble and Cranium help develop vocabulary skills.
Having difficulty thinking quickly? A game that requires fast thinking is just what you need. Sometimes when we want to express ourselves quickly, we need the skill of saying things concisely. Scattergories helps develop quick thinking. In this game, you match categories using words that start with the same letter. The catch? You only have three minutes to come up with the words to fit the categories.
Balderdash is a game of bluffing! Ok, maybe that’s not such a good thing in real life but it sure is a lot of fun in a game. You will have to display a lot of confidence to hide your bluff. In this game you provide silly or serious descriptions of events and your team decides if you are telling the truth or bluffing.
If you are someone who likes to play games by yourself, there are plenty of language developing games available to play alone. Crossword puzzles, JUMBLE puzzles and word searches are all excellent games for vocabulary building. You can extend the learning by looking up unfamiliar words in the dictionary and writing them down in a small notebook. Next, use these new words in every day speech. Go back to these words as often as possible to make sure that they become automatic to you.
Working on developing your language skills is fun and entertaining with any of these award winning games for all ages. If you are doubtful about planning the entertainment at your next event, why not introduce a game that shows your playful side but is a learning experience, too! Don’t forget to add them to your holiday list this year!
Copyright (c) 2008 Lynda Stucky
If you would like to buy these games, all of them are in one place right here.
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Learn About Effective Sales Letter
by Risna
An effective sales letter is much more than a bunch of words describing what you have for sale, but judging by some of the sales messages on far too many websites, not a lot of people know that. The ‘buy one get one free’ mentality is still alive and kicking and working overtime all over the Internet, but sadly at the expense of the English language. A sales letter, whether written for an online product or service promotion or for print and mail, has a specific job to do. It has to sell. It’s your salesman. It truly amazes me when some companies, who are willing to spend thousands on product development then thousands on a state of the art website, go on to fill it with snippets of grammatically flawed information and with more typos you can shack a stuck at. For more information logon to www.killer-sales-letters.com .In my opinion, poor grammar and typing errors account for more lost sales from websites than just about any other factor. Why? Because they instantly lose you credibility. Potential customers need to feel reassured that the product you are selling is genuine. Also, that you are genuine and your business is not about ripping people off.
They simply won’t. A website sales message has to work much harder than its printed counterpart because it has less time in which to convince the prospect to buy. People tend to ‘quick scan’ website sales messages, whereas a printed letter can be read at leisure anywhere that’s convenient. Every single website owner who is trying to sell a product or service to a customer could improve their conversion rate dramatically if they would only spend a little more time on their sales copy. So correct grammar and spelling is the number one priority for your sales letter. Next is the structure of the letter. Your sales message must always follow the principles of AIDA. It must attract Attention, stir Interest, instill a feeling of Desire and make a call to Action. Why? Because this formula has been tried and tested over and over and has been proven to be the perfect structure. If you think of a sales letter as being like a song. Then think how your favorite songs make you feel. Happy, sad, upbeat or melancholy, songs are meant to stir the emotions because people like to feel moved. If a sales letter sounds like music to your customer’s ears, you’ve just chalked up another sale.
The words of your sales letter must have the power to say it all. We can all learn much from how music affects us. It can reflect our moods, our emotions and our wants and needs. It’s a very powerful medium that can literally make us feel happy or sad. But it is only words after all .For more information logon to www.private-labels-empire.com .Just words accompanied by music. The most important thing to remember is how the words of a song can affect us emotionally. Every buying decision we make is based on our emotions. Understand this, and incorporate emotionally stirring words into your sales copy. Another important aspect to consider, when writing a sales letter is, we generally buy things because we want them and not because we need them. Your sales copy has got to make your prospects want what you’re selling. Don’t try to make them feel as though they need what you’re selling. Only they will know what they need in their life.
www.sale-trigger-generator.comwww.the-gurus-apprentice.com
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The Importance of a Sample Eulogy
by Gen Wright
A eulogy is something you need to prepare if you are asked to make a speech during a funeral service. Preparing a eulogy can be a tough job especially if you do not have an idea on how to make one. Not all people are skilled to write a eulogy and it is much harder for people who are closely related to the departed. Attending a funeral service is already a stressful situation and talking in front of many people about your memories of your departed loved one is even more difficult.
Sample eulogy can be helpful for people who are not familiar with writing a speech for funerals. A sample eulogy can guide you on the important things that should be included in the eulogy. You can get different sample eulogies in the internet or in books wherein you can find eulogies written by professionals. Through sample eulogies, you can get a clear idea on how to write your own speech without a hassle.
A sample eulogy can be truly helpful for people who need to deliver a eulogy. If you need to write a eulogy but do not know exactly what to include in your speech, it is important to make a research. Talk to different people who are closely related to the person such as family and friends. Ask them about the life of the deceased and make sure to ask questions regarding memorable moments they had. For instance, you can ask the family about the person’s life when growing up. Ask about the person’s favorite subject in school, favorite sport, favorite hobby and interests.
A sample eulogy may contain poetry and it is up to you if you want to incorporate a poem in your speech. If you think that it can make the eulogy more touching, include a poem at the beginning or at the end of your speech. You can write your own poetry, talking about the person’s life or your own memories about your loved one. If you cannot create your own poem, you can always find sample eulogies that have poems included.
It is necessary to stay calm while delivering a eulogy because it can be a very emotional situation. Focus on the audience while speaking so that you can maintain your composure. Though it is acceptable to break down during the speech, it is best to prepare notes to be your guide.
Some people want to talk about the person’s life history while others tend to have a collection of memories. Whatever your choice it, make sure that you write the eulogy from the heart. In most sample eulogies, you will notice that the tone of the speech is usually positive. Usually, the achievements and positive characteristics are highlighted in the eulogy. You can talk about the person’s accomplishments and other positive qualities. If the deceased does not have a formal education, you can focus on the person’s effort to have a comfortable living for his or her family. You can also mention the person’s passion for sports, the arts or music.
It does not matter what kind of eulogy you want to deliver as long as you write it from the heart. The most important thing is to remember all the wonderful things about your departed loved one.
Margaret Marquisi is a retired novelist and fulltime grandmother. For great eulogy samples, please visit her eulogy sample website.
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