Comedic Confidence: Elevate Your Public Speaking Skills with Humour

Naturally, the goal of performing Stand-Up comedy is to get laughs from the audience.

For some open mic acts this is the prime directive. The strategy is to get bigger laughs and move on to better gigs. Paid work.

It’s comedy, comedy, comedy. Wonderful.

Many others perform as a hobby. Although they put the effort in, Stand-Up is not their guiding light. They enjoy hanging out with other funny people. Drinks before, during and after the show. Loving the jokes they hear, adoring the laughter they generate.

Many times I have spoken with performers and learned about rather different motivations. Several drew my awareness to another range of notable benefits.

I began to think about these differing elements, realising that many aspects fall into the domain of Public Speaking ability.

Or, in fact, offer skills that almost any professional may wish to have a handle on. So that they can, in turn, better communicate with their clients and colleagues, family and friends.

When performing stand-up, I would say it’s pretty hack for an act to open with, “Welcome to my TED Talk.”

Equally unoriginal is for an act to disclose something personal to the crowd (the disclosure may or may not be true) and follow it up with, “I can’t afford a therapist. This is my therapy.”

Hack material is that which is over-used and well-worn. Classic examples in comedy history might be dissing airline food, the differences between men and women or struggles with internet dating.

It’s not that the material is necessarily bad. It’s more the case that with soooo many acts previously addressing these themes, it’s unlikely they’re going to find anything original. Hence, hack.

Hack jokes often address all-too-familiar experiences. I am not challenging the honesty, rather, a sense of originality.

For it is true that there is a lot of overlap between Stand-Up and a TED talk. After all, identifying how one thing is a bit like another thing is an absolute bedrock of comedy.

Each laugh is a little bit of confidence to be absorbed. It can be just yummy to get a flow of laughter rolling

The Stand-Up and the TED speaker will feel some nerves before taking the stage. Both try and quickly engage their audience. Obtain some bond-generating laughs. Build trust by evoking common experiences. Share information in a truly entertaining fashion and aim to leave the stage on a high note.

“This is my therapy…” gag also works as a comparison to Stand-Up. That’s why the premise is so popular. Confessing apparent secrets, delivering awkward disclosures to a stranger(s) certainly overlaps offloading to a therapist.

Stand-Up can be a rewarding and fun practise for otherwise intimidating public speaking events. Yet there are more ways to tap into the skillset.

Performing comedy can encourage individuals to open-up. Reveal more of themselves. Even if just a little. Offering a glance at unique and amusing “takes” on the world.

Diverse benefits, indeed.

Each and every one of us uses our language to connect and guide those around us. Superior oratory skills, body language insights, can be applied to almost every facet of our lives, professional or otherwise.

If one needs to speak publicly, then stand-up skills are a real bonus. Maybe the team at work needs a rallying call? Perhaps that conference offers a deliciously terrifying opportunity?

Such matters become much easier/better, with the experience of performing some Stand-Up.

Further, if one has a job where generating original ideas, or making savvy observations, is part of the required skill set, well… “Hellooo Comedy”.

It’s often said that “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know”.

One of the fastest ways to be liked, is to make people laugh. Build those skills to make many superior first impressions. Bolster friendships. Sharpen the comedy skills and very often our interpersonal relationships enjoy a boost too.

Romance

Scan through any dating site or app. Quite likely the number one thing that single people claim they are looking for in a partner is something like, “A good sense of humour” or “Someone to make me laugh”.

Most ordinary people are too scared to have a go at Stand-Up comedy. Which is understandable, and also not an essential step. It's the techniques that can be applied universally. Nonetheless, those who do have a go from the stage are, often, a little more interesting to other people. Certainly, more jokes can spice up any social occasion. Stand-Up makes for an entertaining topic of conversation on a first date(s) and helpfully dodge some awkward silences. Just like Stand-Ups on stage. For Comedians also want to avoid awkward silences.

Communication

This one should be self-evident. Whether at work or in private life, breakdowns in communication can bring all sorts of problems.

Good comedians are great communicators. They paint pictures of scenes and scenarios. They observe and recant. Contemplate every word. Always mindful of the emotions they evoke in their audience. That kind of mindfulness can be applied in every other area of life.

I remind you, performing comedy is a rollercoaster.

There are good gigs that are thrilling and liberating.

The bad gigs are painful, dispiriting and bloody awful. (Also, very good for building up some of that oh-so-helpful psychological armour.)

However applied, Stand-Up skills can be a remarkable catalyst for personal and professional growth.

Creative expression is simply good for the soul.