How can you develop your storytelling and humor skills as a communicator?

I found trying to know audiences in small or large groups difficult and virtually impossible via social media or written communication. Reading nonverbal cues is less likely to happen with a large audience of 50-plus people. Humor is associated with timing and delivery. If the speaker can deliver humor appropriately, it comes across as sincere. For example, "Raise you hand if you have had a problem connecting with someone? On my way here, I was pulled over by a a law enforcement officer. He said, 'Did you realize you were doing sixty in a thirty mile-an-hour zone? I looked at him seriously and said, 'But, officer, I am only going to be out for a half hour.' I didn't make the connection with the officer, so I paid for the ticket."

The Impact of Humor on Communication Skills and Business Storytelling For the effective communication and storytelling, humor serves as a powerful tool that can shape narratives, engage audiences, and leave a lasting impact. From self-deprecating jests to witty wordplay, the use of humor can elevate one’s communication skills and transform ordinary stories into memorable experiences. First and foremost, let’s explore the different styles of humor and their significance in communication. Affiliative humor fosters connection and camaraderie by promoting laughter and mutual enjoyment. It strengthens relationships and builds rapport, making it an invaluable asset in both personal and professional interactions.

There are many jokes online. You can find ones that are relevant to your discussion or presentation. It requires preplanning your message. You should do that for important dialogues, small group interactions, and large group presentations. Here is a joke created through ChatGPT in less than 30 seconds about active listening, Why did the active listener bring a pencil and paper to the conversation? To take note of their listening skills!

Yes the delivery part is just as important as the content itself. Remember people absorb more how you made them feel vs. the words you said. I've also seen research that shows effective communications comes down to 7% from words, 38% from voice/tone, and 55% from your facial expressions/ gestures/ body language

If you plan your message, you can remember a funny event relative to the topic that happened to you. I remember delivering a team-building presentation and discussing nonverbal communication. I noticed people covering their mouths and giggling and whispering to each other. I stopped the session and said I sensed something was funny from the group, but I don't remember cracking a joke. I am bald. Someone in the group said, "there is a fly, only your head." Without hesitation, I asked, "were my runway lights on?" Everyone laughed. Then we used that funny event to discuss how to pay attention to the nonverbal cues individuals emit.

Only tell jokes if you can deliver a joke with the right timing and delivery. If try to come across funny because you think that is what you should do, but you can't deliver, you will be seen as insincere, and that is worse than not having humor in your presentation.

Practice, practice, practice You must always try your stories and humor out on others before you present to a large group. Prepare yourself for feedback and consider the quality of the feedback before adapting. Reading a speech on the screen is NOT the same as giving a talk aloud. I have seen many presenters skip this step and fumble. Take the leap, do the scary thing and practice.

I have noooooooo sense of timing when telling a joke. I could practice for hours and still bomb. Reciprocity is an excellent way to close the gap between impersonal and personal communication. If I can remember some humorous stories about myself that relate to our conversation, I can tell those and come across funny. They are personal and about me. Trusting me, over forty years of changing cultures, conducting seminars, webinars, teambuilding sessions, public speaking, and teaching college courses, I have a lot of those experiences. It seems to make me more human to my audience and not so much the "communication expert."