Do you know that feeling when you try to be funny and nobody laughs?

 

Well, I do.

I do not give up that easily, so I try again.
And don’t get me wrong, I did not tell a joke or anything too out there.
I would not dare 😄.
I used a slightly funny photo, a playful metaphor.
These sorts of things.
And…
Again, nothing.
Not even a smile.

Not going to lie, I was kind of dead inside.
So what did I do?
I adapted.
Like a ninja🥷
And toned it down (a bit).

What happened after the talk?
To my surprise, I got quite a few congratulations and found out that people enjoyed it.
Some even chuckled.
(Internally, though.)

Looking back, would I do anything differently?
Not really.

Because humour is such a powerful and useful tool in presenting.
It makes your talk more interesting and memorable.
It connects you to the audience.
And honestly, when it works, it is glorious.

But the rules at scientific conferences are different from many other talks: do not expect a big laugh.
Already a smile and a nod mean you are doing a good job.
And sometimes, you will not even get that, but the audience may still be enjoying it.

Do you use humour in your talks? If yes, how do you incorporate it? And if not… why the heck not? 😄