How to Write a Funny Speech

The thought of writing and giving a speech can make anyone nervous. If you feel anxious while speaking in public, your nerves are likely to be apparent to those listening. A stuffy, dry speech will pronounce your nervousness and cause the audience to become bored, uncomfortable and uninterested. Adding appropriate humor to a speech will help put you and your listeners at ease, as well as making the speech easier to listen to and enjoy.

Instructions

1. Start the speech with a funny opening line. This will help you gauge the audience's sense of humor and set the tone for the speech.

2. Use clean, non-offensive humor at all times. Avoid off-color, political, racist or any other humor that might be considered politically incorrect.

3. Incorporate humor that is customized to the group to which you are speaking. For example, if you are speaking at a wedding, say something funny about the bride and groom that will resonate with those who know them well.

4. Use humor that you are sure will not hurt anyone's feelings. For instance, you might know for certain that the groom enjoys a good insult joke. However, his new bride might not share his sense of humor. When in doubt, leave the joke out of the speech.

5. Pepper the speech with funny, personal anecdotes. These will lighten the mood of the room and hold the audience's interest.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep the speech brief, even if that means leaving out a joke or funny story. It is better to be remembered for a short, somewhat funny speech than one that was so long the crowd lost interest.

References

• Speech Tips