Delivering a funny motivational speech means you need the ability to combine humor with knowledge and inspiration--entertain the audience while giving them the will to make something happen. Many organizations look for topics that are fresh and meaningful. Businesses and organizations love to hire motivational speakers who can make people laugh and consider it a very worthwhile investment.
What a Funny Speech Should Accomplish
Bringing a great topic to the event is the first step for a successful funny motivational speaker. The topic should boost the morale of the audience and rev up their energy to a point where they can’t wait to implement what they’ve learned. As the speaker, design the speech so that it inspires “feel good” ambition laced with laughs.
Don’t be Afraid to Poke fun at Yourself
Admitting you’ve done something wrong is difficult for most people. But not for a successful motivational speaker with a humorous message. For example, making a wrong turn can lead to some very funny experiences. Combining that with the theory that you can make wrong turns in life but they can be corrected becomes a motivating topic. Imagine starting with something like: “Gee, I read the directions wrong and instead of making three right turns and a left I did the reverse. I was trying to figure out why a mortuary hired me to make people laugh, when I realized my mistake, I backtracked, and here I am.” It offers an easy segue into the motivational part. “Most of us have made at least one wrong turn in life, and I’m here to say you can make that wrong turn a right turn, etc....”
Inspiring Employees
Begin with: If I was my boss, I would (fill in the blanks with some typical things). The motivational part becomes what the boss would be surprised at when you go beyond what’s expected and those can be very funny things depending upon the group. Picture some of the funny TV commercials about getting things done. Then finish with something like: Of course, you don’t have to go to those extremes, but...”
Using the Absurd to Motivate the Possible
Think of a set of bizarre circumstances that the group can relate to and weave them into a “Let me tell you what my (boss, wife, husband, kids, dog...choose what works) did the other day. Build the story so it gets more and more impossible then relate these funny or goofy incidents back to reality and give a speech about coping and prevailing.
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Writer Bio
Morgan St. James' experience includes interior design, barter, marketing and writing. She frequently appears as a speaker and her “Writers Tricks of the Trade” column launched in 2009. She writes the award-winning Silver Sisters Mysteries and, as Arliss Adams, a romantic suspense series released in 2010.