Jokes

Everyone loves a good joke and the right joke. 

Everyone loves a good joke and the right joke, in the right place within a presentation can add a lot of ‘lift’. The advantages are obvious; the generation of humour, the heightened attention, the retention of material… all can be enhanced by the inclusion of a joke, told well. Regrettably some presenters don’t know how to tell a joke whilst others tell the wrong joke (ever heard a Best Man’s speech fall flat?).

If you intend to use jokes in your presentation then consider both; it’s appropriateness to the audience and the relevance to your material. I’ll be adding some jokes to this page from time to time, you might want to revisit and check them out. If you’ve got a joke that you think might be worth having on this page then email to me and if it fits the criteria we’ll share it with the world.

Tip: If in doubt with regard to appropriateness or relevance, then leave it out.

A man sat quietly reading his morning paper. Suddenly, he is knocked almost senseless by his wife, who stands behind him holding a frying pan. “What was that for?” he asked. “Why do you have a piece of paper in your pocket with ‘Daisy’ written on it?” she demanded. “Oh honey,” he said. “Don’t you remember two weeks ago when I went to the horse races, Daisy was the name of the horse I bet on.” The wife was satisfied and apologised for hitting him. Three days later he is again sitting reading his newspaper when once again he is cracked on the head with the frying pan. “What’s that for this time?” he asked. “Your horse called.” she said.

A local United Way office realized that the organization had never received a donation from the town’s most successful lawyer. The person in charge of contributions called him to persuade him to contribute. “Our research shows that out of a yearly income of at least $500,000, you give not a penny to charity. Wouldn’t you like to give back to the community in some way?” The lawyer mulled this over for a moment and replied, “First, did your research also show that my mother is dying after a long illness, and has medical bills that are several times her annual income?” Embarrassed, the United Way rep mumbled, “Um … no.” The lawyer interrupts, “or that my brother, a disabled veteran, is blind and confined to a wheelchair?” The stricken United Way rep began to stammer out an apology, but was interrupted again. “or that my sister’s husband died in a traffic accident,” the lawyer’s voice rising in indignation, “leaving her penniless with three children?!” The humiliated United Way rep, completely beaten, said simply, “I had no idea…” On a roll, the lawyer cut him off once again, “So if I don’t give any money to them, why should I give any to you?”