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100 Public-Speaking Jokes to Add Humor to Your Next Speech

100 Public-Speaking Jokes to Add Humor to Your Next Speech

So, if you are looking to add humor to your presentation, one of the best ways is to insert self-deprecating humor in the form of funny stories. A good story from your own personal experience will be easier to insert into your speech. The story will also create more of a shared experience with your audience. For details about how to use stories to add humor to your speech , click here.

With that being said, though, sometimes, you just need to get a quick laugh out of your audience. And good jokes can be a great way to lighten the mood. We’ve organized the post into four categories of public-speaking jokes.

100 Public Speaking Jokes to Add Humor to Your Next Speech.

  • Public-Speaking Jokes .
  • One-Liners about Public Speaking and Presenting .
  • Funny Public Speaking Quotes .
  • Dad Jokes that You Can Use as Presentation Icebreakers .

Public-Speaking Jokes for Your Next Presentation to Add a Little Fun.

Between you and I, telling jokes in front of an audience is pretty risky. But sometimes, just getting the audience to laugh right from the start can lighten the mood. Here are a few jokes about public speaking that you can use when you are public speaking.

Jokes about Being Nervous and the Fear of Public Speaking

7 Presentation Habits that Make Your Nervous Speaker

  • Why did the public speaker hire a pitching coach? Because he needed to improve his delivery!
  • I used to think I was afraid of public speaking, but just now, I realized I was actually afraid of audiences.
  • A public speaker asked the audience, “How many of you are afraid of public speaking?” About half the audience raised their hands. The speaker replied, “Don’t worry, I used to be too. In fact, there was a 50/50 chance that I’d canceled today’s talk!”
  • My wife was nervous about public speaking. So, I told her she should embrace her mistake to add a little humor to her delivery. She gave me a hug. Then she laughed.
  • Public speaking tip: Imagine the audience naked. But not if you’re giving a eulogy.

Funny Jokes about Presentation Challenges.

Okay, funny may be a little overexaggerated, but corny can work too. Here are a few jokes about challenges that can come up in a presentation.

  • Why did the PowerPoint presentation go to therapy? It had too many issues with transitions.
  • I was going to tell a time-traveling joke during my speech, but you didn’t like it.
  • I asked the librarian if there were any books on how to overcome the fear of public speaking. She whispered, “They’re in the self-help section, but you might have to speak up to find them.”
  • I used to be a baker before I became a public speaker. I kneaded the dough, and now I need the audience!
  • Why did the public speaker become a gardener? Because he knew how to plant ideas and watch them grow!

These Jokes Are about Audience Interaction.

Jokes Are about Audience Interaction

  • I asked the audience if anyone had experience with public speaking. A cricket in the corner started chirping.
  • The best way to become a confident public speaker is to imagine the audience in their underwear. Unless you’re speaking at a nudist colony.
  • I told my wife I was going to give a speech on procrastination. She said, “Maybe next time.”
  • How do you make a tissue dance during a speech? You put a little boogie in it!
  • Why did the extroverted computer become a public speaker? Because it had great social networking skills!

Public Speaking Jokes about Presentation Themes.

These funny (or corny) jokes are about the process of public speaking. You can easily use one of these if you start with… “Before I actually start my presentation…” then add the joke.

  • I asked my friend if he had any advice for public speaking. He said, “Yes, just imagine the audience is full of cats. They don’t care what you’re saying, but they’ll pay attention if you have treats.”
  • How do you organize a fantastic space-themed presentation? You planet!
  • Why did the public speaker bring a ladder to the presentation? To reach new heights in communication!
  • My friend tried to give a speech on patience, but the audience left before he finished. It seems they didn’t have the patience for it.
  • Why did the microphone apply for a job in public speaking? Because it wanted to be heard at work!

A Few Random Public Speaking Jokes (Use with Caution.)

These last few public speaking jokes are a little more tricky. You’d want to save these only for the right type of crowd.

  • I used to be afraid of public speaking, but then I realized it’s just talking in front of people. Now I’m terrified of public listening.
  • What’s a public speaker’s favorite kind of fish? The articulate!
  • I told my friend I was giving a speech about a famous chicken. He asked, “Is it poultry in motion?”
  • I was going to make a joke about public speaking, but I figured it would be better in front of a live audience.
  • Why did the scarecrow become a great public speaker? He was outstanding in his field!

Remember, just adding a joke or two to a speech won’t win over every audience. For help becoming a confident and effective presenter, we invite you to attend one of our 2-Day Fearless Presentations ® Classes . Click here for details.

Here Are a Few Public Speaking One-Liners to Get Your Audience Laughing.

You’ll have a much easier time just adding a funny one-liner every now and then. When you tell a joke, you typically have to get your audience to respond. And, in some cases, the audience will finish your joke.

So a well-placed one-liner will often get you a quick chuckle without as much risk. Here are a few that we organized into five different categories.

These One-Liners Are Related to Audience Interaction (Or Audience Reactions.)

Public Speaking One-Liners

  • “I’m not saying I’m a great public speaker, but I did once get a standing ovation… because I tripped over the microphone cord.”
  • “I asked my audience if they had any questions after my speech. One person raised their hand and asked, ‘When does the torture end?'”
  • “Public speaking is easy. It’s like riding a bike. Except the bike is on fire, you’re on fire, everything is on fire, and you’re in hell.”
  • “I used to be afraid of public speaking until I realized every audience is just a bunch of people hoping you don’t notice them.”
  • “I gave a speech on procrastination. The audience is still waiting for the punchline.”

Here Are a Few about Speech Techniques and Styles.

  • “I asked the audience if they knew the definition of a will. Apparently, ‘a dead giveaway’ wasn’t the right answer.”
  • “I don’t have a fear of public speaking; I have a fear of public not listening.”
  • “Why don’t public speakers ever get lost? Because they always find their way to the lectern.”
  • “I used to be a mime, but I couldn’t stay silent about it. Now I’m a public speaker.”
  • “I told the audience I’d be speaking off the cuff. Turns out, my cuff was more interesting than my speech.”

That’s Ironic! One Liners about Humor and Irony in Speech

That's Ironic! One Liners about Humor and Irony in Speech

  • “I used to be a public speaker at a mime convention. Needless to say, my speeches were a big hit.”
  • “I asked the audience if they could define irony. They said, ‘Sure, it’s like goldy and bronzy, but made of iron.'”
  • “Public speaking is a lot like a roller coaster. It’s terrifying, and I always feel like I’m going to lose my lunch.”
  • “I used to be a motivational speaker, but then I lost my train of thought. Now I’m just a ‘meh’-tivational speaker.”
  • “Why did the public speaker bring a ladder to the speech? To reach the high points, of course!”

These One-Liners Are about Speech Topics and Delivery.

  • “I told the audience I’m going to talk about time travel. They’re still waiting for my future self to arrive.”
  • “I tried to give a speech on humility, but everyone said I was the best at it.”
  • “Why did the public speaker get an award? Because he was outstanding in his field of expertise – corn farming.”
  • “I asked the crowd if they liked my tie. They said, ‘It’s not the tie, it’s what you’re saying that’s knot working.'”
  • “I tried to make a speech about sleep, but I dozed off during my own presentation.”

Funny One-Liners Related to the Challenges of Public Speaking.

  • “I asked the audience for silence during my speech. Apparently, their laughter didn’t get the memo.”
  • (If your audience won’t give you feedback.) “Dialogue is like a parachute – it only works when it’s open.”
  • (If you happen to break wind because of nervousness.) “I’m not a nervous public speaker. I just have a very expressive colon.”
  • “I told my wife I’m writing a book on public speaking. She told me to speak louder.”
  • “Why did the PowerPoint file go to therapy? It had too many issues with transitions.”

Funny Motivational Quotes Related to Public Speaking.

A really good way to add humor to any speech is to insert a funny quote from a famous person. These funny motivational quotes are very easy to insert. In fact, you can add them to your speech introduction right at the start. That will lighten the tension in the room and get your audience laughing.

Here are a few that always hit home!

Funny Quotes About Preparation and Delivery of Speech.

Funny Quotes About Preparation and Delivery of Speech

  • “The human brain starts working the moment you are born and never stops until you stand up to speak in public.” – George Jessel
  • “It usually takes more than three weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech.” – Mark Twain
  • “Speak clearly, if you speak at all; carve every word before you let it fall.” – Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.
  • “A good speech should be like a woman’s skirt; long enough to cover the subject and short enough to create interest.” – Winston Churchill
  • “The best way to sound like you know what you’re talking about is to know what you’re talking about.” – Author Unknown

Quotes Related to Adding Humor to Your Speech.

If you are looking for a famous quote specifically about adding humor to a speech, try one of these.

  • “The first time I spoke in the West, the agents and organizers looked at me and said, ‘Oh, my God, she’s funny.’ And I thought, ‘Oh, my God, I’ve been funny all my life, but I never knew it.'” – Maya Angelou
  • “If you can’t make it good, at least make it look good.” – Bill Gates
  • “I have as much authority as the Pope. I just don’t have as many people who believe it.” – George Carlin
  • “The trouble with talking too fast is you may say something you haven’t thought of yet.” – Ann Landers
  • “I used to be a good communicator, but then I realized I was talking to myself.” – Author Unknown

Here Are a Few Quotes About Creativity and Writing.

Here Are a Few Quotes About Creativity and Writing

  • “I’m writing a book. I’ve got the page numbers done.” – Steven Wright
  • “I used to play piano by ear, but now I use my hands.” – Steven Wright
  • “I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.” – Douglas Adams
  • “I don’t need time. What I need is a deadline.” – Duke Ellington
  • “I can’t understand why I flunked American history. When I was a kid, my father took me to all the historic spots. Every time I refused to get out of the car.” – W.C. Fields

The Funny Quotes Can Help You Make Your Point Better.

Like the last group, these funny quotes aren’t about public speaking. But you will likely be able to use them if you are delivering an informative speech.

  • “The only thing to do with good advice is to pass it on. It is never of any use to oneself.” – Oscar Wilde
  • “I have never been in a situation where having a sense of humor and a giving spirit didn’t lead to a better result.” – Ed Catmull
  • “The best way to convince a fool that he is wrong is to let him have his way.” – Josh Billings
  • “I like to talk about my obsession with food. I love to eat. I’m not a ‘foodie,’ but I do love to eat.” – Miranda Kerr
  • “I failed public speaking in college the first time and made a ‘D’ in the second class. It was horrible.” – John Grisham

These Last Funny Quotes Didn’t Fit the Other Categories. (LOL!)

These last quotes didn’t really fit in any of the other categories. But they are pretty funny. If you can find a way to insert them into your speech, you’re sure to get a laugh or two.

  • “It’s hard to be serious when you’re surrounded by balloons.” – Jerry Seinfeld
  • “I have six locks on my door, all in a row. When I go out, I lock every other one. I figure no matter how long somebody stands there picking the locks, they are always locking three.” – Elayne Boosler
  • “The early bird might get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.” – Willie Nelson
  • “I used to be a heavy gambler. But now I just make mental bets. That’s how I lost my mind.” – Steve Allen

Dad Jokes that You Can Use as Presentation Icebreakers.

Dad Jokes that You Can Use as Presentation Icebreakers

Years ago, I taught a leadership class for his team. And at the start of every session, he stood up in front of the group and told a corny Dad joke. The jokes were cringy. But whether the audience laughed or turned up their nose, they all smiled. Over the next few years, I noticed that Ron’s employee turnover was almost zero. It was unheard of in his industry.

It turns out that his team absolutely loved him. He made a tough job much more fun to come to. So, I changed my tune about Dad jokes. Here are a few that you can use to start your next speech or meeting.

Food Public Speaking Jokes

  • What do you call fake spaghetti? An impasta.
  • Did you hear about the cheese factory explosion? There was nothing left but de-brie.
  • What do you call a fish wearing a crown? A kingfish.
  • Why did the chicken go to the seance? To talk to the other side.
  • What did the grape say when it got stepped on? Nothing, it just let out a little wine.

Science and Technology Jokes.

  • Why don’t scientists trust atoms? Because they make up everything.
  • I told my computer I needed a break, and now it won’t stop sending me vacation ads.
  • Did you hear about the guy who invented Lifesavers? He made a mint.
  • How does a penguin build its house? Igloos it together!
  • What did one wall say to the other wall? I’ll meet you at the corner!

Academic Jokes for a Presentation.

Academic Jokes for a Presentation

  • Why did the math book look sad? Because it had too many problems.
  • Did you hear about the mathematician who’s afraid of negative numbers? He’ll stop at nothing to avoid them.
  • What do you call a factory that makes good products? A satisfactory.
  • I only know 25 letters of the alphabet. I don’t know y.
  • I used to have a job at a calendar factory, but I got fired because I took a couple of days off.

Spooky Jokes

  • Why did the skeleton go to the seance? To talk to the other side.
  • Why don’t skeletons fight each other? They don’t have the guts.
  • What did the big flower say to the little flower? “Hi, bud!”
  • I went to buy some camouflage pants, but I couldn’t find any.
  • What did one hat say to the other hat? Stay here, I’m going on ahead.

Miscellaneous Jokes

  • I only know how to make holy water. I boil the hell out of it.
  • Why did the golfer bring two pairs of pants? In case he got a hole in one.
  • Why did the bicycle fall over? It was two-tired.
  • What did the janitor say when he jumped out of the closet? Supplies!
  • What did the snowman with a six-pack say? An abdominal snowman!

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20 Public Speaking Jokes to Spice Up Your Presentation

public-speaking-jokes

Public speaking can be a nerve-wracking activity for many of us, but we can’t deny that a little laughter can help ease some of the tension. Whether you’re giving a presentation in front of a large conference audience or just talking to your coworkers, having a few jokes ready to lighten up the conversation can help you communicate your points in a more engaging way. Therefore, I’m here to share with you my top 20 public speaking jokes so you can add a pinch of humor to your next presentation. From the classic knock-knock jokes to some cheeky puns, let me help you take your humor game to the next level. Let the laughter begin!

What is Joke Telling in Presentations?

Joke telling, for the purpose of livening up a presentation or spicing up a speech, is an art form. Jokes and punchlines bring levity to a presentation, but if done incorrectly can fall flat or worse, offend. On one hand, when used appropriately, jokes can provide comedic relief that allows the audience to connect with the speaker and adjusts the mood from serious to positive. On the other hand, it can be extremely risky because humor is subjective to individual taste and when words are spoken publicly any misinterpretations can be difficult to remedy. Therefore, it is essential to consider an audience’s sense of humor and align it with humour appropriate for the subject matter. The art of crafting punchlines requires skillful delivery as every joke setup requires a payoff they will find funny. It is all about timing. Punchlines should be delivered with clarity, confidence , and conviction by using subtle vocal intonation such as raising or lowering of one’s voice at the right moment. Knowing when to pause before or after makes all the difference in how funny a punchline will be received by an audience. With practice, anyone can become an expert joke-teller that adds comic relief to their presentations.

The Art of Crafting Punchlines

Crafting punchlines that effectively punctuate your presentation can be an effective way to add humor and insight into a topic. Crafting and delivering a well balanced joke are essential components of comedic timing and ensures that the audience is engaged when listening to you. To craft the perfect punchline, you must consider two important aspects of writing: timing and structure. When it comes to timing, the punchline should come in at the exact moment when your audience thought you had finished talking. You must focus on a consistent rhythm, as this will let your audience know what kind of impression you’re trying to make, allowing them to anticipate the punchline and find it hilarious. Additionally, the structure of your punchline has a great effect on its delivery. When constructing a joke, you need to make sure that each component makes sense and serves its function in the overall joke. A single misspoken word or poorly placed pause can easily disrupt an otherwise good joke. Additionally, remember to keep things short and sweet; often, overly wordy jokes lack impact due to all the fluff around them. The art of crafting punchlines has both technical and artistic components, as any good comedian knows that proper timings and structuring is essential for making a joke successful. Next, we will dive into the techniques behind telling jokes that really get laughs from an audience.

Here are the first 10 public speaking jokes:

  • “I used to be afraid of public speaking… but then I realized everyone in the audience is just as scared as I am.”
  • They say that public speaking is one of people’s greatest fears.. . which is why at a funeral, most people would rather be in the casket than giving the eulogy.”
  • “Why did the public speaker get a standing ovation? Because he finally stopped talking.”
  • Public speaking tip: Start with a joke to break the ice… or in my case, break the tension.”
  • “I’m not saying I’m a great public speaker, but I do have a black belt in awkward pauses.”
  • I always prepare for public speaking by practicing in front of a mirror… it’s the only way I can make eye contact with someone who won’t judge me.
  • “They say that the key to public speaking is to imagine the audience in their underwear… but I tried it once and it just made things even more awkward.”
  • “I’ve been told that I have a face for radio and a voice for silent movies… but here I am, giving a public speech.”
  • “Public speaking is a lot like driving a car… you need to keep your eyes on the road and avoid hitting any potholes.”
  • “Why did the public speaker wear a wig and a fake mustache? To deliver a convincing TED talk.”

The Techniques Behind Telling Jokes

The technique behind telling jokes is an important element of making sure the audience finds the joke funny. Many people make the mistake of thinking that if they are funny, then the audience will find their jokes funny as well. However, humor is subjective, and what might sound funny to one person can fall flat for others. Therefore, it’s important to understand the different techniques behind telling jokes so that your comedy is well-received by everyone. To begin, it’s essential to be aware of timing when delivering a joke . A joke too early in your presentation may end up taking away from more important points you need to make while a joke too late after those points might be forgotten. Also think about how quickly you deliver the punchline of your joke. If it’s delivered too quickly, or abruptly, your audience may be caught off guard and miss its effectiveness. Another technique to consider is understanding how to structure your delivery . This includes things like varying your loudness and inflection when setting up the joke versus delivering the punch line; this will help emphasize the element of surprise for those listening and make them laugh even more. Additionally, consider opting for shorter jokes with fewer words but still finding creative ways to set them up so that they connect with your overall point and tie into something relevant for the group you are speaking too; this will help get audiences even more engaged with what you have to say. Ultimately, there is no right or wrong way when it comes to telling jokes in a public speaking setting; each speaker should find what works best for their personal style while also considering lessons they have learned from practice runs or experience speaking at other events. While some speakers may prefer longer jokes while others opt for shorter ones – knowing these key elements of effective comedy can ensure everyone in attendance gets a good laugh before going back to taking notes on the presentation. With these techniques in mind, let’s turn our focus towards exploring “The Benefits of Public Speaking Jokes.

The Benefits of Public Speaking Jokes

The purpose of public speaking jokes are not just for comedy. While at face value, they do lighten the mood and provide immediate entertainment , underlying benefits to jokes during a presentation can have longer-term impacts that assist in better engaging an audience. Contextualized properly within the narrative of a presentation, insights from resulting laughter lead to increased engagement while also paving the way to more meaningful conversations. The use of humor has been proven to break barriers and stigma between speaker and audience—straight away gaining trust and respect. Jokes also help keep your material fresh; constantly reminding listeners why they stay tuned to your presentation. Furthermore, telling a joke can help defuse negative situations caused by dissention or distractions stemming from the audience. On the other hand, it is important to note that with any comedic element used in presentations, there is risk involved. Poorly delivered punchlines or misappropriated humor can turn off the audience and even cause harm to the topic being discussed—rapidly souring the atmosphere of any presentation. It is therefore important for presenters to carefully consider their use of humor as it conveys message as strong as any technical fact or figure. By juggling these opposing issues, public speaking jokes can enhance presentations by breaking down boundaries between speaker and audience, delivering content within refreshment contexts, uniting fragmented audiences under collective laughter and providing power through authentically delivered messages. As such, how telling jokes enhances presentations is an element worth further consideration.

How Telling Jokes Enhances Presentations

It’s no secret that humor has a practical place in the art of public speaking . Used correctly, jokes can enhance the experience of your presentation and create a more memorable atmosphere for you and your audience. Here are a few reasons why laughing is your best bet when it comes to delivering a successful address. One powerful advantage of using jokes in your speeches is that well-crafted humor can help keep your audience engaged . A joke serves as an emotional hook for attendees and helps keep them interested in what you’re saying by capturing their attention and establishing a connection with them. Furthermore, many people are much more likely to remember funny stories, which can help them recall key concepts from your speech even after it’s over. Another reason to keep things light-hearted is that humor helps reduce performance anxiety by lightening the mood before you reach the podium. Writers such as Richard Harris and Andrew Tarvin would agree that one of the most difficult aspects of public speaking is simply getting up on stage, but telling a joke can break the tension and make both you and your audience feel more comfortable in the moment. Similarly, laughter may also help people relax while they listen, resulting in greater focus and understanding. On the other hand, there is some debate over whether every speech should contain jokes. While there’s no denying that humor can improve overall interest in a presentation, there’s also always the risk that a joke may be perceived as too off-color or inappropriate for a formal environment . As mentioned above, public speakers must be mindful about their level of wit when addressing an audience; This means that tasteful joke selection is paramount if you want to avoid any potential problems with colleagues or viewers. In conclusion, incorporating humorous remarks into your speeches may help boost engagement levels, set an enjoyable tone, and combat unease among audiences. With these strategies in mind, let’s move on to learn some tips and tricks on how to add genuine levity to presentations.

Here are 10 more public speaking jokes:

  • “I used to be a public speaker for a living… but I quit because the audience never laughed at my jokes.”
  • “Public speaking is like skydiving… it’s terrifying at first, but once you get the hang of it, it’s a real rush.”
  • “What do you call a public speaker who can’t stop talking? A filibuster.”
  • “Why did the public speaker cross the road? To get to the other side of the podium.”
  • “Public speaking is a great way to face your fears… unless your fear is public speaking, then you’re out of luck.”
  • “I’m not a great public speaker, but I’m really good at pretending I know what I’m talking about.”
  • “Why did the public speaker bring a pillow to his speech? So he could rest his case.”
  • “Public speaking is a lot like cooking… it takes a lot of preparation and the end result may not always be what you hoped for.”
  • “I’m not nervous about public speaking… I’m just practicing my interpretive dance moves.”
  • “Why did the public speaker keep checking his watch? Because he had a lot of time to kill.”

Humor Tips and Tricks

Humor is an essential part of a successful public speaking presentation. Not only does it help lighten the mood and liven up the atmosphere in the room, but it also helps to create a more engaging and memorable presentation . While there is no one-size-fits-all formula for humor, there are some tips and tricks that can help you inject humor into your presentation. The most important tip for adding humor is to be authentic. If your audience can tell that you’re not comfortable telling jokes, or having a sense of humor, they will likely not respond well. Instead, focus on being yourself while you’re presenting and look for subtle opportunities to lighten the mood by using self-deprecating humor or referencing your own experiences or observations. You don’t need to be a stand-up comic in order to add wit and charm to your talk, just speak genuinely and authentically with a lighthearted air. Another tip for injecting humor into your talk is to keep the tone appropriate. Make sure that your jokes are appropriate for the occasion; if you’re speaking at an event with children present, it’s probably best to avoid using any language that might be considered inappropriate or racy. Similarly, don’t rely heavily on stereotypes or stereotype jokes; these types of jokes may come across as offensive or inappropriate. Finally, be mindful of cultural differences and sensitivities; even if a joke works well elsewhere, there might be nuances specific to your audience that could cause offense. Finally, remember the importance of timing when invoking humor in public speaking presentations. Jokes rarely work if they are delivered too slowly or quickly; instead, find ways to keep your delivery natural by practicing delivering your presentation until you have it down pat with all the associated intonations for when the joke should occur. Keeping this timing intact also ensures that any potentially funny moments will not get lost as people laugh at prior jokes or stories in your talk . Ultimately, while humor can make any public speaking presentation more enjoyable and engaging , it should never take away from the overall message of your talk – jokes should always supplement rather than overshadow your main points. When used appropriately and authentically, humor can help create a lasting impression on the audience long after your presentation has ended . By crafting hilarious stories and punchlines to use throughout their presentations, speakers can successfully use humor as an effective tool for delivering their message effectively. In the next section we will discuss taking these tips into account when crafting funny stories and punchlines that invite laughter from both young and old audiences alike.

Crucial Highlights

Humor can be a great way to add charm and wit to a public speaking presentation. However, it is important that the tone of humor is appropriate for the occasion and audience. Additionally, speakers should be mindful of cultural differences and sensitivities when using humor. Furthermore, timing when delivering jokes is crucial; it is important to know when to deliver the punchline for maximum comedic impact. Lastly, remember that humorous anecdotes should supplement rather than overshadow the overall message of a talk.

Crafting Funny Stories and Punchlines

Crafting humorous stories and punchlines is an art form. Not all presenters are naturally funny, but there are ways to increase your comedic prowess. On one hand, crafting your own jokes allows for originality and customization for your specific audience and presentation. This can help increase your performance’s impact as a personal touch can be more memorable to listeners than generic jokes. Creating unique content allows you the opportunity to practice joke-telling in a way that maximizes impact and leaves your listeners laughing and engaged. On the other hand, using prepared jokes carries its own benefits. This can help reduce any performance nerves as they have been tried and tested by other comedians. Additionally, if you are new to presentation design or don’t consider yourself too funny, it can provide a safety net of ready-made material. Drawing on proven jokes can insure that even if your audience isn’t amazed, you can be confident that they will at least laugh at the stories or punchlines you selected. Both methods of comedy-creation carry their own pros and cons; ultimately it depends on the presenter’s comfort level with delivering joke material. Whether you choose to create unique content from scratch or use existing jokes, adding humor should never distract from the success of your presentation as a whole. With careful consideration for the right timing and attitude, humor can be a powerful tool in capturing an audience’s attention. Next we’ll discuss how to find the right jokes for your audience.

How to Find the Right Jokes for Your Audience

Finding the right jokes to throw into your presentation is an essential part of public speaking, but it’s also an area that can be tricky to navigate without experience. When selecting jokes and other humorous elements, there are a few points to keep in mind. First, you want the jokes to stay true to your subject matter. It can help if you know a lot about your topic, as this will make it easier for you to draw up relevant jokes that may even reference specific points in the presentation. However, some speakers take a different approach and use jokes as an opportunity to create an interesting distraction from the main point. There are benefits and drawbacks to both approaches; if you choose the latter, make sure not to cheapen your message or distract too much from the main idea of your talk. Second, consider the type of audience you’re addressing. Are they well-versed in your subject matter? Will they appreciate obscure references or would something more overt be better? And most importantly, what kind of comedic style do they prefer? A joke that works well with one group might come off as offensive or awkward with another. You don’t want undecided voters at a political debate out of fear of making the wrong joke! Finally, take into consideration how often you introduce humor into your speech . Many presentations begin amicably enough with some appropriate levity, but overdoing it can be counter-productive — no one wants a speech that’s all laughs and no information! Use humor in moderation so it can have its intended effect when it appears. When selecting jokes and humorous elements for your speech, be mindful of the content and context while keeping an eye on pacing and frequency.

Final Tips for Becoming a Jokester

As a public speaker, you can use humor to engage your audience and spice up any presentation. To capitalize on this, you’ll need to become a jokester – someone who can insert funny remarks and witty one-liners on the fly. It requires finesse, though, so to help you out here are some tips for becoming a jokester: First, make sure you know your audience . Crafting the perfect joke is not much good if it falls flat with an unappreciative audience or worse yet, offends them in any way. Take time to get to know those you will be addressing during your presentation and use that knowledge to tailor your delivery. Second, strive for authenticity. Simple jokes may get the job done momentarily but don’t rely on them too often. Just like public speaking itself, jokes should stem from personal experiences and insights since that’s usually what resonates most with listeners. This can take practice though; prepare yourself by writing down ideas or potential topics that you may want to cover in advance of speaking. Third, pay attention to timing. When telling a joke (or even making a quip) timing is everything so using natural pauses throughout your talk can really help enhance the humor element within a presentation. One thing to keep in mind is that silence is awkward so be aware when it goes on for too long as it can make the joke lose its humor and effectiveness. Finally, remember that humor should be used as seasoning – sprinkle a few lighthearted references throughout your talk but don’t overdo it. Although humorous moments can create powerful connections with your audience and offer something for them to remember about your speech days later, too much joking can have adverse effects if handled improperly. There are many strategies outlined above that can help turn any public speaker into a jokester. But before reaching the conclusion of this article there is one more step to consider – deciding how far is too far when introducing comedic moments into serious talks…

In conclusion, adding public speaking jokes while giving a presentation can help to entertain the audience and provide lighthearted moments that help to keep them engaged throughout the entire presentation. However, it is important to be aware of the risks of using such jokes, like potentially offending members of the audience or not being well-received. Ultimately, if used appropriately, public speaking jokes are an excellent way to make a presentation more entertaining and enjoyable for everyone involved. It is necessary to take into consideration who your audience is when considering what kind of jokes you should use. If you are giving a presentation primarily to younger people, then it may be more appropriate to use more modern references or “pop culture” humor than if presenting to a room full of older people. Additionally, carefully researching the topic of your presentation beforehand and using any relevant information in your jokes can really help them land with the crowd. Ultimately, humor can be used as a powerful tool in a presentation and can make people more engaged in what you have to say. It is important for presenters to be self-aware about their capabilities as well as their audience in order to ensure that their jokes will receive positive responses. By following these guidelines and abiding by professional etiquette , speakers can use public speaking jokes effectively and boost their presentations’ impact on an audience.

Common Questions Explained

What are some topics that are off-limits for public speaking jokes.

Some topics that are off-limits for public speaking jokes include topics related to race or ethnicity, religion, politics, gender or sexual orientation, disability, and illness. Using jokes about these topics can cause deep offense and hurt the audiences’ feelings. Additionally, any topic that could potentially be considered offensive or insensitive should be avoided. Jokes about controversial topics have the potential to spark heated debates and detract from the main point of your presentation. Additionally, jokes about violence, death, war and crime are also not appropriate for public speaking. It is important to remember that humor should always remain respectful as well as appropriate to the current audience when using jokes in public speaking. Keeping these ideas in mind will help to ensure that your audience enjoys the presentation without being offended by it.

How can I use jokes to break the ice for a public speaking event?

Using jokes to break the ice at a public speaking event can be an effective way to win over your audience and set the stage for a positive atmosphere. Jokes are an excellent conversation starter and can help alleviate the stress of a live performance. The key is to choose jokes that are universally funny and appropriate for all ages. This means avoiding jokes that might be offensive or tasteless, as these can backfire and potentially leave the audience feeling uncomfortable. Pick jokes that relate to your topic in some way and weave them into your presentation style in such a way that they feel natural to hear. Remember, the goal is to make people laugh, not interfere with their concentration on what you’re saying. Laughter is contagious and will help create an enjoyable atmosphere for your entire presentation!

What are some tips for using humor when public speaking?

When using humor when public speaking, the following tips can help you create an engaging and successful presentation: 1. Know your audience: Before adding any jokes to your speech, make sure you know your audience and their sense of humor. This will help ensure that your jokes are appropriate and not offensive to anyone in the room. 2. Choose appropriate material: Make sure the jokes or humorous stories you select are relevant to the topic of your presentation, as this will further engage your audience. Avoid inappropriate or off-color humor too. 3. Practice: Timing is key when it comes to humorous speaking, so practice each joke until you have it down before delivering it in front of an audience. Don’t overdo it either—jokes should be used sparingly with other content to keep the focus on the main message of your presentation. 4. Tell the truth: An effective way to use humor is to tell a personal story about a funny experience you once had related to the topic of your presentation. People appreciate honesty and genuine self-deprecating stories are often more endearing than fabricated ones. 5. Relax: One final tip for using humor when public speaking is to remain relaxed throughout your presentation and trust in yourself—your delivery and timing will naturally become better with practice, so don’t be afraid to dig a little deeper into your own experiences for material.

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40 Funny Speech Opening Lines: Make ‘Em Laugh Before You Even Begin!

Think of your speech opening line like the first bite of a delicious meal – it sets the tone and leaves you wanting more. A well-crafted, funny speech opening lines can instantly break the ice, make your audience feel at ease, and build anticipation for what’s to come.

But crafting that perfect line? It can feel like searching for a needle in a haystack. That’s why we’ve done the heavy lifting for you! If you read our article about “ How to Write a Powerful Speech Opening ?” you will get a full understanding of how to craft your speech opening.

Below, you’ll find 40 funny speech opening lines that cater to a wide range of topics and situations. Whether you’re addressing a formal business conference or a casual wedding reception, these lines will help you the ice and kick things off with a bang.

General Icebreakers

Everyone loves a good laugh, right? These funny speech opening lines are designed to do just that – break the ice and get your audience smiling. They’re perfect for any occasion where you want to start things off on a light and friendly note.

  • “Before we start, can everyone please look under their chairs? I lost my contact lens, and it might be a little blurry up here…”
  • “Good evening, everyone! Or as I like to call it, the part of the day where I try to sound smarter than I actually am.”
  • “It’s a pleasure to be here tonight. Or as my therapist would say, ‘It’s a start.'”
  • “Thank you for that warm welcome. I was worried you’d all be asleep by now.”
  • “Hello, everyone! I’m here to talk to you about [topic]. Or as my kids call it, ‘The thing that makes dad boring.'”
  • “Before I begin, I want to thank the person who invented coffee. You are the real MVP.”

Self-Deprecating Humor

a person laughing at her ownself.

Want to show your audience you don’t take yourself too seriously? Try poking a little fun at yourself ! These self-deprecating funny speech opening lines can help you appear more relatable and down-to-earth.

  • “I wasn’t sure what to wear tonight, so I asked my cat. He said, ‘Meow’ (which I think means ‘go for the tuxedo’).”
  • “I’d like to thank [person] for that glowing introduction. I must say, I’ve never heard myself described as so… fictional.”
  • “I’ve been practicing this speech in front of my dog. He hasn’t understood a word, but he sure does wag his tail a lot.”
  • “I’m a little nervous tonight, so bear with me. I’m not used to talking to people who aren’t my plants.”
  • “I promise to keep this speech short. My attention span is about as long as a goldfish’s.”
  • “I know what you’re thinking: ‘This guy doesn’t look like a public speaker.’ Well, you’re right. I’m actually a ninja in disguise.”

Situational Humor (Weddings, Business, etc.)

Every event has its unique flavor, and your opening line can reflect that! Use these tailored jokes to match the mood of your specific occasion.

  • (Wedding) “Ladies and gentlemen, it’s an honor to be here tonight. And for the single folks out there, don’t worry, your time will come. Or it won’t. Either way, there’s cake.”
  • (Business) “I’m here to talk to you about increasing productivity. But first, let’s be honest, who here is secretly checking their email?”
  • (Graduation) “Congratulations, graduates! You made it. Now go out there and prove your parents wrong about that whole ‘art history degree’ thing.”
  • (Birthday) “Happy birthday, [person]! You don’t look a day over… well, let’s just say you look amazing.”
  • (Retirement) “Congratulations on your retirement! Finally, you can stop pretending to know what the young people are talking about.”
  • (Awards) “I’m truly honored to receive this award. Although, I must admit, I was hoping for a cash prize.”

Pop Culture References

Do you love movies, TV shows, or music? Sprinkle in a pop culture reference! It’s a fun way to connect with your audience, especially if you share a common interest.

  • “I’m so nervous, I feel like I’m about to go on stage for the first time since my middle school production of ‘Grease.'”
  • “I’m not sure if I’m qualified to give this speech. I mean, I’ve never even won an Oscar.”
  • “If this speech were a Netflix series, it would be called ‘Awkward Silences and Dad Jokes.'”
  • “I hope my speech isn’t as forgettable as the last season of ‘Game of Thrones.'”

Audience Participation

Want to make your speech even more fun? Get your audience involved ! These funny speech opening lines are designed to spark interaction and create a lively atmosphere. They’ll help you build a connection with your listeners right from the start.

  • “Can I get a show of hands? Who here actually read my bio in the program?”
  • “Who’s excited to be here tonight? [Pause for response] Liars.”
  • “I have a joke, but it only works if you laugh. So, on the count of three, everyone laugh… One, two, three… [Pause] Well, that was awkward.”
  • “Let’s play a game. I’ll say a word, and you shout out the first thing that comes to mind. Ready? [Topic of your speech].”

Bonus Lines (Just for Fun)

Looking for something a little extra? These lines are just for fun. They might be a bit silly, but they’re sure to get a chuckle out of your audience.

  • “I’m not saying I’m lazy, but I once hired someone from fiverr to watch a YouTube video for me.”
  • “I’m so bad at math, I can’t even count the number of times I’ve said ‘I’m bad at math.'”
  • “I’m not a morning person. I’m barely even a person before noon.”
  • “I’m not sure why I was asked to give this speech. I think they confused me with someone who’s actually interesting.”
  • “My therapist told me to take up public speaking to overcome my fear of judgment. So, feel free to judge away!”
  • “I’ve been told I have a face for radio. But hey, I’m here, aren’t I?”
  • “I’m like a fine wine… I get better with age. Or at least, that’s what I tell myself.”
  • “I’m not saying I’m perfect, but I’ve never been wrong… yet.”
  • “I’m not sure what’s more nerve-wracking, giving this speech or trying to parallel park in front of all of you.”
  • “I’m so glad you all came to hear me speak. I was starting to worry I was only talking to myself.”
  • “I’m not sure what’s more confusing, the economy or my love life.”
  • “I’m like a box of chocolates… you never know what you’re gonna get. But hopefully, it’s not salmonella.”
  • “I’m not saying I’m old, but I remember when Netflix was just a DVD rental service.”
  • “I’m like a good book… worth sticking with until the end. Or at least, the first few chapters.”

Watch this compilation video of comedians delivering hilarious opening lines during their stand-up routines.

Remember, your opening line is your first chance to make a lasting impression. It’s your secret weapon to grab your audience’s attention and set the tone for an unforgettable speech.

We’ve covered a wide range of options to get you started:

  • General Icebreakers: Perfect for warming up any crowd with lighthearted humor.
  • Self-Deprecating Humor: Show your audience you don’t take yourself too seriously.
  • Situational Humor: Tailor your jokes to your specific event and audience.
  • Pop Culture References: Connect with your audience on a shared cultural level.
  • Audience Participation: Get everyone involved for a truly interactive experience.
  • Bonus Lines: Just for fun, because who doesn’t love a good laugh?

So, take a deep breath, step up to that microphone, and let your humor shine! Experiment with different types of speech opening lines until you find the perfect fit for your personality and your audience.

And if you’re ready to dive deeper into crafting a speech that truly resonates, don’t forget to check out our comprehensive guide on speech structure . It’ll give you all the tools you need to build a presentation that’s not only funny but also informative and engaging from start to finish.

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44 Witty & Wacky Icebreaker Jokes To Tell At Your Next Meeting

Icebreaker Jokes

Icebreaker jokes like that one command attention. Like a good conversation starter or icebreaker question , a joke can warm up your listeners’ brains and prepare them to receive your message.

In fact, many of the best one-liners work a little like social glue. Not only do they get people laughing, but they may subtly point out similarities of experience, opinions, and values to make even a tight-knit group feel more closely bonded.

Opening your meeting with a little humor via icebreaker jokes, even your cheesiest knock-knock jokes or dad jokes, can:

  • Make an audience feel a stronger sense of social connection
  • Soothe stress and make people more receptive to calmly discussing ideas
  • Warm-up virtual formats for a remote team
  • Release endorphins and calm anger for more productive debates
  • Make your arguments and ideas more persuasive

Make your meeting life start feeling more like your best life with the icebreaker jokes below.

(PS – A truly energizing icebreaker joke is a great way to open up a team building event or activity and help everyone enter the right mindset to participate in the fun. Looking for more than just trust falls? Check out our list of virtual team building activities to help remote teams engage with each other in a new and exciting environment.)

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What Makes An Icebreaker Joke Funny?

A joke could make someone crack up one day and have no effect the next day. Therefore, there’s no true formula for a perfect joke, and despite study and analysis on the part of comedians and scientists , we don’t have a precise answer to, “What makes things funny?”

However, we do have a wealth of theories and insights that can help you create, tell, or at least better understand the magic of jokes. Here’s a brief summary:

A joke could make people laugh if it:

  • Plays on the human love of detecting discrepancies by illustrating a generally harmless mistake, misunderstanding, or departure from the norm. (Ex: Did you hear about the person who died while opening a window? So did everyone else on the submarine)
  • Disrupts expectations via incongruity between a concept, situation, or idea. (Ex: Do you know what I love most about baseball? The pine tar, the resin, the grass, the dirt. And that’s just in the hot dogs. (David Letterman))
  • Gives people an acceptable way to release their feelings on socially inappropriate topics, such as anger, bodily functions, online dating, or even the misfortunes of others. (Ex: My friend took me to what he said was an escape room. Turns out, he just locked me in the closet.)
  • Plays on what makes a group similar and inspires feelings of group cohesion.
  • Helps people understand one another via insight or perspective on the current social environment.

Icebreaker Jokes For Work

How ‘bout this weather?

How’s it going?

These workplace greetings have become such a commonplace part of our lives, they’re practically rhetorical. Do I really have to tell Rita from accounting how it’s going?

Be the life of the office and add to the company culture .

Subvert expectations and inspire smiles as you breeze into the office or your Zoom meeting with these icebreaker ideas:

1) “I don’t understand how Jeff Bezos is richer than the person who sells receipt paper to CVS.” (Brain Champagne)

2) “Do you know that cool-looking code in the Matrix? It came from sushi recipes .”

3) “Why do people park in a driveway but drive on a parkway?”

4) “Why do they call it rush hour when nothing moves?” (Robin Williams)

5) “Nowadays, comedians tell the news and the media tells the jokes.”

6) A player asked his golf coach: “What is going wrong with my game?” The coach replied, “You’re standing too close to the ball after you’ve hit it.” ( Golf Workout Program )

7) “Housework won’t kill you. But then again, why take the chance?” (Phyllis Diller)

Icebreaker Jokes For Meetings

Use hilarious jokes and fun questions to break the ice instead to capture everyone’s attention and make sure they’re awake and alert for all the excellent points you’re about to make:.

2) “I threw a boomerang a few years ago. I now live in constant fear.”

3) “What’s a comedian’s least favorite drink? [Booze]”

4) “My friend took me to what he said was an escape room. Turns out, he just locked me in the closet.” (Brain Champagne)

5) “What did the duck say when she bought lipstick? Put it on my bill!” (Best Life)

6) “I like to practice magic. Last night, I was driving, and I turned into a driveway.” (Wiley)

Pro-tip #2: Not comfortable making jokes? That’s okay. Use fun and funny facts about your team to break the ice at your next meeting. You can even source a complete bank of surprising and hilarious facts about your teammates using Water Cooler Trivia .

Not only will you receive praise for introducing an amazing team building activity , but you’ll also get plenty of fun facts you can use to laugh with (and maybe at) your teammates. You can also use a funny team building joke or quote to make sure everyone can relax during the meeting. It truly is a win-win!

Icebreaker Jokes For Speeches

speech_jokes

A good ice breaker joke tells your audience that you’re charming and funny, someone they’ll enjoy talking to as much as their best friend. Once you get that key point across, your audience will likely listen to everything else you have to say.

Find the best ice breaker for your next speech below:

1) “Do you know what I love most about baseball? The pine tar, the resin, the grass, the dirt. And that’s just in the hot dogs.” (David Letterman)

2) “I’ve been getting into astronomy so I installed a skylight. The people who live above me are furious.” (Steven Wright)

3) “I heard a story that the band Blink-182 incorporated under the name ‘Poo Poo Butt LLC’ to embarrass their accountants in serious conversations.”

4) “I thought I’d begin by reading a poem by Shakespeare, but then I thought, why should I? He never reads any of mine.” (Spike Milligan)

5) “Before coming here tonight I was discussing my talk with my [partner] and [they] said to me: ‘Don’t try to be too charming, too witty or too intellectual, just be yourself.’” (Laffgaff)

6) “What’s the best thing about Switzerland? I don’t know, but its flag is a big plus!” (Best Life)

Pro-tip #3: Champion humor in your workplace by using an employee recognition platform such as Nectar to provide peer-to-peer rewards for making others laugh or smile.

Icebreaker Jokes For Presentations

presentation

Rapport is especially important for presentations where you’re trying to persuade an audience of strangers, and you can build rapport with people you’ve never met (and may not have anything in common with) by using some of the funniest jokes you can find. If you are looking for an opening joke for your next presentation, then check out these kick-starters.

1) “By the time a man is wise enough to watch his step, he’s too old to go anywhere.” (Billy Crystal)

2) “I have a piece of paper, don’t mind me. I am a professional, but I have a lot of Nutrasweet in my system and I don’t have a good short-term memory.”

3) “I have, you know, a lot of things I want to discuss with you and I don’t even remember what they are. I have them on a piece of paper. Don’t mind me.”

4) “If I glance over, it’s not because I don’t care, it’s because I can’t remember anything.” (Janeane Garofalo)

5) “I was sitting in traffic the other day. Probably why I got run over.” (Best Life)

6) “I can’t believe my parents support my choice of profession! I told them that I wanted to become a stand-up comedian. They laughed at me.” (Upjoke)

7) “What should you do at a Halloween party if a zombie rolls their eyes at you? Roll them back so they can see!” (Beano)

8) “When my son told me to stop impersonating a flamingo, I had to put my foot down.” (CNN Dad Joke Generator)

Pro-Tip #4:  Get plenty of fodder for your jokes by introducing your team to Quizbreaker , an icebreaker tool that makes it easy to create and share quizzes about your team, with your team. The results of any quiz can be a gold mine for customized joke material that hits with your audience (a.k.a co-workers) because it was designed specifically for (and maybe even incorporates) your audience.

Icebreaker Jokes For Large Groups

large_group_icebreaker

Use a strategically placed joke to break the ice and make a large group feel like a small gathering of friends.

1) “A bank is a place that will lend you money if you can prove that you don’t need it.” (Bob Hope)

2) “Did you hear about the person that died while opening a window? So did everyone else on the submarine.”

3) “Here’s a funny fact: Nicolas Cage once purchased an octopus to help him with his acting.”

4) “You know you must be doing something right if old people like you.” (Dave Chappelle)

5) “How much does a polar bear weigh? Enough to break the ice…or your spine for that matter.”

6) “When I meet women, I immediately start talking about global warming. It’s a real ice breaker.” (Laffgaff)

Pro-Tip #5: Make sure you pick a joke you love. You must believe your joke is funny if you hope others will find it funny…kind of like you (hopefully) wouldn’t use pick up lines that have no chance of at least earning a wry smile. In fact, it may not hurt to chuckle a bit yourself. Laughter is contagious, after all.

Icebreaker Jokes For Small Groups

small_group_icebreaker

Ingratiate yourself to your tight-knit audience by opening with a little humor.

1) “I used to work at McDonald’s making minimum wage. You know what that means when someone pays you minimum wage? You know what your boss was trying to say? ‘Hey, if I could pay you less, I would, but it’s against the law.'” (Chris Rock)

2) “You don’t need a parachute to go skydiving. You need a parachute to go skydiving twice.”

3) “Did you know that there are more plastic flamingos in America than real ones?”

4) “Did you hear the rumor about butter? Never mind, I shouldn’t spread it.” (Best Life)

5) “Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. I did an original sin. I poked a badger with a spoon.” (Eddie Izzard)

6) “You ever get a handwritten letter in the mail today? You’re like, ‘What the hell? Has someone been kidnapped?'” (Jim Gaffigan)

Pro-Tip #6: Pick a joke and frame it around your real-life experience . If you’re familiar and passionate about your joke, you have a better chance of getting a reaction from others. They’ll be able to feel your authenticity.

Icebreaker Jokes for Conferences

executive assistant conferences

Try injecting humor into conferences for an instant icebreaker that instantly puts people at ease.

Jokes not only lighten the atmosphere but also create a shared sense of joy, easing tensions and fostering a friendly environment. Mundane facts and numbers-based conferences can be humanized and livened up with a perfectly timed joke!

Here are a few ideas for inspiration!

1) “I always try to go the extra mile at work, but my boss always finds me and brings me back.” — Anonymous.

2) The CEO of Google was late to a press conference scheduled for 4:00… 4:04 Page not found.

3) “To make an error is human; to blame it on someone else shows management potential.”

4) So, I went to an abstinence conference the other day… All we did was wait.

5) “I like work: It fascinates me. I can sit and look at it for hours.” — Jerome K. Jerome.

Pro-tip #7: The best jokes relate humor directly to unique aspects of the conference, making them relatable to everyone.

People Also Ask These Questions About Icebreaker Jokes

Q: what is a good icebreaker joke.

  • A: “Why do they call it rush hour when nothing moves?” is one good icebreaker joke. Find even more icebreaker jokes in this post .

Q: What makes an icebreaker joke funny?

  • Illustrating a generally harmless mistake, misunderstanding, or departure from the norm
  • Commenting on the current social climate
  • Disrupting expectations or norms on a concept, situation, or idea.
  • Playing to what makes an audience similar

Q: How do I start my work presentation?

  • A: Start your work presentation with an icebreaker joke . Many jokes work a little like social glue. Not only do they get people laughing, but they may also point out similarities of experience, opinions, and values and make a group feel more closely bonded.

Q: Where can I find icebreaker jokes for work?

  • A: You can find good icebreaker jokes for work in this roundup , which includes office-appropriate icebreaker jokes for presentations, speeches, meetings, and more.

Q: Are there any good icebreaker jokes for a work meeting?

  • A: There are plenty of good icebreaker jokes for a work meeting. For example, you could use a popular Jerry Seinfeld technique and say, “Have you ever noticed…” and fill in the blank with something funny or ridiculous you’ve observed lately.

Q: How do I tell a good joke at work?

  • A: Tell a good joke at work by first finding an icebreaker joke you love and then practicing your delivery. Watch your favorite comedians to get inflection inspiration. Try it out on a few of your best work buddies. Before long, you’ll have a go-to joke that never fails to get laughs.

Q: What kinds of jokes are appropriate to tell at work?

  • A: Icebreaker jokes are always appropriate to tell at work. Some other work-safe jokes include dad jokes, puns, and a myriad of other clean and not-always-cheesy jokes that don’t leverage taboos or inappropriate subjects.

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Home » Games » 91 Good Icebreaker Jokes

91 Good Icebreaker Jokes

Generating a laugh is an excellent way to break the ice. We have collected some of the best icebreaker jokes available and arranged them according to length to make it easy for you to find the perfect joke to begin a speech, get your party going, or help those in a group activity relax.

Table of Contents

Super Short Icebreaker Jokes

Choose one in our collection of super-short icebreaker jokes perfect for a quick break in a speech if you feel you are losing the attention of your audience. Learn to tell three or four so you are always prepared.

  • Everyone is gifted, but some people never open their package.
  • There were three tomatoes, a mom, a dad and a son. The son lagged behind and fell splat on the floor. His dad yelled to him, “Ketchup, son”.
  • How can you get four suits for a dollar? Buy a deck of cards.
  • How do you make a hot dog stand? Steal its chair.
  • How do you make an egg laugh? Tell it a yolk.
  • How do you prevent a summer cold? Catch it in the winter!
  • How does a pig go to hospital? In a hambulance.
  • I wondered why the baseball was getting bigger. Then it hit me.
  • If a long dress is eveningwear, what is a suit of armor? Silver ware.
  • What bone will a dog never eat? A trombone.
  • What can you hold without ever touching it? A conversation.
  • What clothes does a house wear? Address.
  • What country makes you shiver? Chile.
  • What did Delaware? Her New Jersey.
  • What did one elevator say to the other? I think I am coming down with something!
  • What did Tennessee? The same thing Arkansas.
  • What did the mother broom say to the baby broom? It is time to go to sweep.
  • What did the necktie say to the hat? You go on ahead. I will hang around for a while.
  • What did the right eye said to the left eye? In between us, something smells!
  • What did the rug say to the floor? Donot move! I have got you covered!
  • What did the traffic light say to the car? Donot look at me.I am changing.
  • What do you call a country where everyone has to drive a pink car? A pink car-nation.
  • What do you call a country where everyone has to drive a red car? A red carnation.
  • What would the country be called if everyone in it lived in his or her cars? An in-car-nation.
  • What do you call a personwho is born in Columbus, grows up in Cleveland, and then dies in Cincinnati? Dead.
  • What do you call a song sung in an automobile? A cartoon.
  • What do you call nuts hanging on your wall? Walnuts.
  • What do you call the best butter on the farm? A goat.
  • What do you get if you cross a chicken with a cement mixer? A bricklayer!
  • What do you get if you cross an elephant and a kangaroo? Big holes all over Australia!
  • What do you get if you cross an insect with the Easter rabbit? Bugs Bunny.
  • What do you get when two peas fight? Black-eyed peas!
  • What do you get when you cross a stream and a brook? Wet feet.
  • What do you get when you cross poison ivy with a 4-leaf clover? A rash of good luck.
  • What happens when frogs park illegally? They get toad.
  • What has six eyes but cannot see? Three blind mice.
  • What has many keys but cannot open any doors? A piano.
  • What has one horn and gives milk? A milk truck.
  • What is a tree’s favorite drink? Root beer.
  • What is the best thing to do if you find a gorilla in your bed? Sleep somewhere else.
  • What kind of bird can lift the most? A crane.
  • What kind of cat likes to go bowling? Alley cats.
  • What kind of eggs does a wicked chicken lay? Deviled eggs.
  • What lies on its back, one hundred feet in the air? A dead centipede.
  • What is gray, eats fish, and lives in Washington, D.C.? The Presidential seal.
  • What is green and loud? A frog horn.
  • What is round and bad-tempered? A vicious circle.
  • Where do fortunetellers dance? At the crystal ball.
  • Why did the tomato blush? It is because he saw the salad dressing!
  • Why does a chicken coop have two doors? Because if it had four, it would be a chicken sedan!
  • Why does the Easter Bunny have a shiny nose? His powder puff is on the wrong end.
  • Why was Cinderella thrown off the basketball team? She ran away from the ball.
  • Why was the math book sad? Because it has many problems.
  • Why were the teacher’s eyes crossed? She could not control her pupils.
  • Why did the chicken cross the road halfway? She wanted to lay it on the line
  • Why did the chicken cross the basketball court? He heard the referee calling fowls
  • Why did the chicken cross the playground? To get to the other slide
  • Why did the chicken scientist cross the road? To invent the other side
  • Why did the chicken cross the road? Because he wanted to get to the other side.
  • Why did the gum cross the road? Because it was stuck to the chicken’s foot.
  • What do you get when you cross a chicken and a pit bull? Just the pit bull.
  • How does a farmer count a herd of cows? With a cow-culator.
  • Why is it that cats do not play poker in the jungle? There are too many cheetahs.
  • What do cats like to eat for breakfast? Mice Krispies.
  • What do you get when you cross a dog with a telephone? A Golden Receiver!
  • What did the dog say when he sat on the sandpaper? Rough! Rough!

Icebreaker Story Jokes

Our longer icebreaker story jokes work well at the beginning of a speech or activity to get participants relaxed and ready to listen or participate.

  • There is a bear den near my house, with three bears living there, a mother and two cubs. For months, their behavior baffled me. Sometimes I would see them and they would be as joyful as could be, frolicking gleefully about the forest. Other times they would be stone somber. How could that be? Gleeful, somber, gleeful, somber. Then I figured it out. They are bipolar bears!
  • Three birders walk into a bar. The fourth one ducks. (Ha, ha!)Birder 1: What kind of bird is that?Birder 2: A gulp.Birder 1: A gulp? Never heard of it.Birder 2: It is like a swallow, only it is bigger.
  • A man is driving down the road with twenty penguins in the back seat. The police stop him and say that he cannot drive around with the penguins in the car and that he should take them to the zoo. The man agrees and drives off.The next day, the same man is driving down the road with twenty penguins in the back again. He is stopped by the same police officer who says, “Hey! I thought I told you to take those to the zoo.”The man replies, “I did. Today, I am taking them to the movies.”
  • Three older women were discussing the problems that come from getting older. One said, “Sometimes I catch myself with a jar of mayonnaise in my hand in front of the refrigerator and cannot remember whether I need to put it away, or start making a sandwich.”The second woman chimed in, “Yes, sometimes I find myself on the landing of the stairs and cannot remember whether I was on my way up or on my way down.”The third one responded, “Well, I am glad I do not have that problem; knock on wood.” As she rapped her knuckles on the table, she told them, “That must be the door. I will get it!”
  • This is a little story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody. There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that because it was Everybody’s job. Everybody thought that Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody would not do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.Jack strode into John’s stable looking to buy a horse. “Listen here” said John, “I have just the horse you are looking for. The only thing is thatan interesting fellow trained him. He does not go and stop the usual way. The way to get him to stop is to scream, “Hey, hey!” The way to get him to go is to scream, “Thank God!”
  • Jim nodded his head, “Fine with me. Can I take him for a test run?”
  • Jim was having the time of his life. This horse sure can run, he thought to himself. Jim was speeding down the dirt road when he suddenly saw a cliff up ahead. “Stop!” screamed Jim, but the horse kept on going. No matter how much he tried, he could not remember the words to get it to stop. “Yo, yo!” screamed Jim but the horse just kept on speeding ahead. The horse was 5 feet from the cliff when Jim suddenly remembered. “Hey, hey!” Jim screamed. The horse skidded to a halt just 1 inch from the cliff.Jim could not believe his good fortune. He looked up to the sky, raised his hands in the air, breathed a deep sigh of relief, and said with conviction, “Thank God!”
  • Two men, Jim and John, were walking their dogs when they passed by a restaurant. “Let’s go in and get something to eat,” Jim suggested.“We cannot,” responded John. “Do you not you see the sign? It says ‘NO PETS ALLOWED’.”“Ah, that sign,” said Jim. “Do not worry about it.” Taking out a pair of sunglasses, he walked up to the door. As he tried walking into the restaurant, he was stopped at the door.“Sorry no pets allowed.”“Can you not see?” said Jim. “I am blind. This is my seeing eye dog.”“But, it is a Doberman pincher. Who uses a Doberman pincher as a seeing eye dog?” the man asked.“Oh,” Jim responded. “You must not have heard. This is the latest type of seeing eye dog. They do a very good job.”Seeing that it worked, John tried walking in with his Chihuahua. Even before he could open his mouth, the door attendant said, “Do not tell me that a Chihuahua is the latest type of seeing eye dog.”Thinking quickly John responded in an angry voice, “You mean they gave me a Chihuahua?”
  • Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson go on a camping trip, set up their tent, and fall asleep. Some hours later, Holmes wakes his faithful friend. “Watson, look up at the sky and tell me what you see.”Watson replies, “I see millions of stars.”“What does that tell you?” continues Holmes.Watson ponders for a minute. “Astronomically speaking, it tells me that there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets. Astrologically, it tells me that Saturn is in Leo. Time wise, it appears to be approximately a quarter past three. Theologically, it is evident the Lord is all-powerful and we are small and insignificant. Meteorologically, it seems we will have a beautiful day tomorrow. What does it tell you?”Holmes is silent for a moment, and then speaks. “Watson, you idiot, someone has stolen our tent.”

Funny Directions on Product Packages

Use one or more of these funny product package directions to break the ice and entertain a group.

  • On a bag of corn chips: “You could be a winner! No purchase necessary. Details inside.” (The shoplifter special!)
  • On a bar of antibacterial soap: “Directions: Use like regular soap.” (And that would be how?)
  • On a child’s superman costume: “Wearing of this garment does not enable you to fly.” (I do not blame the company. I blame parents for this one.)
  • On a food processor: “Not to be used for the other use.” (I have to admit, I am curious.)
  • On a hair dryer: “Do not use while sleeping.” (Gee, that is the only time I have to work on my hair.)
  • On a chainsaw: “Do not attempt to stop chain with your hands or genitals.” (Was there a lot of this happening somewhere?)
  • On an airline packet of nuts: “Instructions: Open packet, eat nuts.” (Step 3: Fly another airline.)
  • On a bottle of cough medicine for children: “Do not drive a car or operate machinery after taking this medication.” (We could do a lot to reduce the rate of construction accidents if we could just get those 5-year-olds with head colds off those forklifts.)
  • On frozen bread pudding: “Product will be hot after heating.” (As night follows day!)
  • On most brands of Christmas lights: “For indoor or outdoor use only.” (As opposed to what?)
  • On a liquid sleep Aid: “Warning: May cause drowsiness.” (One would hope so.)
  • On packaging for a flat iron: “Do not iron clothes on body.” (But this would save me more time!)
  • On a package of peanuts: “Warning: contains nuts.” (Talk about a news flash!)
  • On some frozen dinners: “Serving suggestion: Defrost.” (Nevertheless, it is “just” a suggestion.)
  • On frozen tiramisu dessert (printed on bottom): “Do not turn upside down.” (Too late!)

Whether you choose a short icebreaker joke or joke question, a longer story joke, or one of our funny icebreaker story jokes, initiating laughter always works to get a group relaxed and ready to go. Have fun with our selection of icebreaker jokes!

Susan majored in English with a double minor in Humanities and Business at Arizona State University and earned a Master’s degree in Educational Administration from Liberty University. She taught grades four through twelve in both public and private schools. Subjects included English, U.S. and world history and geography, math, earth and physical science, Bible, information technologies, and creative writing.

Susan has been freelance writing for over ten years, during which time she has written and edited books, newspaper articles, biographies, book reviews, guidelines, neighborhood descriptions for realtors, Power Point presentations, resumes, and numerous other projects.

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Status.net

How to Start a Speech: 7 Tips and Examples for a Captivating Opening

By Status.net Editorial Team on December 12, 2023 — 10 minutes to read

1. Choosing the Right Opening Line

Finding the perfect opening line for your speech is important in grabbing your audience’s attention. A strong opening line sets the stage for the points you want to make and helps you establish a connection with your listeners.

1. Start with a question

Engage your audience from the very beginning by asking them a thought-provoking question related to your topic. This approach encourages them to think, and it can create a sense of anticipation about what’s coming next.

  • “Have you ever wondered how much time we spend on our phones every day?”

2. Share a personal story

A relatable personal story can create an emotional connection with your audience. Make sure your story is short, relevant to your speech, and ends with a clear point.

  • “When I was a child, my grandmother used to tell me that every kind deed we do plants a seed of goodness in the world. It was this philosophy that inspired me to start volunteering.”

3. Use a quote or a statistic

Incorporate a powerful quote or an intriguing statistic at the outset of your speech to engage your audience and provide context for your topic.

  • “As the great Maya Angelou once said, ‘People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.'”

4. Make them laugh

Injecting a little humor into your opening line puts everyone at ease and makes your speech more memorable. Just make sure your joke is relevant and doesn’t offend your audience.

  • “They say an apple a day keeps the doctor away, but if the doctor is cute, forget the fruit!”

5. Paint a mental picture

Draw your audience in by describing a vivid scene or painting an illustration in their minds. This creates an immersive experience that makes it easier for your audience to follow your speech.

  • “Picture this: you’re walking down the beach, and you look out on the horizon. The sun is setting, and the sky is a breathtaking canvas of reds, oranges, and pinks.”

2. Using a Personal Story

Sharing a personal story can be a highly effective way to engage your audience from the very beginning of your speech. When you open your talk with a powerful, relatable story, it helps create an emotional connection with your listeners, making them more invested in what you have to say.

Think about an experience from your life that is relevant to the topic of your speech. Your story doesn’t have to be grand or dramatic, but it should be clear and vivid. Include enough detail to paint a picture in your audience’s minds, but keep it concise and on point.

The key to successfully using a personal story is to make it relatable. Choose a situation that your audience can empathize with or easily understand. For example, if you’re giving a speech about overcoming adversity, you could talk about a time where you faced a seemingly insurmountable challenge and overcame it.

Make sure to connect your story to the main point or theme of your speech. After sharing your experience, explain how it relates to the topic at hand, and let your audience see the relevance to their own lives. This will make your speech more impactful and show your listeners why your personal story holds meaning.

3. Making a Shocking Statement

Starting your speech with a shocking statement can instantly grab your audience’s attention. This technique works especially well when your speech topic relates to a hot-button issue or a controversial subject. Just make sure that the statement is relevant and true, as false claims may damage your credibility.

For example, “Believe it or not, 90% of startups fail during their first five years in the market.” This statement might surprise your listeners and make them more receptive to your ideas on how to avoid pitfalls and foster a successful business.

So next time you’re crafting a speech, consider opening with a powerful shocking statement. It could be just the thing to get your audience sitting up and paying full attention. (Try to keep your shocking statement relevant to your speech topic and factual to enhance your credibility.)

4. Using Humor

Humor can be an excellent way to break the ice and grab your audience’s attention. Opening your speech with a funny story or a joke can make a memorable first impression. Just be sure to keep it relevant to your topic and audience.

A good joke can set a light-hearted tone, lead into the importance of effective time management, and get your audience engaged from the start.

When using humor in your speech, here are a few tips to keep in mind:

  • Be relatable: Choose a story or joke that your audience can easily relate to. It will be more engaging and connect your listeners to your message.
  • Keep it appropriate: Make sure the humor fits the occasion and audience. Stay away from controversial topics and avoid offending any particular group.
  • Practice your delivery: Timing and delivery are essential when telling a joke. Practice saying it out loud and adjust your pacing and tone of voice to ensure your audience gets the joke.
  • Go with the flow: If your joke flops or doesn’t get the reaction you were hoping for, don’t panic or apologize. Simply move on to the next part of your speech smoothly, and don’t let it shake your confidence.
  • Don’t overdo it: While humor can be useful in capturing your audience’s attention, remember that you’re not a stand-up comedian. Use it sparingly and focus on getting your message across clearly and effectively.

5. Incorporating a Quote

When you want to start your speech with a powerful quote, ensure that the quote is relevant to your topic. Choose a quote from a credible source, such as a famous historical figure, a well-known author, or a respected expert in your field. This will not only grab your audience’s attention but also establish your speech’s credibility.

For example, if you’re giving a speech about resilience, you might use this quote by Nelson Mandela: “The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”

Once you’ve found the perfect quote, integrate it smoothly into your speech’s introduction. You can briefly introduce the source of the quote, providing context for why their words are significant. For example:

Nelson Mandela, an inspirational leader known for his perseverance, once said: “The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”

When you’re incorporating a quote in your speech, practice your delivery to ensure it has the intended impact. Focus on your tone, pace, and pronunciation. By doing so, you can convey the quote’s meaning effectively and connect with your audience emotionally.

Connect the quote to your main points by briefly explaining how it relates to the subject matter of your speech. By creating a natural transition from the quote to your topic, you can maintain your audience’s interest and set the stage for a compelling speech.

In our resilience example, this could look like:

“This quote by Mandela beautifully illustrates the power of resilience. Today, I want to share with you some stories of remarkable individuals who, like Mandela, overcame obstacles and rose every time they fell. Through their experiences, we might learn how to cultivate our own resilience and make the most of life’s challenges.”

6. Starting with a Question

Opening your speech with a question can be a great way to engage your audience from the start. This strategy encourages your listeners to think and become active participants in your presentation. Your opening question should be related to your core message, sparking their curiosity, and setting the stage for the following content. Here are a few examples:

  • For a motivational speech : “Have you ever wondered what you would do if you couldn’t fail?”
  • For a business presentation : “What’s the biggest challenge your team faces daily, and how can we overcome it?”
  • For an educational talk : “How does the way we use technology today impact the future of our society?”

When choosing the right starting question, consider your audience. You want to ask something that is relevant to their experiences and interests. The question should be interesting enough to draw their attention and resonate with their emotions. For instance, if you’re presenting to a group of entrepreneurs, gear your question towards entrepreneurship, and so on.

To boost your question’s impact, consider using rhetorical questions. These don’t require a verbal response, but get your audience thinking about their experiences or opinions. Here’s an example:

  • For an environmental speech : “What kind of world do we want to leave for our children?”

After posing your question, take a moment to let it sink in, and gauge the audience’s reaction. You can also use a brief pause to give the listeners time to think about their answers before moving on with your speech.

7. Acknowledging the Occasion

When starting a speech, you can acknowledge the occasion that brought everyone together. This helps create a connection with your audience and sets the stage for the rest of your speech. Make sure to mention the event name, its purpose, and any relevant individuals or groups you would like to thank for organizing it. For example:

“Hello everyone, and welcome to the 10th annual Charity Gala Dinner. I’m truly grateful to the fundraising committee for inviting me to speak tonight.”

After addressing the event itself, include a brief personal touch to show your connection with the topic or the audience. This helps the audience relate to you and gain interest in what you have to say. Here’s an example:

“As a long-time supporter of this cause, I am honored to share my thoughts on how we can continue making a difference in our community.”

Next, give a brief overview of your speech so the audience knows what to expect. This sets the context and helps them follow your points. You could say something like:

“Tonight, I’ll be sharing my experiences volunteering at the local food bank and discussing the impact of your generous donations.”

Frequently Asked Questions

What are some effective opening lines for speeches.

A powerful opening line will grab your audience’s attention and set the stage for the rest of your speech. Some effective opening lines include:

  • Start with a bold statement: “The world needs your creativity now more than ever.”
  • Share a surprising fact: “Did you know that the average person spends (…) years of their life at work?”
  • Pose a thought-provoking question: “What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?”
  • Tell a short, engaging story: “When I was 10 years old, I discovered my passion for baking in my grandmother’s kitchen.”

Can you provide examples of engaging introductions for speeches?

  • Use humor: “As a kid, I believed that 7 pm bedtime was a form of torture. Now, as an adult, I find myself dreaming of 7 pm bedtime.”
  • Share a personal experience: “On a trip to Italy, I found myself lost in the winding streets of a small village. It was there, amidst my confusion, that I stumbled upon the best gelato I’d ever tasted.”
  • Use an analogy: “Starting a new business is like taking a journey into the unknown. There will be challenges to overcome, and you’ll need resilience, determination, and a strong compass.”

Which speech styles can make a powerful impact on the audience?

Different speech styles will resonate with different audiences. Some styles to consider include:

  • Inspirational: Motivate your audience to take action or overcome challenges.
  • Storytelling: Share personal experiences or anecdotes to illustrate your points and keep listeners engaged.
  • Educational: Provide useful information and insights to help your audience learn or grow.
  • Persuasive: Present a compelling argument to convince your audience to adopt a particular perspective or take specific action.

How do successful speakers establish a connection with their listeners?

Establishing a connection with your listeners is key to delivering an impactful speech. Some ways to connect with your audience include:

  • Show empathy: Demonstrating understanding and concern for your audience’s feelings and experiences will generate a sense of trust and connection.
  • Be relatable: Share personal stories or examples that allow your audience to see themselves in your experiences, thus making your speech more relatable.
  • Keep it genuine: Avoid overrehearsing or coming across as scripted. Instead, strive for authenticity and flexibility in your delivery.
  • Encourage participation: Engaging your audience through questions, activities, or conversation can help build rapport and make them feel more involved.

What are some techniques for maintaining a friendly and professional tone in speeches?

To maintain a friendly and professional tone in your speeches, consider these tips:

  • Balance humor and seriousness: Use humor to lighten the mood and engage your audience, but make sure to also cover the serious points in your speech.
  • Speak naturally: Use your everyday vocabulary and avoid jargon or overly formal language when possible.
  • Show respect: Acknowledge differing opinions and experiences, and treat your audience with courtesy and fairness.
  • Provide useful information: Offer valuable insights and solutions to your audience’s concerns, ensuring they leave your speech feeling more informed and empowered.
  • Emotional Intelligence (EQ) in Leadership [Examples, Tips]
  • Effective Nonverbal Communication in the Workplace (Examples)
  • Empathy: Definition, Types, and Tips for Effective Practice
  • How to Improve Key Communication Skills
  • 38 Empathy Statements: Examples of Empathy
  • What is Self Compassion? (Exercises, Methods, Examples)
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Speech one liners & jokes

When writing a speech for public speaking, it's important to have a good speech opener, a conclusion that is inspirational, funny or profound, and some jokes and humor. Here are some tips and ideas that will make your speeches memorable. Check out these one liners that can add comedy and humor to make your speech entertaining. No matter whether the speech is for a graduation, roast, wedding, retirement, or other special event, funny jokes are a must! These funny one liners can be adapted to use at the introduction, conclusion or body of your remarks.

  • The only good after dinner speech is when someone turns to you and says, "You leave the dishes. I'll do them."
  • A good speech should be like a comet: Dazzling, eye-opening and over before you know it.
  • I don't know how well I can do on the first two, so I'll try to achieve the third.
  • I always try to keep my remarks short. I remember the story of a man who shot a long-winded speaker. Afterwards, he went to the sheriff's office and confessed. "I just killed a keynote speaker," he said. The sheriff replied, "You're in the wrong place. You pick up the reward at the Bounty hunter's office."
  • I'll try not to talk too long. They say its best to leave your audience before your audience leaves you.
  • I hope my speech will keep you on the edge of your seats. Hopefully that will be because you're interested, not because you're trying to get up the nerve to leave.
  • I hope you enjoyed my speech and if you did not, I hope you had a good nap.
  • (For a roast) My friends: I know you too well to call you ladies and gentlemen.
  • (When addressing a small crowd or low attendance) This must be a wealthy crowd. Each of you bought two or three seats!
  • (When addressing a small crowd or low attendance) Well, the we may have a few empty seats, but its better for a full speaker to address a vacant hall than a vacant speaker talking to a full hall.
  • I always try to avoid giving advice during my remarks. As the little schoolgirl wrote, "Socrates was a wise, Greek philosopher who walked around giving advice to people. They poisoned him."
  • Being a good keynote speaker is the art of saying nothing briefly.
  • I'll try to keep my remarks brief. After all, it's said that most speakers need no introduction. What they need is a conclusion.
  • Each of us here has a job to do. My job is to talk and yours is to listen. The challenge is for me to finish my job before you have finished yours.
  • (If someone is taking photos in front) Wow, even here I can't escape the paparazzi.
  • Do you know the definition of an after dinner speaker? Someone who has been asked to say a few words and says too many.
  • A key note speaker is someone who is supposed to offer a few words and doesn't know when to stop.
  • Raymond Duncan once said, "If the speaker won't boil it down, the audience must sweat it out."
  • My speech will be like the latest fashion: long enough to cover the subject but short enough to be interesting.
  • (If speaking while people are eating) Please go ahead and keep eating while I'm speaking. I'd rather be eating cake right now too rather than listening to some boring speech.
  • I know that I'm a great speaker. I can say that because when I make a speech, as soon as I sit down, people say it was the best thing I've ever done.
  • Sometimes orators confuse the seating capacit of an auditorium with the sitting capacity of the audience.
  • (After a lengthy or flattering introduction) After that introduction, I just can't wait to hear what I'm going to say.
  • (After a lengthy or flattering introduction) After such a warm, generous introduction, I can only say thank you and I think you must have gotten the wrong guy.
  • (After an introduction) Thank you for that kind introduction. The person who introduces a speaker has a tough job. It's his job to let you know that the entertaining part of the evening is now over.
  • People say I'm a great speaker - in fact, they say I'm blessed with a golden tongue. Unfortunately, I left it in my other pants.
  • As S.S. Biddle once said, "A political speech pleases all. Those who agree with it think it over, and those who don't are glad it is over."
  • I won't speak for long on account of my throat. (clears throat) At my last engagement I talked too long, and someone threatened to cut it.
  • I do my best to prepare for speeches, and it's a challenge to compress all my points into something long enough to be interesting, but short enough so the audience won't fall asleep. Woodrow Wilson was once asked, "How long does it take you to prepare a ten minute speech?" "Two weeks," he answered. "How about a one hour speech?" "One week," he said. "What about a two hour speech?" "I'm ready now!" he replied.
  • Whenever I am invited to speak, I'm reminded of a famous anecdote. The master of ceremonies, upon introducing the speaker said, "Mr. so-and-so is our only speaker. The rest of the program is entertainment."
  • Some say that too many after dinner speakers makes people dull. I'd argue that too many dull people make after dinner speeches.
  • The problem with a lot of speakers is you can't hear what they're saying. The problem with others is that you can.
  • Every speaker has his moment. The problem is, most of them stretch it into an hour.
  • Speeches are like the horns on a steer. There's a point here and a point there, but in between it's mostly bull.
  • Graduation speakers like to begin their speeches by terrifying their audience by saying that they are just beginning their lives.
  • The best speech is one that has a great beginning, a memorable end, and not much in between.
  • A lecture is when you numb one end to benefit the other.

Did you like these speech jokes and funny anecdotes for speakers' introductions? You might also like the

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Public Speaking Jokes

Lost Cat Public Speaking Jokes

Using public speaking jokes or stories in a speech can be an effective method of connecting with an audience.

It's a great way to get your presentation off to a good start, with a lot of positive momentum.

BUT... you'll run into problems if you don't structure the joke or story properly, or don't rehearse it enough.

The LAST thing you want to do is begin your speech with a dud of a joke or story. Then you'll spend the rest of the speech fighting to get your audience back, rather than riding a wave of audience approval!

Ideally - tell a funny personal story

Ideally, you should tell stories that are unique to your experience; ones that happened to you personally. The reason this works out so well is that it rings true. You are repeating the story with conviction because you were there and the audience can feel the genuineness and authenticity in your voice and delivery.

But, structure your public speaking jokes or stories properly for hilarious impact

It's unfortunate then, that real stories often end up with blank stares and the speaker saying, "Well, I guess you had to be there." The fact is, whether a story is true or not, it must be structured properly to elicit laughter. Many times a speaker will tell a story whose humor relies on certain qualities of the characters in the story that the audience does not know. If you tell a public speaking joke or story that hinges on the fact that your cousin is afraid of water, and the audience neither knows your cousin, nor this pertinent information, the story will die. And too often, this is the type of story audiences get. The opposite problem is when speakers use known public speaking jokes or stories but do not alter them to fit their circumstances enough. They begin a speech by saying, "Before I begin let me tell you the story of the nun and the monkey," and then tell a standard joke that is loosely connected to their speech. You can see the “eye rolls” throughout the room.


A better strategy is to find a story that fits you fairly closely and then modify it as if it actually happened to you.

For example, if you grew up in Catholic school and had to give a speech on creative thinking in business, you could tell this joke:

"Creative thinking is so important in today's business world. I remember one day when I was a kid in Catholic school I created a different way of looking at things. I was in the lunch line at St. Timothy's and came upon a pile of apples. Sister Margaret had printed a little sign that said, 'Only take one, please. God is watching.' A little further down the line I came upon a big pile of cookies. So I took out my pen and a piece of paper and wrote a sign that said, 'Take as many cookies as you want. God is watching the apples.'"

Now, whether you think that particular public speaking joke is the height of humor or not, I think you will agree the story is much more effective when the speaker tells it as if they were the subject of the story.

public speaking jokes

If you tell it in the third person, it is much less effective. And a story like that could be changed to Hebrew School, Sunday School, Summer School or whatever.

The truth is audiences do not care if public speaking jokes are true or not, they just want a good story that makes them laugh and feel good. For true stories, structure them so that an audience has all the information they need to get the joke.

Or, take one of the many public speaking jokes out there, modify it to your own background and tell it as if it actually happened to you. With a well structured story delivered with conviction - and a huge dose of blarney! - you are on your way to winning speeches.

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Jokes For Public Speaking - Lighten The Mood ... Laugh A Little

Jokes for public speaking are an amazing weapon in your arsenal as you strive for really advanced presentation skills .

jokes-for-public-speaking

Why is public speaking important and why do we need to minimize public speaking fear ?

In a nutshell - public speaking is today's "must have" life skill" - for every one ... not just for motivational speakers !

So, keep those nerves under control, lighten the mood and laugh a little.

Our suggestions and words of wisdom for incorporating public speaking jokes in great funny speeches will soon have you more relaxed and ready to write your own public speaking book !

Hey ... check it out!

Click on the first few and they will take you straight to a free written speech that shows you how to use jokes for public speaking creatively and effectively in your speech.

Someone once said that the best audience is one that is intelligent, well-educated and ... a little drunk ! If that is the case - then I have definitely got an amazing audience here tonight.

Lord Reading offered the following advice on presenting a speech: "Always be shorter than anyone dared to hope!" and tonight, Ladies and Gentlemen, you may be very hopeful!

Franklin D. Roosevelt said: "Be sincere; be brief; be seated" .

"I'm very pleased to be here. Let's face it - at my age...I'm very pleased to be anywhere!" - George Burns

Now, I've been told that a successful speech needs to have a great introduction and a memorable ending - and that both of these should both be close together with not too much in between .

So, Ladies and Gentlemen, to reiterate what King Henry said to each of his many wives ... "I shall not keep you long!"

"It's quite simple. Say what you have to say and when you come to a sentence with a grammatical ending, sit down!" - Winston Churchill

" Public speaking is the art of diluting a two-minute idea with a two-hour vocabulary." - John Fitzgerald Kennedy

"According to most studies, people's number one fear is public speaking . Number two is death! Does that sound right? This means to the average person, if you go to a funeral, you're better off in the casket than doing the eulogy !" - Jerry Seinfeld

" The human brain starts working the moment you are born and never stops  ... until you stand up to speak in public ." - George Jessel

"There are two things that are more difficult than making an after dinner speech: climbing a wall which is leaning towards you and kissing a girl who is leaning a way from you." - Winston Churchill

"Unaccustomed as most people are to public speaking ... they still insist on doing it!" - Unknown

"Make sure that you have finished speaking before your audience has finished listening! " - Dorothy Sarnoff

"The secret of success is sincerity. Once you can fake that you have got it made!" - Jean Giraudoux

"There are always three speeches, for every one you actually gave. The one you practiced, the one you gave ... and the one you wish you gave." - Dale Carnegie

Jokes for public speaking - a secret weapon whether you are attending public speaking courses , searching for public speaking online or just trying to address your anxiety public speaking .

Some final words of wisdom ... "No one ever complains about a speech being too short." - Ira Hayes

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Jokes on Public Speaking

Humor and Jokes on Public Speaking

Jokes on public speaking can lighten the mood during presentations and help speakers connect with their audience. Many people find public speaking daunting, so using humor can help alleviate tension and create a more relaxed atmosphere.

Effective humor can also enhance the speaker’s credibility and make the audience more receptive to their message. However, it is important to use jokes that are relevant, appropriate, and inclusive, avoiding any potentially offensive or divisive content. With the right balance, jokes can be a powerful tool for engaging the audience and making public speaking a more enjoyable experience for everyone involved.

Table of Contents

Importance Of Humor In Public Speaking

Humor plays a crucial role in public speaking, especially when it comes to jokes on the topic. It not only captivates the audience’s attention but also helps in delivering the message effectively. By incorporating humor, speakers can establish a connection with their listeners and make the overall experience enjoyable.

Humor As An Icebreaker:

  • Public speaking can be a daunting task, both for seasoned speakers and beginners alike. However, incorporating humor into your speeches can act as a powerful icebreaker, instantly capturing the attention and interest of your audience.
  • Humor has the ability to create a positive and relaxed atmosphere, helping to break down any barriers between the speaker and the audience. It allows the speaker to establish a connection and build rapport with the listeners.
  • Here are some reasons why humor is an effective icebreaker in public speaking:
  • It grabs attention: A well-timed joke or witty remark can immediately capture the audience’s attention, making them more receptive to the speaker’s message.
  • It lightens the mood: Humor has a way of diffusing tension and creating a relaxed environment. When people are relaxed, they are more open to listening and engaging with the speaker.
  • It builds rapport: Making the audience laugh helps to establish a connection between the speaker and listeners. Sharing a humorous moment creates a sense of camaraderie and trust.
  • It boosts confidence: A speaker who can successfully inject humor into their presentation appears confident and in control. This confidence can inspire confidence in the audience as well.

Relaxing The Audience:

  • The inclusion of humor in public speaking acts as a powerful tool to relax the audience, making them feel at ease and more receptive to the message being delivered.
  • Humor helps create a relaxed atmosphere by:
  • Easing tension: Laughter has a way of diffusing tension and creating a positive vibe in the room. When people are relaxed, they are more likely to pay attention and engage with the speaker.
  • Generating positive emotions: Humor triggers the release of endorphins, which are often referred to as the “feel-good” hormones. When the audience experiences positive emotions, they are more inclined to remember and connect with the speaker’s message.
  • Breaking down barriers: Shared laughter helps break down any barriers between the speaker and the audience. It creates a sense of unity and promotes a feeling of inclusiveness.
  • Making the topic relatable: Humor can make even the most complex or mundane topics relatable and accessible. It allows the audience to connect with the content on a personal level, enhancing their understanding and retention.

Enhancing Engagement And Retention:

  • Humor is a powerful tool for enhancing audience engagement and boosting message retention in public speaking. Incorporating humor can help make your presentation more memorable and impactful.
  • Here’s how humor enhances engagement and retention:
  • Maintaining interest: Humor breaks the monotony of a speech, preventing the audience from becoming bored or disengaged. It helps to sustain their attention throughout the entire presentation.
  • Aiding information retention: When humor is used strategically, it can help reinforce key messages and make them more memorable. Humorous anecdotes or punchlines can serve as mental hooks, aiding information retention.
  • Creating a positive association: The positive feelings generated by laughter can create a positive association with the speaker and their content. This can lead to a stronger connection between the audience and the message being delivered.
  • Improving message comprehension: Humor has been shown to improve cognitive processing and comprehension. When the audience is engaged and enjoying themselves, they are more likely to absorb and understand the information being presented.

Incorporating humor into public speaking not only serves as an icebreaker, but it also relaxes the audience, enhances engagement, and improves message retention. By using humor strategically, speakers can captivate their listeners and deliver their message with impact. So, don’t underestimate the power of a well-placed joke or funny anecdote in your next public speaking engagement.

Jokes on Public Speaking

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Incorporating Jokes Into A Public Speaking Presentation

Discover the power of incorporating jokes into your public speaking presentation to captivate and entertain your audience. With carefully crafted humor, you can enhance your message and make a memorable impact, while maintaining a professional and engaging speaking style.

Public speaking can be nerve-wracking for many individuals, but incorporating jokes into your presentation can help break the ice and engage your audience. Jokes have the power to captivate attention, lighten the mood, and create a memorable experience. However, it’s important to understand the audience, deliver relevant and appropriate jokes, and master timing and delivery techniques.

Let’s explore these aspects further.

Understanding The Audience:

  • Research the demographics and interests of your audience.
  • Consider their cultural background and values.
  • Tailor your jokes to resonate with their experiences and sense of humor.
  • Beware of sensitive subjects or offensive content that may alienate certain groups.
  • Take into account the venue and event type to gauge the overall tone.

Delivering Relevant And Appropriate Jokes:

  • Align your jokes with the overall theme or message of your presentation.
  • Use anecdotes or personal experiences that relate to your topic.
  • Relate the humor to the subject matter to ensure relevance.
  • Balance the level of humor to suit the audience’s preferences.
  • Avoid inside jokes that only a select few would understand.

Timing And Delivery Techniques:

  • Break the ice with a well-timed joke at the beginning of your presentation.
  • Incorporate humor throughout the speech to maintain engagement.
  • Pay attention to the flow and rhythm of your presentation to enhance comedic timing.
  • Use pauses and facial expressions to accentuate punchlines.
  • Practice your delivery to ensure naturalness and confidence.

Incorporating jokes into a public speaking presentation can add a touch of humor and make your message more memorable. However, it is crucial to understand the audience, deliver relevant jokes, and master timing and delivery techniques. By doing so, you can captivate your audience, create a positive atmosphere, and leave a lasting impression.

So go ahead, embrace the power of humor and confidently deliver your message.

Categories Of Public Speaking Jokes

Discover the various categories of jokes centered around public speaking, providing humor and entertainment for all those familiar with the art of addressing an audience. Delve into the world of witty punchlines and comedic anecdotes that poke fun at the challenges and idiosyncrasies of public speaking.

Public speaking can be a nerve-wracking experience for many individuals. To lighten the mood and engage the audience, incorporating jokes into a speech can be highly effective. There are several categories of public speaking jokes that can be utilized, including self-deprecating jokes, observational humor, and puns/wordplay.

Each category offers its own unique style and comedic value, allowing speakers to connect with their audience on a more lighthearted level.

Self-Deprecating Jokes:

  • Self-deprecating jokes involve poking fun at oneself and highlighting personal weaknesses or quirky traits. These jokes can create a relatable and endearing atmosphere, making the speaker more approachable to the audience.
  • Example: “I used to be terrified of public speaking, but then I realized that the worst thing that could happen is I make a few people snore.”

Observational Humor:

  • Observational humor revolves around everyday life situations or commonly shared experiences. By adding a humorous twist to these situations, speakers can ignite laughter and improve audience engagement.
  • Example: “Have you ever noticed how public speaking and parallel parking have a lot in common? Both can leave you feeling anxious, sweaty, and praying you don’t hit any cones.”

Puns And Wordplay:

  • Puns and wordplay involve playing with language, often incorporating double meanings or clever twists. These jokes can be highly entertaining and showcase the speaker’s wit and creativity.
  • Example: “Speaking in public can be like trying to herd cats. You’re never quite sure if they’ll listen, but if you bring treats, they might just stick around.”

Incorporating jokes from these categories can significantly enhance a public speaking experience, making it more enjoyable for both the speaker and the audience. However, it is essential to ensure that the jokes are appropriate for the context and audience, as humor can be highly subjective.

With careful consideration and preparation, public speaking jokes can contribute to a memorable and engaging presentation. So, let’s dive into the world of public speaking jokes, explore each category, and learn how they can elevate your next speech!

Jokes For Presentations

Discover a collection of humorous jokes on public speaking that will keep your audience engaged and entertained during presentations. These jokes are sure to break the ice and lighten the mood, making your presentations memorable and enjoyable. So, get ready to add a touch of laughter to your next public speaking engagement!

Opening Jokes To Grab Attention:

  • Have you ever seen a presenter so nervous that they tripped over their own words? Well, they probably shouldn’t have used “public speaking” as their worst nightmare in a presentation!
  • Imagine this: You’re about to start your presentation, and you see the audience looking bored and sleepy. Well, worry not! I’ve got some opening jokes that will wake them right up and make them eager to hear what you have to say.
  • Let’s face it, starting a presentation can be daunting. But with the right joke, you can break the ice and instantly grab your audience’s attention. Here are a few opening jokes that will inject a dose of humor into your presentation and set the tone for an engaging talk:
  • “Why did the scarecrow win an award? Because he was outstanding in his field! Speaking of outstanding, let’s talk about our topic today…”
  • “I recently heard a funny story about an octopus who could juggle 8 balls at once. It got me thinking about the importance of multitasking, which brings me to our discussion on…”
  • “Did you know that public speaking is often ranked higher than death as people’s top fear? Well, the good news is, I’m here to make it a little less terrifying and a lot more enjoyable. Let’s dive in, shall we?”

Transition Jokes Between Main Points:

  • Now that you’ve captured your audience’s attention with an opening joke, it’s time to smoothly transition between your main points. Including transition jokes not only adds a touch of humor but also helps maintain the flow of your presentation. Here are a few transition jokes to keep your audience engaged:
  • “Moving on to our next point, let me share a little story that perfectly illustrates the concept we just covered. Picture this: A penguin, a giraffe, and a monkey walk into a bar…”
  • “As we shift gears and delve into our next topic, let’s lighten the mood with a quick joke. What did one wall say to the other? I’ll meet you at the corner!”
  • “Before we jump into the nitty-gritty details of our next idea, can I just share something funny I stumbled upon? Why don’t scientists trust atoms? Because they make up everything!”

Closing Jokes To Leave A Memorable Impression:

  • As you near the end of your presentation, don’t forget the golden rule: Leave a lasting impression. A well-crafted closing joke is the perfect way to leave your audience with a smile and ensure they remember your message. Here are a few closing jokes that will help you wrap up your presentation on a high note:
  • “Before we wrap things up, let me share a small yet amusing anecdote. Did you hear about the mathematician who was afraid of negative numbers? He’ll stop at nothing to avoid them! Thank you for joining me on this math-filled journey, and remember, positivity is always a plus!”
  • “As we come to the end of this presentation, I can’t resist sharing a funny observation I recently made. Why do bees have sticky hair? Because they always use honeycombs! Just like bees collect honey, I hope you leave here today with a sweet taste of knowledge.”
  • “Now, before we part ways, here’s a little joke to make sure you remember the main takeaway from our time together. How does a penguin build its house? Igloos it together! Thank you for being such a wonderful audience, and remember, when we work together, we can achieve great things!”

Remember, incorporating these opening, transition, and closing jokes into your presentation will not only add humor but also help you connect with your audience, create a memorable experience, and ensure your message resonates long after you’ve finished speaking. So go ahead, make them laugh, and enjoy the journey of public speaking!

Jokes For Business Presentations

Discover the perfect blend of humor and public speaking with jokes for business presentations. Engage your audience and make your presentation memorable with clever jokes about public speaking.

Using Jokes To Lighten The Mood During Serious Discussions

Oh, the dreaded business presentations! The mere thought of standing in front of a room full of serious faces can send shivers down anyone’s spine. But fear not! Incorporating a well-timed joke or two can work wonders in lightening the mood and engaging your audience.

After all, laughter is the best medicine, even in the corporate world. So, let’s sprinkle some humor into those serious discussions!

Incorporating Industry-Specific Humor

When it comes to business presentations, incorporating industry-specific humor can do wonders in establishing rapport with your audience. By using jokes that resonate with your industry, you not only demonstrate your knowledge but also create a sense of belonging. Here are some ways to incorporate industry-specific humor:

  • Research current trends: Stay updated on the latest news and trends in your industry. Find humorous anecdotes or situations that tie in with your topic. This shows your audience that you are not only well-prepared but also in touch with the industry’s lighter side.
  • Adapt well-known jokes: Put a twist on popular jokes or one-liners by giving them an industry-specific spin. This shows your audience that you can find humor even in the most mundane aspects of your business. Just remember to keep it light and avoid sensitive subjects!
  • Use funny visuals: Incorporate funny images or memes related to your industry into your presentation slides. Visual humor can instantly grab attention and create a more relaxed atmosphere. However, make sure the visuals are tasteful and relevant to your message.
  • Personal anecdotes: Share funny and relatable stories from your own experiences in the industry. This humanizes your presentation and makes it easier for your audience to connect with you.

Remember, the key is to find a balance between humor and professionalism. Humor should enhance your message, not overpower it. By incorporating industry-specific humor into your business presentations, you can create a memorable and enjoyable experience for your audience.

Now go ahead, break the ice with a well-crafted joke and watch your business presentations soar to new heights!

Jokes For Academic Presentations

Discover a collection of witty jokes tailored specifically for academic presentations. These hilarious quips on public speaking will delight and entertain your audience while adding a touch of humor to your presentation.

Public speaking can be a nerve-wracking experience for many individuals. However, injecting some humor into academic presentations can help ease tension and engage the audience. Adding jokes to complex or technical topics requires a delicate balance between humor and educational content.

In this section, we will explore some effective strategies for incorporating jokes into academic presentations.

Adding Humor To Complex Or Technical Topics:

  • Use analogies: Comparing complex ideas to everyday situations or objects can help simplify the content and make it relatable. For example, when discussing the concept of entropy in thermodynamics, you could say, “Entropy is like a messy room after a wild party – everything is disordered and chaotic!”
  • Incorporate visual aids: Utilize humorous images, illustrations, or even memes to lighten the mood and make the content more engaging. Visual humor can help convey complex information in a memorable and entertaining way.
  • Tell anecdotes: Sharing personal stories or anecdotes related to the topic can add a touch of humor while providing real-life context. For instance, if discussing a research methodology, you could humorously recount a situation where the methodology went hilariously wrong.
  • Utilize wordplay and puns: Clever wordplay can bring a smile to the audience’s faces while still conveying important information. For example, when discussing biology, you could say, “Why did the skeleton want to go to the party alone? Because he had no body to go with him!”
  • Engage the audience: Encouraging audience participation through interactive elements, such as quizzes or polls, can create a lighthearted atmosphere. You can inject humor by incorporating funny or unexpected options in the multiple-choice questions.

Remember, the key is to strike a balance between humor and educational content. While jokes can add entertainment value to academic presentations, they should never overshadow the main purpose of conveying knowledge and information. By using these strategies, you can make your academic presentations both informative and enjoyable for your audience.

Benefits Of Using Jokes

Discover the benefits of incorporating jokes into public speaking engagements. By using humor, speakers can connect with their audience, ease tension, and leave a lasting impression that enhances engagement and retention.

Building connection and likeability:

  • Jokes can help speakers form a connection with their audience by creating a shared sense of humor and breaking the ice.
  • A well-placed joke can make the speaker more relatable and likable, enhancing the overall impression they leave on the audience.

Breaking the monotony and engaging the audience:

  • Incorporating jokes into a presentation can help alleviate boredom and monotony, keeping the audience engaged and attentive.
  • Jokes serve as a refreshing break from the seriousness of public speaking, adding elements of entertainment and humor to create a more lively atmosphere.

Making the presentation memorable:

  • Funny and memorable moments tend to stick in our minds. By including jokes, speakers can make their presentations more memorable for the audience.
  • Jokes can act as anchors, helping listeners recall key points or messages long after the presentation ends.
  • Personal anecdotes and humorous stories told through jokes can leave a lasting impression on participants.

Remember, humor should be used tactfully and in moderation. It is essential to consider the context and the audience’s preferences before incorporating jokes into public speaking.

Challenges Of Using Jokes

Using jokes in public speaking can present several challenges. It is important to strike the right balance between humor and appropriateness, as jokes that fall flat can create awkwardness or offend the audience. Additionally, jokes require proper timing and delivery to be effective, adding to the complexity of incorporating humor into presentations.

Cultural And Language Considerations:

  • When using jokes in a public speaking engagement, it is important to consider the cultural and language backgrounds of your audience. Not all jokes will translate well across different cultures and languages.
  • Different cultures have different senses of humor, and what may be funny in one culture can be seen as offensive or confusing in another.
  • Language barriers can also pose a challenge when using jokes. Wordplay and puns, for example, may not have the same impact or be understood by everyone in the audience.

Risks Of Offending Or Alienating The Audience:

  • One of the main challenges of using jokes in public speaking is the risk of offending or alienating the audience.
  • Jokes that make fun of certain groups or individuals based on their race, gender, religion, or any sensitive topic can be highly offensive and can create a negative atmosphere.
  • It is essential to steer clear of jokes that may be controversial or divisive, as they can alienate parts of the audience and undermine the overall message of your speech.

Balancing Humor With Professionalism:

  • Finding the right balance between humor and professionalism is crucial when incorporating jokes into a public speaking engagement.
  • Humor can be an effective tool to engage the audience, lighten the mood, and make the content memorable. However, it is important to ensure that the jokes align with the tone and objective of the speech.
  • Professionalism should be maintained at all times, even when using humor. Jokes should never overshadow the main topic and should be in good taste, appropriate, and respectful.
  • Keep in mind that the primary purpose of public speaking is to inform, persuade, or entertain, so humor should enhance these goals rather than detract from them.

Identifying Potential Joke Opportunities In The Content

Uncover hidden comic gems within content centered around public speaking. Identify potential joke opportunities to inject humor and engage the audience effectively, creating an engaging and memorable experience.

Public speaking can be a nerve-wracking experience for many people, but injecting a little humor into your presentation can lighten the mood and captivate your audience. By identifying potential joke opportunities in your content, you can effectively engage your listeners and make your speech more memorable.

In this section, we will explore how to find humorous angles and punchlines and utilize storytelling techniques to enhance your public speaking skills.

Finding Humorous Angles And Punchlines

  • Understanding your audience: Tailoring your jokes to the interests and demographics of your audience can increase the chances of success. Consider their age, profession, and cultural background when crafting jokes.
  • Identifying funny anecdotes: Look for humorous personal stories or experiences related to your topic that you can share during your speech. These relatable anecdotes can instantly connect with your audience and generate laughter.
  • Exploring wordplay: Playful use of words, such as puns or double entendres, can be an excellent source of humor. Keep an eye out for witty phrases or word combinations that align with your content.
  • Contrasting expectations: Surprise your audience by breaking their expectations or introducing unexpected elements in your speech. This creates tension and sets the stage for a well-timed punchline.
  • Exaggeration and satire: Amplifying certain aspects of your content through exaggeration or employing satirical elements can add comedic value to your presentation. Be mindful of the balance between humor and content relevance.

Now that we’ve covered various ways to find humorous angles and punchlines, let’s dive into storytelling techniques that can further enhance the comedic impact of your public speaking.

Testing And Refining The Jokes

Refine your jokes on public speaking by testing them in different settings. This helps you gauge their effectiveness and adjust them for maximum impact.

Public speaking can be a nerve-wracking experience for many people. The fear of being in front of an audience and delivering a speech can make even the most confident individuals break into a cold sweat. But what if we told you that adding some humor to your speeches could be the secret to conquering your fear?

In this blog post, we will discuss the importance of testing and refining jokes in public speaking and how it can help you become a more confident and engaging speaker. So let’s dive in!

Practicing Delivery And Timing:

  • Practice makes perfect: Spend time rehearsing your jokes to ensure that your timing is on point.
  • Know your audience: Tailor your jokes to fit the demographic and interests of your audience.
  • Experiment with different deliveries: Test out different ways of delivering your jokes to find the one that gets the best laugh.
  • Record yourself: Use a recording device to capture your practice sessions and analyze your performance. This will help you identify areas for improvement.
  • Seek feedback: Ask trusted friends, family members, or colleagues to listen to your jokes and provide constructive criticism.
  • Adjust and refine: Take the feedback you receive and make any necessary adjustments to your jokes. Continuously refine your delivery and timing based on the reactions you receive.

By following the above tips, you can ensure that your jokes hit the mark and leave your audience in stitches. With consistent practice and feedback, you will become more confident in your ability to deliver jokes effectively during your public speaking engagements.

So go ahead and add some laughter to your speeches, and watch your fear of public speaking melt away!

Guidelines For Using Jokes Effectively

Here are six essential guidelines to effectively incorporate jokes into your public speaking: 1. Avoid using overused phrases or words at the beginning of your sentence. 2. Keep your sentences concise, limiting them to a maximum of 20 words. 3. Craft SEO-friendly, unique, and plagiarism-free content that is easy to understand and uses an active voice.

4. Vary the phrases used at the beginning of your paragraphs, avoiding repetition and sustaining the reader’s interest. 5. Omit a conclusion paragraph. 6. Strive to write in a manner that is indistinguishable from human writing while also passing AI detection.

  • Keeping the jokes relevant to the topic: Incorporating jokes that relate to the subject matter can help engage the audience and make your presentation more memorable. If you’re speaking about public speaking, for example, include jokes that highlight common fears or challenges faced by speakers.
  • Avoiding excessively controversial or offensive content: While humor can be subjective, it’s essential to steer clear of controversial or offensive jokes that may alienate or upset your audience. Aim for jokes that are light-hearted, inclusive, and suitable for a diverse audience.
  • Balancing the quantity of jokes throughout the presentation: It’s crucial to strike a balance when it comes to the number of jokes you include in your presentation. Too few jokes may make it seem dry and lacking in entertainment value, while too many jokes can overshadow your main message. Space out your jokes strategically and use them to enhance your key points rather than overpowering them.

Remember, incorporating humor can create a positive and engaging environment during public speaking. By keeping the jokes relevant, avoiding controversial content, and finding the right balance, you can effectively use humor to connect with your audience and deliver a memorable presentation.

The Power Of Laughter In Public Speaking

Discover the undeniable power of laughter in public speaking with humorous jokes that captivate your audience’s attention and make your presentations unforgettable. Gain confidence and engage with your listeners through humor, creating a memorable experience for all.

Public speaking can be a nerve-wracking experience for many, but did you know that incorporating well-placed jokes can actually enhance your presentation? The power of laughter is undeniable, and when used effectively in public speaking, it can leave a lasting impression on your audience.

Striking a balance between humor and professionalism is key, ensuring that your jokes resonate with your listeners without overshadowing the main message of your speech. In this section, we will explore the importance of leaving a lasting impression with well-placed jokes and discuss how to strike that delicate balance between humor and professionalism.

Leaving A Lasting Impression With Well-Placed Jokes:

  • Engage your audience: A well-timed joke can instantly capture the attention of your listeners, making them more receptive to the rest of your presentation.
  • Create a relaxed atmosphere: Laughter can help to break the ice and lighten the mood, making your audience more relaxed and open to receiving your message.
  • Foster a connection: Sharing a light-hearted moment with your audience through jokes creates a sense of camaraderie and can help you establish a stronger rapport with them.
  • Improve information retention: People are more likely to remember information that is presented in an engaging and entertaining way. Incorporating jokes into your speech can help enhance the memorability of your key points.
  • Relieve tension: Public speaking can generate anxiety for both the speaker and the audience. Well-placed jokes can help diffuse nervous energy and reduce tension, creating a more enjoyable and memorable experience for everyone.

Remember, it is crucial to strike a balance between humor and professionalism. Avoid jokes that may offend or alienate your audience and ensure that the humor aligns with the overall tone and purpose of your speech. By leaving a lasting impression through well-placed jokes, you can create a positive and memorable experience for your audience.

So go ahead and add a touch of humor to your next public speaking engagement!

Frequently Asked Questions

How can i overcome public speaking anxiety.

To overcome public speaking anxiety, practice regularly, breathe deeply before speaking, visualize success, and focus on connecting with your audience rather than on your own nervousness. Additionally, joining a public speaking group or seeking professional guidance can provide you with valuable techniques and support.

What Are Some Tips For Delivering A Funny Speech?

To deliver a funny speech, start with a humorous opening, use appropriate timing and pacing, incorporate relatable anecdotes and jokes, and maintain a confident and playful delivery. Remember to gauge the audience’s reaction and adjust accordingly, and don’t be afraid to use self-deprecating humor if it suits your style.

How Can Humor Enhance A Public Speaking Engagement?

Humor can enhance a public speaking engagement by capturing the audience’s attention, creating a positive and engaging atmosphere, and helping to build a connection between the speaker and the audience. It can also make the content more memorable and relatable, and reduce tension or anxiety in both the speaker and listeners.

Public speaking can be a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be a source of anxiety. By learning to approach the situation with a sense of humor, we can alleviate some of the stress and even turn it into an enjoyable experience.

Jokes and humor can help break the ice, engage the audience, and make the speaker feel more at ease. Whether it’s poking fun at our own nervousness or sharing a lighthearted anecdote, incorporating humor into public speaking can create a positive atmosphere and leave a lasting impression.

So next time you find yourself in front of a crowd, remember to lighten the mood with a well-timed joke or funny story. Embrace the power of laughter and watch your public speaking skills soar. Don’t be afraid to embrace the humor and remember, the more fun you have, the more fun your audience will have too.

Public speaking doesn’t have to be scary, it can be a whole lot of fun!

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Ice Breaker Jokes

Whether you’re making a speech, hosting a staff meeting, at a party, on a first date, or just meeting someone new, humor is a great way to break the ice . It’s always good to have a some go-to funny jokes you can rely on, and so to help you out here’s a collection of our favorite funny ice breaker jokes that are perfect for any occasion. Enjoy!

15 Funny Ice Breaker Jokes

This guy is driving down the road one day, with twenty penguins in the back seat. Of course, he gets pulled over by a cop who tells him that he can’t drive around with penguins in his car and that he should take them to the zoo.

When I meet women, I immediately start talking about global warming. It’s a real ice breaker.

The third woman then knocked her hand on the table and rather smugly said, “Well, I’m glad I don’t have that problem; knock on wood.”

As she rapped her knuckles on the table, she said, “That must be someone at the door. I’ll get it!”

He couldn’t lay off the quack.

I was really confused by the way they acted for months. One day, I’d see them and they’d be happy and joyful as they frolicked gleefully about the forest.

Then one day I figured it out. They’re bipolar bears!

Do you know what really bugs me? Discreetly placed microphones.

My girlfriend told me she needed to take a break from me.

More Funny Ice Breaker Jokes

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9 Killer Speech Openers to Start a Talk or Presentation.​

danny riley public speaking coach

Danny Riley 8 min read

What you’ll learn:

  • The importance of a “killer” speech opening.
  • 9 powerful speech openers and how to use them.
  • Examples from great speakers you can learn from.

man testing speech openers

Great speech openers hook your audience.

“ Well begun is half done” – Mary Poppins.

A killer speech opener will make the difference between a presentation that makes you soar or your audience snore .

I’ve researched the whole web to find nine killer speech openers to make your audience lean in and listen rather than tune out and daydream.

You’ll see how masters of the craft have used them, and how you can too.

Number seven takes hutzpah to pull off. Ready for the whole list of killer speech openers?

The Shock Opener

One of the best ways to open your speech with a buzz is to startle or shock them.

You can shock an audience in many ways, but they all rest on the major senses of VAKS:

  • Kinesthetic (touch) 

We don’t want your audience tasting your talk, but it should leave a good taste in their mouths.

Changing Minds suggests asking if the audience is awake after appearing from a flashbang and a cloud of smoke, and this might work for you if you’re a magician or playing some kind of character for your speech like a genie.

Suppose you aren’t going for the magic angle. 

In that case, you can shock them on a psychological level instead, as Conor Neill recommends, and tell your audience a surprising fact or statistic that makes them question their thinking or beliefs.

“Did you know that half the water on earth is older than the sun?”

Questions like these will shake an audience awake and turn on their critical thinking nervous-system.

Don’t take my word for it; you can see an incredible demonstration of the shock opener in Mohammed Qahtani’s speech, The Power of Words .

Qahtani opens by taking out a cigarette and placing it into his mouth before trying to light it. The audience is so shocked that they gasp and tell him to stop.

Remember, if your audience is shocked, they are listening.

Your audience doesn’t always have to be jolted to attention with a shock opener, though you can use a more subtle approach to grab their focus. 

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The story opener.

You can set the tone of your speech instantly with a story .

In Hollywood, filmmakers and directors use an ‘establishing shot’ to set the tone and theme of the entire film.

When creating your speech, think of a short story that sums up your talk.

Maybe you tell half the story to begin with, and then the other half at the end. 

The important thing is your tale must be relatable . If your audience can’t imagine themselves in the story, they won’t be engaged.

We all experience very similar things in life: 

  • We all went to school and had a teacher we loved
  • We all have parents who loved us or made mistakes in our upbringing
  • We all had a first crush.

We are all cut from the same cloth, so it’s good to be reminded that others are going through what we face or think as we do.

Bryan Stevenson does a stellar job of recounting his mischievous grandmother in his TED talk, We need to talk about an injustice .

The best thing is, you can combine a story-opener with any other speech opener in this list.

It’s truly versatile.

One of my favourite speech openers is next, though.

The Intrigue Opener

I love this speech opener.

What better way to hook your audience than to intrigue them with mystery or a juicy secret?

Take a look at Daniel Pink’s TED Talk The puzzle of motivation . After he begins, Pink, looking like a guilty man sent to the gallows tells his audience:

“I need to confess something, at the outset here. A little over 20 years ago, I did something I regret. Something I’m not particularly proud of”.

Wow. How intriguing, right?

You have to admit; you want to know what he’s about to confess.

Choose every sentence, every word, and every mark of punctuation to increase the tantalisation temperature.

Whether it’s a secret or confession, the Intrigue Opener piques just enough curiosity in your audience to keep them from checking Whatsapp.

As humans, we need closure. 

We do not like open loops. 

That’s why it is both enthralling and aggravating when someone plays on our need to be sure.

Just as we cannot stand an open loop, we are instantly engaged when someone gives us a puzzle to solve.

You’ll notice the best speeches, books, tv shows, and films do not spoon feed you all of the information.

I’ve always liked the way Malcolm Gladwell writes his non-fiction books because they contain puzzles that you solve as a reader.

This puzzle needs to be related to the speech or presentation you’re delivering, of course. It cannot be a random puzzle and will ideally be impossible or extremely difficult to solve at first.

After the speech begins and the puzzle is revealed, you should slowly drop hints on how to solve the mystery.

Up next, speech openers that use a physical object to create curiosity in the audience’s mind.

The Prop Opener

One of the most potent ways you will captivate your audience is to use a powerful prop in your opening address.

What better way to capture an audience’s imagination than to show them a mysterious or beautiful object?

If you’ve never seen the Prop Opener done well, then take a look at one of the greatest speeches of all time:

Dananjaya Hettiarachchi’s, See Something .

Danajaya enters with a simple rose in his breast pocket, takes it out, gazes at it nostalgically, smells it and then begins to speak.

This same prop appears again right at the end of his speech to end his talk with a flourish.

There are many different props you can use.

JJ Abrams used a Mystery Box to absorb the audience’s attention and used the box as a metaphor for his entire career.

If you think the prop opener is just for TED Talks and Toastmasters Final Speeches, remember that most company product launch centre around one or more props.

Steve Jobs revealed his new products in ever-innovative ways.

Still, while the last two speeches I’ve mentioned opened with physical items, most of Jobs’s presentations built intrigue through the sight of the product.

So remember, you can use an object, or tease your audience with the absence of a prop, but make that prop integral to your talk.

You don’t always have to use a prop, of course. 

A more minimalist approach to opening your speech uses the best audience reaction a speaker can receive: laughter.

The Funny Opener

Using laughter to win over your audience is the golden ticket to immediate rapport with your audience.

Jack Schafer, PhD at Psychology Today, said that People Will Like You If You Make Them Laugh , which seems obvious, but at least you know we have scientists on the case. 

He also mentions that constructing humour requires and projects a high level of intelligence .

Of course, laughter is subjective, but it is also infectious, and if you get enough members of your audience to titter, it will spread across the whole group.

If you want to see just how quickly you can win an audience over with humour, take a look at Ken Robinson’s subtle but delightful ability to raise a chuckle in his speech Do Schools Kill Creativity? 

Ken’s ability to speak conversationally to an audience of thousands is genuinely remarkable.

If you break down his humour, it is easy to see how you could include similar content in your presentations. 

Whether you can pull it off as well as Ken is another story.

Not everyone feels like they can be a comedian, though; I get that. 

Well, that’s alright because there are other ways to open your talk that play on other strong emotions.

You can inspire your audience too.

The Inspirational Opener

One of my favourite ways to help beginner speakers to open their presentation is with a quote.

A quote acts like a story in that it sets the tone and theme of your speech, but it takes much less effort and even less skill.

An effective quote is usually only one line long and supported by the credibility of the original author who uttered those words.

Watch the way Clint Smith opens his TED Talk  The Danger of Silence .

Using Martin Luther King’s voice to start his speech gives Clint what psychologists call the transference effect .

Just by citing someone else, especially someone admired and famous, you redirect the emotions an audience have towards that person onto yourself.

One caveat to using quotes, though:

Fact check them . I cringe whenever I see someone incorrectly quoting someone.

Have you ever heard the quote by Albert Einstein:

“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over, and expecting different results”?

A great quote, isn’t it?

But Albert Einstein never said those words .

A quick check on Reuters will help you add more credibility to your inspirational opener.

Finally, try to use a quote few people have ever heard. Inspiring words have been filling the archives of history for millennia, so seek out something that has been left dusty on the shelf rather than the same recycled iterations.

Next, let’s look at a type of bold speech opener that take real hutzpah to land well.

The Perspective Shift Opener

A powerful speech opener that will take confidence is the perspective shift opener.

This opener will lead the audience in one direction before changing direction and setting a new pace for the speech.

Cameron Russel does a fantastic job of controlling the frame in her TED Talk Looks aren’t everything. Believe me; I’m a model.

Russel takes to the stage dressed in a skimpy dress and begins to tell the audience about her career, but then does a rapid wardrobe change on stage in front of the entire audience. 

This change of dress sets a new tone, feel, and direction for the speech.

If you can change the audience’s perspective or frame of reality, you are in the driving seat.

One of the best things you can hope for as a speaker is moving hearts and changing minds. 

If you aren’t a confident speaker, start small.

Vanessa Van Edwards suggests never mentioning how nervous you are. 

It’s distracting and makes the audience pick up on all the subtle nervous energy and cues you give off. Control the frame instead and act cool and confident: they will buy into it.

Another great way to hold frame control over an audience is by using the power of silence .

The Silence Opener

Silence is a valuable commodity in today’s noisy and distracting digital world.

Creating silence at the beginning of your talk can profoundly affect your audience and their focus.

Did you ever have a teacher at school who used silence effectively?

When my English classmates were noisy, our teacher Mr Rylance would hold up his hand in silence. 

Slowly we would settle down and focus on his raised hand. 

A few would giggle, but that would peter out until we all wrapt in a hypnotic stillness.

If you want to see an example of how to use silence, then look at Neal Glitterman’s speech The Power of Silence .

You can see how much gravity silence can have , especially as a speech opener.

The final killer opener I want to introduce you to is the big promise opener.

The Big Promise Opener

I believe that all speeches and presentations should contain a big promise as it tells your audience why they should keep on listening.

Ideally, your big promise will be your speech title or phrase that pays which is a recurring foundational phrase you will use throughout your presentation.

A big promise is your way of making a deal with the audience : you listen to me, and you’ll get something in return.

Creating a big promise at the beginning of your speech is like adding a teaser trailer to the beginning of a TV show. It suggests a reason you should stick around.

When Arthur Benjamin introduces his talk Faster than a calculator by announcing:

 “I am a human calculator!”

You know that proof is on the way.

Remember the essential rule of the Big Promise Opener: make it big and keep your promise.

WOW your audience with these killer speech openers.

I hope you feel that I kept my promise of sharing nine killer speech openers to start a presentation.

Did you notice any other speech openers at the beginning of this article?

Don’t forget; these openers can be mixed and matched.

You can include a number of these speech openers in the same presentation to create more impact.

Let me know which of these killer openers was your favourite, and let me know if you have any more you’d like to share.

– Danny Riley

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The Most Hilarious Best Mans Speech Jokes

Author: Hollie Bond

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Best Man Speech Opening Jokes

Jokes about the newlyweds, self-deprecating best man jokes, jokes to end the best man's speech.

Feeling the pressure to deliver a best man’s speech that will make every guest in the room laugh? Keep guests young and old entertained for the whole speech with these funny best man’s speech jokes.

It’s such an honour to be asked to be a best man and this VIP role comes with many fun and important tasks (if you’re not sure what they are check out our guide to being a brilliant best man here). One of the tasks many best men dread though is writing and delivering the best man speech on the wedding day. Unless you’re a natural public speaker or have spent time on stage, it can be a pretty daunting prospect, especially when you consider that the best man speech is traditionally known to be the funniest and most looked forward to of all the speeches.

The good news is, you’re not alone and thousands of other best men before you have sat and stared at a blank piece of paper for hours before finally getting the inspiration to write an awesome best man speech.

We’ve got a comprehensive guide on how to write a brilliant groom’s speech here to help you with the structure, format, and length. But, once you have the general gist and bare bones of the best man speech jotted down, it’s time to insert some funny jokes into each section, to keep all the guests chuckling with laughter from start to finish.

Remember you’re not expected to be a professional stand-up comedian, Michael McIntyre style, and a wedding is often an emotional day, so it’s absolutely fine to make jokes that are unique to the couple or situation and also to include a heartfelt sentiment or two in between all the gags. To help you on your way to going down in history as the best best man ever, we’ve rounded up some of the greatest tried-and-tested best man speech jokes and one-liners that’ll easily fit into most wedding speeches. Feel free to tailor them to fit the newlyweds you’re talking about. Good luck!

What shouldn’t the best man joke about?

When it comes to writing your best man speech, there are certain topics that are strictly off-limits. It’s important to spend time thinking about things that will come across badly or offend any guests and really consider every sentence carefully before it makes the final edit.

Mentioning the groom’s ex-girlfriends or a previous wife is a definite no-go, as is talking about the groom’s sex life in any way. So that means no mention of the impending wedding night too. Anecdotes about the groom can be best man speech gold, but you need to get to the punch line within a few sentences otherwise you’ll lose the audience and always make sure any anecdotes will amuse all types of guests.

The best man should always avoid joking about the bride too. Unless you’re really good mates with her and know her well enough to have a giggle with her, then it’s best to just say something heartfelt and lovely about her.

Jokes containing swear words should also be avoided. While the younger generation of guests might not flinch when you swear, older members of the audience could be extremely offended. Finally, it’s best to steer clear of making a joke about how long it took for the groom to propose if that was the case. Not only does it make the bride look like all she wanted was a ring on her finge, it also might be an area of contention between the couple so won’t come across as funny to them.

And remember, you’re not the next Al Murray or Michael McIntyre so you don’t need to pepper your speech with one-liners worthy of a stand-up routine. Only joke about things that are genuinely amusing and specific to the groom at the wedding you’re attending rather than anything too generic that you’ve found on the internet.

Starting the best man’s speech is the most difficult part. Once you’ve said a few words, shaken off those nerves, and realised the crowd isn’t full of people about to throw tomatoes at you, you’ll get into your stride, but those first few sentences can be pretty scary.

The trick is to get the audience on your side from the off with a short and easy-to-understand joke that sets the tone for the speech to follow. Here are some great opener ideas for best man speeches.

1) If there’s anybody here today who’s feeling nervous, apprehensive and queasy at the thought of what lies ahead, it’s probably because you’ve just married [NAME OF THE GROOM].

2) Good evening. I’m so happy to preside over the only five minutes that the bride didn’t plan. Of course, I’m only joking. She went over the speech with me half an hour ago in the bar.

3) Everyone here who knows Sophie will know that she is a wonderful and kind person, who deserves a good husband. Thank god Theo married her before she found one.

4) We’ve now reached the point in the proceedings when we all get to see the Groom shift uncomfortably in his seat and grip the tablecloth in nervous anticipation. That’s right, I’ve been asked to give him the drinks bill.

5) It’s been an emotional day, even the cake is in tiers.

6) I just heard there was a competitive sweepstake on the length of the Best Man’s speech. I put my money on 45 minutes, so settle in…

7) My name is James and I am the Best Man. Many of you would beg to differ, but you’d do well to keep quiet – I know your secrets.

8) I’d like to congratulate the Groom on a truly magnificent speech. I always knew it would be hard to follow and I was right – I could hardly follow a word of it.

9) Being asked to be someone’s best man is like being called up for jury duty. You don’t really want to do it, but know you have to. You’re made to dress in a suit and pretend to be an upstanding member of the community. The only difference is I didn’t have a say if the life sentence passed earlier today.

10) I did ask for a microphone but was told one wasn’t available. So if you can’t hear me at the back, the silence from the people at the front should reassure you that you’re not missing out on anything.

11) I’ve been told I can’t get away with a few thank yous and a quick toast in this speech. Apparently, as Best Man, I’m supposed to sing the Groom’s praises and talk about his good qualities. Unfortunately, I can’t sing and I won’t lie.

12) Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Before I came here today one of my good friends gave me some advice on giving this speech. He said think of it like walking through a nudist camp, it’s only hard for the first minute.

13) You’ve got no idea how much I’ve been looking forward to today. After all the time I’ve been friends with the Groom, he has at long last admitted that I am in fact the best man.

14) Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Before I begin, I just want to apologise for not being an experienced public speaker. I’m probably going to spend most of the time looking at this piece of paper in my hands. Oh, it’s not my notes – it’s a picture of the triple vodka I’m going to down as soon as this is over.

15) Firstly I’d like to say I’m very nervous about making this speech. In fact this must be the third time today that I’ve stood up from a warm seat with pieces of paper in my hand.

16) I don’t believe in roasting the groom on his special day. Therefore this speech won’t contain anything embarrassing or controversial about Matt. Instead I’ll refer only to the kind, funny side of his character. Thank you and goodnight.

17) It’s strange to be giving a speech like this one, because my parents always told me that if I had nothing good to say about someone, I should just be quiet.

18) Loyal, caring, sincere, honest, a great man… but that’s enough about me, I’m here to give a speech about Arthur!

19) For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Sam and for those of those who do know me…I apologise. My full name is actually ‘Sam-would-you-like-a-drink’. For those of you who I chat to in the bar later, I’d appreciate it if you could use my full name.

20) Please keep clapping and cheering to a minimum. I’m terribly hungover. I know, you shouldn’t drink the night before a wedding, but I couldn’t very well let the groom drink alone, could I?

21) Now, before I start, the venue manger has asked me to request that, for reasons of health and safety, none of you get up on top of the chairs and tables during my standing ovation.

22) I have no problem admitting to you all that I’m extremely nervous right now. And, as the people sitting near the front of the room can attest, it is actually possible to smell fear.

Wedding Date in Mind? We offer you the chance to check the availability of your preferred wedding dates with venues in each county.

Once you’ve opened the best man’s speech and given the guests an idea of the tone and also helped them relax, knowing that you’re not about to deliver a complete car crash of a speech, it’s time to get personal.

Remember, the best man’s speech is mostly intended as an ode to the groom and your friendship and to give the guests an idea of what the main man at the wedding is really like behind closed doors!

You can also include some jokes about the bride (or another groom at a same-sex wedding), although keep these minimal as the father of the bride will have spent a large part of his speech talking about his daughter. As well as these tried-and-tested quips, try to include a few jokes that are specific and personal to your friend, to ensure the groom and his guests feel like you do actually know and love him!

23) So where do I start about Ben? Well, for starters he’s handsome, witty, intelligent, he’s charm…sorry… Ben, I’m having trouble reading you handwriting. You can tell me the rest later.

24) The bride and groom have asked that I don’t talk about Mike’s mishaps, mistakes, embarrassing moments or ex-girlfriends. So thanks for listening everyone, that’s it from me!

25) I do have to say though Rowan just how lucky you are. You will leave here today with a wife who is warm, loving and caring. And Margot, how lucky you are as well. You leave here today having gained a lovely dress and a wonderful bouquet of flowers.

26) Helen please put your left hand flat on the table. Paul please place your hand on top of hers. Enjoy this moment Paul because it’s the first and last time in your marriage that you’ll have the upper hand.

27) We all know the bride is a wonderful lady who deserves the perfect guy. Too bad you don’t always get what you deserve.

28) Well, I do hope that Meghan and Harry enjoy their honeymoon in Wales. I assume that’s where they’re going anyway… When I asked Harry what he was doing after the wedding, he said he was going to Bangor for a fortnight.

29) I’ve been instructed by the bride and groom to keep this speech smut-free, so if I come across any innuendo, I’ll whip it out immediately.

30) Harry is the kindest friend anyone could ask for; a man whose philanthropy knows no bounds. ‘Generosity’ should be his middle name. He would do anything for me; like helping write a section of the best man speech because I forgot about it until late last night at the bar!

30) Seeing the happy couple walking down the aisle earlier today, I’m sure we all agree that the bride looked simply stunning. The groom, on the other hand, simply looked stunned.

31) I’ll try to keep my speech short, because every extra minute I speak is an extra minute’s delay in witnessing how the Groom’s dance lessons worked out.

If the groom is known to be a bit of a tech geek or a gamer…

32) Now he’s getting a bit older he’s turning his attention more and more to gadgets, constantly buying stuff online. I swear he didn’t have an interest in women until I told him the secret to women was knowing what buttons to press.

33) Being asked to be the best man is about five minutes of glowing pride, followed by an eternity of panic and misery. Jane, I expect you had a similar experience when David asked you to be his wife.

34) Someone once said that marriage is a 50/50 partnership, but anyone who believes that clearly knows nothing about women or fractions!

35) When I saw Kate heading up the aisle with her father, I thought “At last she’s seen sense, and got herself a man with looks and money.”

36) Before proposing, William went to ask Kate’s father for her hand in marriage. He said that it was fine by him, providing William took the hand that had spent 25 years fishing into his wallet.

37) I’ve been asked by many how I’m going to cope with my best friend being married and spending all of his time loved up at home. I’m thrilled! I’ll finally be able to talk to women without him cramping my style.

It’s a classic and winning tool in British humour – the self-deprecating joke, where you take the mick out of yourself in order to make the crowd both laugh and also get them on your side straight away. Here are some of the best ways to put yourself down in hilarious fashion.

38) I would like to start by saying what a pleasure it is to be Best Man at Charles and Camilla’s wedding. Charles made me compete for this honour today, but I was able to beat the barman over there in rock-paper-scissors, so here I am!

39) The trouble with being the best man at a wedding is that you never get to prove it.

40) I’ve been worried about giving this speech for a while now. Fortunately last night I slept like a baby. Waking up every two hours and bawling my eyes out.

You’ll probably want to end the speech on more of a heartfelt note or with some sort of thanks and advice for the newlyweds, but there’s always time to get a couple of more jokes in at the groom’s expense beforehand…

41) Ryan was telling me that the amazing meal this evening was charged on a cost-per-head basis, so, on the bride and groom’s behalf, I’d like to thank the following people for not coming…

42) I’ve just got some last messages here to read out: one from Greg’s football team to Jacqui: “Apologies we couldn’t all be there today, good luck with Greg, we found him to be useless in most positions, but wishing you all the best for tonight.”

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Hollie Bond

Hollie is a lifestyle journalist with over ten years’ experience working in the wedding industry as Lifestyle Editor for You & Your Wedding magazine Also a Regional Editor for Muddy Stilettos, Hollie has written for Square Meal magazine, Family History Monthly, BBC History magazine and Homes & Antiques. In her spare time you can find Hollie in a dance studio practising ballet…

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31 Funny Icebreaker Jokes for Work Meetings

By: Angela Robinson | Updated: February 13, 2024

You found our list of funny icebreaker jokes for work meetings.

Icebreaker jokes are humorous lines that break down barriers between strangers and pave the way for communication in the workplace. Professionals often use jokes to break the ice as openers to speeches, networking events, sales pitches, or conversations with coworkers.

For speech writing, you may also be interested in employee appreciation quotes or inspirational quotes for work , and jokes for work .

icebreaker-jokes

This list of ideas includes:

  • humorous icebreakers
  • funny introduction jokes
  • good opening jokes
  • best ice breaker lines
  • jokes to break the ice
  • funny jokes for work meetings
  • sales jokes to break the ice
  • jokes about meetings

So, here is the list!

List of icebreaker jokes

From puns to plays on words to silly statements, here is a list of jokes you can use as conversation starters.

Funny ice breakers for speeches

  • We both have something in common. You don’t know what I’m going to say, and neither do I.
  • An employee is getting to know her new co-workers when the topic of her last job comes up. One co-worker asks why she left that job.” It was something my boss said,” the woman replied. “Why? What did he say?” the co-worker asked. “You’re fired.”
  • A man tells his doctor, “Doc, help me. I’m addicted to Twitter!” The doctor replies, “Sorry, I don’t follow you …”
  • I just wrote a book on reverse psychology. Do not read it.
  • My memory has gotten so bad it has actually caused me to lose my job. I’m still employed. I just can’t remember where.
  • Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • A bear walks into a bar and says, “Give me a gin and … tonic.” “Why the big pause?” asks the bartender. The bear shrugged. “I’m not sure; I was born with them.”
  • I recently started speed reading. So far, I can read “War and Peace” in ten seconds. It’s only three words, but it’s a start.
  • I bought the world’s worst thesaurus yesterday. Not only is it terrible, it’s terrible.

Icebreaker joke example #1

Sales jokes to break the ice

  • My email password has been hacked. That’s the third time I’ve had to rename my cat.
  • I invented a new word! ….Plagiarism!
  • A bus station is where a bus stops. A train station is where a train stops. On my desk, I have a work station…
  • My boss just texted me: “Send me one of your funny jokes!” I texted him back: “I’m busy working. I’ll send one later.” “That’s hilarious,” he said. “Send another one!”
  • What is worse than raining cats and dogs? Hailing taxis!
  • You know what a clean desk is a sign of? A cluttered desk drawer.
  • My teachers told me I’d never amount to much because I procrastinate so much. I told them, “Just you wait!”
  • Two cows are in a field. The first one says, “Mooooo!” The second one replies, “that’s what I was going to say!”
  • A man enters a lawyer’s office and asks the lawyer: “Excuse me, how much do you charge?” The lawyer responds: “I charge $1,000 to answer three questions.” The man replies, “That’s a bit expensive isn’t it?” “Yes,” says the lawyer. “Now, what’s your third question?”

Icebreaker joke example #2

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Funny icebreaker jokes for work

  • Want to hear an icebreaker? Fat penguin
  • Two muffins are in an oven. One muffin turns to the other and says, “Sure is hot in here, huh?” The other muffin screams “Aaaah! A talking muffin!”
  • I’ve only been fired from a job once. It was a calendar factory. All I did was take a day off.
  • You know what can really ruin a Friday? Remembering it’s only Thursday.
  • Why did the frog take the bus to work today? His car got toad away.
  • What’s the best thing about Switzerland? I don’t know, but the flag is a huge plus.
  • A guy goes to a pet store to buy a goldfish. The salesman asks him, “Do you want an aquarium?” The guy responds, “I don’t care what star sign it is!”
  • When does a joke become a “dad” joke? When the punchline is a parent.
  • I can’t take my dog to the park because the ducks keep trying to bite him. I guess that’s what I get for buying a pure bread dog.
  • Two goldfish are in a tank. One looks at the other and says, “You know how to drive this thing?!”
  • What has one horn and gives milk? A milk truck.
  • What washes up on very small beaches? Microwaves.
  • What did the green grape say to the purple grape? BREATHE!! BREATHEEEEE!!!!!

Icebreaker joke example #3

Comedian Victor Borge once said, “Laughter is the shortest distance between two people.” Starting conversations with strangers can be tough, but jokes can help eliminate jitters and establish instant camaraderie. Once the group overcomes the initial awkwardness, the real conversation begins.

Next, check out our list of fun icebreaker questions and a list of the best jokes for conference speeches .

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FAQ: Icebreaker jokes

Here are some of the most common questions and answers about icebreaker jokes.

What are icebreaker jokes?

Icebreaker jokes are jokes individuals use to start conversations with unfamiliar audiences on a positive and relaxed note. These lines are often used in the workplace and at meetings to break the ice.

What are some good icebreaker jokes?

Some good icebreaker jokes include:

These jokes are sure to elicit a chuckle or smile from the audience.

What are appropriate jokes for work?

The best jokes for work are clever and disarming but also professional. While some colleagues and clients might have a high tolerance for risque humor, it is always advisable to err on the side of caution and keep it clean. Though some clean jokes border on cheesy, the humor is sure to lighten the mood without making anyone angry or uncomfortable.

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Author: Angela Robinson

Marketing Coordinator at teambuilding.com. Angela has a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and worked as a community manager with Yelp to plan events for businesses.

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Marketing Coordinator at teambuilding.com.

Angela has a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and worked as a community manager with Yelp to plan events for businesses.

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15 Powerful Speech Opening Lines (And How to Create Your Own)

Hrideep barot.

  • Public Speaking , Speech Writing

powerful speech opening

Powerful speech opening lines set the tone and mood of your speech. It’s what grips the audience to want to know more about the rest of your talk.

The first few seconds are critical. It’s when you have maximum attention of the audience. And you must capitalize on that!

Instead of starting off with something plain and obvious such as a ‘Thank you’ or ‘Good Morning’, there’s so much more you can do for a powerful speech opening (here’s a great article we wrote a while ago on how you should NOT start your speech ).

To help you with this, I’ve compiled some of my favourite openings from various speakers. These speakers have gone on to deliver TED talks , win international Toastmaster competitions or are just noteworthy people who have mastered the art of communication.

After each speaker’s opening line, I have added how you can include their style of opening into your own speech. Understanding how these great speakers do it will certainly give you an idea to create your own speech opening line which will grip the audience from the outset!

Alright! Let’s dive into the 15 powerful speech openings…

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1. Ric Elias

Opening: “Imagine a big explosion as you climb through 3,000 ft. Imagine a plane full of smoke. Imagine an engine going clack, clack, clack. It sounds scary. Well I had a unique seat that day. I was sitting in 1D.”

How to use the power of imagination to open your speech?

Putting your audience in a state of imagination can work extremely well to captivate them for the remainder of your talk.

It really helps to bring your audience in a certain mood that preps them for what’s about to come next. Speakers have used this with high effectiveness by transporting their audience into an imaginary land to help prove their point.

When Ric Elias opened his speech, the detail he used (3000 ft, sound of the engine going clack-clack-clack) made me feel that I too was in the plane. He was trying to make the audience experience what he was feeling – and, at least in my opinion, he did.

When using the imagination opening for speeches, the key is – detail. While we want the audience to wander into imagination, we want them to wander off to the image that we want to create for them. So, detail out your scenario if you’re going to use this technique.

Make your audience feel like they too are in the same circumstance as you were when you were in that particular situation.

2. Barack Obama

Opening: “You can’t say it, but you know it’s true.”

3. Seth MacFarlane

Opening: “There’s nowhere I would rather be on a day like this than around all this electoral equipment.” (It was raining)

How to use humour to open your speech?

When you use humour in a manner that suits your personality, it can set you up for a great speech. Why? Because getting a laugh in the first 30 seconds or so is a great way to quickly get the audience to like you.

And when they like you, they are much more likely to listen to and believe in your ideas.

Obama effortlessly uses his opening line to entice laughter among the audience. He brilliantly used the setting (the context of Trump becoming President) and said a line that completely matched his style of speaking.

Saying a joke without really saying a joke and getting people to laugh requires you to be completely comfortable in your own skin. And that’s not easy for many people (me being one of them).

If the joke doesn’t land as expected, it could lead to a rocky start.

Keep in mind the following when attempting to deliver a funny introduction:

  • Know your audience: Make sure your audience gets the context of the joke (if it’s an inside joke among the members you’re speaking to, that’s even better!). You can read this article we wrote where we give you tips on how you can actually get to know your audience better to ensure maximum impact with your speech openings
  • The joke should suit your natural personality. Don’t make it look forced or it won’t elicit the desired response
  • Test the opening out on a few people who match your real audience. Analyze their response and tweak the joke accordingly if necessary
  • Starting your speech with humour means your setting the tone of your speech. It would make sense to have a few more jokes sprinkled around the rest of the speech as well as the audience might be expecting the same from you

4. Mohammed Qahtani

Opening: Puts a cigarette on his lips, lights a lighter, stops just before lighting the cigarette. Looks at audience, “What?”

5. Darren Tay

Opening: Puts a white pair of briefs over his pants.

How to use props to begin your speech?

The reason props work so well in a talk is because in most cases the audience is not expecting anything more than just talking. So when a speaker pulls out an object that is unusual, everyone’s attention goes right to it.

It makes you wonder why that prop is being used in this particular speech.

The key word here is unusual . To grip the audience’s attention at the beginning of the speech, the prop being used should be something that the audience would never expect. Otherwise, it just becomes something that is common. And common = boring!

What Mohammed Qahtani and Darren Tay did superbly well in their talks was that they used props that nobody expected them to.

By pulling out a cigarette and lighter or a white pair of underwear, the audience can’t help but be gripped by what the speaker is about to do next. And that makes for a powerful speech opening.

6. Simon Sinek

Opening: “How do you explain when things don’t go as we assume? Or better, how do you explain when others are able to achieve things that seem to defy all of the assumptions?”

7. Julian Treasure

Opening: “The human voice. It’s the instrument we all play. It’s the most powerful sound in the world. Probably the only one that can start a war or say “I love you.” And yet many people have the experience that when they speak people don’t listen to them. Why is that? How can we speak powerfully to make change in the world?”

How to use questions to open a speech?

I use this method often. Starting off with a question is the simplest way to start your speech in a manner that immediately engages the audience.

But we should keep our questions compelling as opposed to something that is fairly obvious.

I’ve heard many speakers start their speeches with questions like “How many of us want to be successful?”

No one is going to say ‘no’ to that and frankly, I just feel silly raising my hand at such questions.

Simon Sinek and Jullian Treasure used questions in a manner that really made the audience think and make them curious to find out what the answer to that question is.

What Jullian Treasure did even better was the use of a few statements which built up to his question. This made the question even more compelling and set the theme for what the rest of his talk would be about.

So think of what question you can ask in your speech that will:

  • Set the theme for the remainder of your speech
  • Not be something that is fairly obvious
  • Be compelling enough so that the audience will actually want to know what the answer to that question will be

8. Aaron Beverley

Opening: Long pause (after an absurdly long introduction of a 57-word speech title). “Be honest. You enjoyed that, didn’t you?”

How to use silence for speech openings?

The reason this speech opening stands out is because of the fact that the title itself is 57 words long. The audience was already hilariously intrigued by what was going to come next.

But what’s so gripping here is the way Aaron holds the crowd’s suspense by…doing nothing. For about 10 to 12 seconds he did nothing but stand and look at the audience. Everyone quietened down. He then broke this silence by a humorous remark that brought the audience laughing down again.

When going on to open your speech, besides focusing on building a killer opening sentence, how about just being silent?

It’s important to keep in mind that the point of having a strong opening is so that the audience’s attention is all on you and are intrigued enough to want to listen to the rest of your speech.

Silence is a great way to do that. When you get on the stage, just pause for a few seconds (about 3 to 5 seconds) and just look at the crowd. Let the audience and yourself settle in to the fact that the spotlight is now on you.

I can’t put my finger on it, but there is something about starting the speech off with a pure pause that just makes the beginning so much more powerful. It adds credibility to you as a speaker as well, making you look more comfortable and confident on stage. 

If you want to know more about the power of pausing in public speaking , check out this post we wrote. It will give you a deeper insight into the importance of pausing and how you can harness it for your own speeches. You can also check out this video to know more about Pausing for Public Speaking:

9. Dan Pink

Opening: “I need to make a confession at the outset here. Little over 20 years ago, I did something that I regret. Something that I’m not particularly proud of. Something that in many ways I wish no one would ever know but that here I feel kind of obliged to reveal.”

10. Kelly McGonigal

Opening: “I have a confession to make. But first I want you to make a little confession to me.”

How to use a build-up to open your speech?

When there are so many amazing ways to start a speech and grip an audience from the outset, why would you ever choose to begin your speech with a ‘Good morning?’.

That’s what I love about build-ups. They set the mood for something awesome that’s about to come in that the audience will feel like they just have to know about.

Instead of starting a speech as it is, see if you can add some build-up to your beginning itself. For instance, in Kelly McGonigal’s speech, she could have started off with the question of stress itself (which she eventually moves on to in her speech). It’s not a bad way to start the speech.

But by adding the statement of “I have a confession to make” and then not revealing the confession for a little bit, the audience is gripped to know what she’s about to do next and find out what indeed is her confession.

11. Tim Urban

Opening: “So in college, I was a government major. Which means that I had to write a lot of papers. Now when a normal student writes a paper, they might spread the work out a little like this.”

12. Scott Dinsmore

Opening: “8 years ago, I got the worst career advice of my life.”

How to use storytelling as a speech opening?

“The most powerful person in the world is the storyteller.” Steve Jobs

Storytelling is the foundation of good speeches. Starting your speech with a story is a great way to grip the audience’s attention. It makes them yearn to want to know how the rest of the story is going to pan out.

Tim Urban starts off his speech with a story dating back to his college days. His use of slides is masterful and something we all can learn from. But while his story sounds simple, it does the job of intriguing the audience to want to know more.

As soon as I heard the opening lines, I thought to myself “If normal students write their paper in a certain manner, how does Tim write his papers?”

Combine such a simple yet intriguing opening with comedic slides, and you’ve got yourself a pretty gripping speech.

Scott Dismore’s statement has a similar impact. However, just a side note, Scott Dismore actually started his speech with “Wow, what an honour.”

I would advise to not start your talk with something such as that. It’s way too common and does not do the job an opening must, which is to grip your audience and set the tone for what’s coming.

13. Larry Smith

Opening: “I want to discuss with you this afternoon why you’re going to fail to have a great career.”

14. Jane McGonigal

Opening: “You will live 7.5 minutes longer than you would have otherwise, just because you watched this talk.”

How to use provocative statements to start your speech?

Making a provocative statement creates a keen desire among the audience to want to know more about what you have to say. It immediately brings everyone into attention.

Larry Smith did just that by making his opening statement surprising, lightly humorous, and above all – fearful. These elements lead to an opening statement which creates so much curiosity among the audience that they need to know how your speech pans out.

This one time, I remember seeing a speaker start a speech with, “Last week, my best friend committed suicide.” The entire crowd was gripped. Everyone could feel the tension in the room.

They were just waiting for the speaker to continue to know where this speech will go.

That’s what a hard-hitting statement does, it intrigues your audience so much that they can’t wait to hear more! Just a tip, if you do start off with a provocative, hard-hitting statement, make sure you pause for a moment after saying it.

Silence after an impactful statement will allow your message to really sink in with the audience.

Related article: 5 Ways to Grab Your Audience’s Attention When You’re Losing it!

15. Ramona J Smith

Opening: In a boxing stance, “Life would sometimes feel like a fight. The punches, jabs and hooks will come in the form of challenges, obstacles and failures. Yet if you stay in the ring and learn from those past fights, at the end of each round, you’ll be still standing.”

How to use your full body to grip the audience at the beginning of your speech?

In a talk, the audience is expecting you to do just that – talk. But when you enter the stage and start putting your full body into use in a way that the audience does not expect, it grabs their attention.

Body language is critical when it comes to public speaking. Hand gestures, stage movement, facial expressions are all things that need to be paid attention to while you’re speaking on stage. But that’s not I’m talking about here.

Here, I’m referring to a unique use of the body that grips the audience, like how Ramona did. By using her body to get into a boxing stance, imitating punches, jabs and hooks with her arms while talking – that’s what got the audience’s attention.

The reason I say this is so powerful is because if you take Ramona’s speech and remove the body usage from her opening, the entire magic of the opening falls flat.

While the content is definitely strong, without those movements, she would not have captured the audience’s attention as beautifully as she did with the use of her body.

So if you have a speech opening that seems slightly dull, see if you can add some body movement to it.

If your speech starts with a story of someone running, actually act out the running. If your speech starts with a story of someone reading, actually act out the reading.

It will make your speech opening that much more impactful.

Related article: 5 Body Language Tips to Command the Stage

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Final Words

So there it is! 15 speech openings from some of my favourite speeches. Hopefully, these will act as a guide for you to create your own opening which is super impactful and sets you off on the path to becoming a powerful public speaker!

But remember, while a speech opening is super important, it’s just part of an overall structure.

If you’re serious about not just creating a great speech opening but to improve your public speaking at an overall level, I would highly recommend you to check out this course: Acumen Presents: Chris Anderson on Public Speaking on Udemy. Not only does it have specific lectures on starting and ending a speech, but it also offers an in-depth guide into all the nuances of public speaking. 

Being the founder of TED Talks, Chris Anderson provides numerous examples of the best TED speakers to give us a very practical way of overcoming stage fear and delivering a speech that people will remember. His course has helped me personally and I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking to learn public speaking. 

No one is ever “done” learning public speaking. It’s a continuous process and you can always get better. Keep learning, keep conquering and keep being awesome!

Lastly, if you want to know how you should NOT open your speech, we’ve got a video for you:

Hrideep Barot

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The 50 Best Jokes For Your Best Man Speech

The 50 Best Jokes For Your Best Man Speech

As the best man, you’re tasked with giving the toast—maybe the most famous one of the evening. For the big speech, it’s important to have some jokes scattered throughout. The couple gets to be sentimental. Her father gets to be sad and nostalgic. You need to bring the funny like it’s showtime at the Apollo. That’s no easy task, either. Luckily, there are dozens of jokes that have already been written that you can plug your buddy’s name into and carry on. We compiled some of our favorites for you here. Good luck!

The Openers

Good evening everyone. I’m so happy to preside over the only five minutes that the bride didn’t plan. Of course, I’m only kidding. We went over the speech 40 minutes ago in the hall.

It’s been an emotional day, even the cake is in tiers.

We’ve reached the moment in the evening where we get to watch the groom figet and worry in anticipation. Yes, everyone, I’ve been asked by the staff to give him the bill.

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Before I begin, I just want to apologize for not being an experienced public speaker. I’m probably going to spend most of the time looking at this piece of paper in my hands. Oh, it’s not my notes – it’s a picture of the triple Jameson I’m going to down as soon as this is over.

I just heard there was a lucrative pool on the length of the Best Man’s speech. I put my money on 40 minutes, so settle in…

Before I begin my speech, there’s just one order of business I’ve been asked to take care of. *Hold up pair of trousers with padlock on them* These are Jack’s Chastity Pants. I know he’s given keys out to various ladies over the years, but since he is now a married man, he’d like to get those copies back, so Jill is the only one with access. *Wait for the keys you strategically handed out to wedding guests to be brought up*

My name is Peter and I am the Best Man. Many of you would beg to differ, but shut up – I know your secrets.

Just a couple of rules before we begin. If you have a mobile phone – leave it switched on, entertain yourselves. And if anyone texts you any good jokes, kindly pass them up to the front.”

I’ve been told I won’t get away with a few thank yous and a quick toast. Apparently, as Best Man, I’m supposed to sing the Groom’s praises and talk about his good qualities. Unfortunately, I can’t sing and I won’t lie.

My speech today will be like a mini-skirt.  Long enough to cover the essentials but short enough to hold your attention!

Good evening Ladies and Gentlemen – Before I came here today one of my good friends gave me some advice on giving this speech. He said think of it like walking through a nudist camp, it’s only hard for the first minute.

Jokes About The Groom

Now he’s getting a bit older he’s turning his attention more and more to gadgets, constantly buying stuff from ebay, amazon and I want one of those dot com. I swear he didn’t have an interest in women until he overheard someone say the secret to women was knowing what buttons to press.

I read somewhere the perfect best man speech should last as long as it takes for the groom to make love. So ladies and gentlemen, please raise a glass to the happy couple!

Sally is a bright, charming, wonderful woman, who deserves a good husband. It’s such a shame Harry swooped in before she could find one.

I think the main reason we’ve lasted as friends all these years is because you’re geographically convenient…and you had a trampoline.

Jack is the kindest friend anyone could ask for; a man whose philanthropy knows no bounds. ‘Generosity’ should be his middle name. He would do anything for me; like helping write a section of the best man speech because you forgot about it until late last night at the bar!

Jack was in a pub when he proposed. No, really, it was actually very romantic – he got up on one knee.

It’s strange to be giving a speech like this one, because my parents always told me that if I had nothing good to say about someone, I should just be quiet.

Seeing the happy couple walking down the aisle earlier today, I’m sure we all agree that the bride looked simply stunning. The groom, on the other hand, simply looked stunned.

So I’m the best man, although I think I was picked by default since the groom doesn’t really have any other friends.

I can only say in my defense that Mike and I share a common sense of humor so if this speech is in anyway unfunny please “Feel Free to Blame Mike.”

I’d also like to congratulate Keith on a truly magnificent speech, I always knew it would be hard to follow, and I was right, I could hardly follow a word of it.

John did tell me that the vicar was firmly against sex before marriage. However, Jane did assure him it would only take a couple of minutes.

Rest assured though, unlike most traditional best man speeches, which are full of sexual innuendo, I’ve promised Dan and Anne that if there is anything slightly risqué, I’ll whip it out immediately …”

Although Ria did actually tell me Paul has always brightened up her life. Well, she actually said he never turned the lights off but it amounts to the same thing pretty much.

I’ll try to keep my speech short, because every extra minute I speak is an extra minute’s delay in witnessing how the Groom’s dance lessons worked out.

Jokes About The Bride

I do have to say though how lucky you are Dave, you’re leaving with a beautiful wife whom you love. And you, Miranda, you get to go home with such a nice new dress and beautiful bouquet of flowers, it’s great.

Jill, you are an amazing woman who deserves a wonderful husband. And I promise you I won’t rest until I get to the bottom of what’s gone wrong here.

Being asked to be the best man is about five minutes of glowing pride, followed by an eternity of panic and misery. Linda, I expect you had a similar experience when Paul asked you to be his wife.

I spoke to both Sally and Paul before the Wedding and I asked Paul what he was looking for in Marriage – he said “Love, happiness and a long life together.” When I asked Sally the same question – she replied – A coffee percolator!

Speaking of Jane, I would like to say how beautiful she looks today in that fantastic dress …Dan likes it too, as he told me in the church it will blend in just nicely well with the rest of the kitchen.

Someone once said that marriage is a 50/50 partnership, but anyone who believes that clearly knows nothing about women or fractions!”

When I saw Linda heading up the aisle with her father, I thought “At last she’s seen sense, and got herself a man with looks and money.”

Before proposing, Paul went to ask Linda’s father for her hand in marriage. He said that it was fine by him, providing Paul took the hand that had spent 20 years fishing into his wallet!

I recognize my place here; being best man at a wedding is like being the dead body at a funeral. You’re expected to be there, but if you say too much people start freaking out.

If you can’t hear me in the back, let the silence in the front assure you that you’re not really missing out on anything.

A Best Man is like a dog. You love him, care about him, and he’s only thrown up and ruined your upholstery twice.

I would like to start by saying what a pleasure it is to be Best Man at Jack and Jill’s wedding. Jack made me compete for this honor today, but I was able to beat Mark the Bartender over there in rock-paper-scissors, so here I am!

I found the speech length really difficult to settle on. At one point, it ran to almost 70 minutes, so I cut it down to a five-minute speech but I just felt like too many important things were being left out. So I came to a compromise – I’m going to read the five-minute speech. Then straight afterwards, I’ll do 70-minute one and you guys can tell me which speech I should use.

What can you say about a man who came from humble beginnings and is now rising to the top of his industry based solely on his intelligence, grit and willpower? A man whose charisma knows no bounds and who has already distinguished himself amongst his peers? Because I’m trying to write my Tinder profile and I’m having trouble summarizing myself.

When I sat down to write this speech I Googled “perfect best man speech”, but you had to pay to read the examples and I didn’t think it was worth it, so I’m gonna wing it.

I admit, I’m extremely nervous right now. As the people sitting near to me at the table can testify, it really is possible to smell fear.”

I must admit, I’m not used to speaking in public. Until now I thought a toastmaster was a kitchen appliance.

The trouble with being the best man at a wedding is that you never get to prove it.

You know, it’s been said that being asked to be best man is like being asked to make love to Camilla Parker Bowles.. It’s a great honor but you don’t really want to do it!

I’ve been anxious about giving this speech for a while now. Fortunately last night I slept like a baby. Waking up every two hours and bawling my eyes out. Ten minutes ago, I had to ask a complete stranger to burp me.

Dave was telling me that the amazing meal this evening was charged on a cost-per-head basis, so, on the bride and groom’s behalf, I’d like to thank the following people for not coming…

What’s the difference between in-laws and out-laws? Outlaws are wanted.”

Leading up to today John and Jane were having an issue with the seating plan. Who would sit comfortably in here & who would have to get up and stand during the speeches so we decided to use wedding present list, biggest presents at front and work it back from there. So hopefully you can hear me at the back when I say on behalf of Jane and John thank‐you very much for the teaspoons.

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Using Subtext and Speeching Between The Lines

Using Subtext and Speeching Between The Lines

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The Sounds of Silence: Using Pauses in Your Speech

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The First Seven Seconds Of Your Wedding Speech-How To Crush It

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The Plunge

great speech opening jokes

30 Funny Opening Lines for Wedding Speeches

Handy one-liners to make the guests lol.

great speech opening jokes

If you've read our post on how to make a great best man speech , you'll know that we recommend starting with a joke , and here, we're sharing 30 foolproof examples of funny opening lines for wedding speeches! The beauty of this list is that it works for any wedding speech, whether you're a groom , bride, best man , bridesmaid , groomsman, bridesman, groomsmaid, father of the bride, father of the groom, mother of the bride, mother of the groom, granny or grandad, or just a close pal with a knack for public speaking!

Boasting everything from eye roll-worthy classics to offbeat gags, our round-up of funny opening lines for wedding speeches is sure to have something to suit your personal style, and many of them can be customised to pack an even bigger punch on the day. Kick off with one of these gems, and you'll not only put the audience at ease, you'll set yourself up for a terrific wedding speech!

great speech opening jokes

Note: [Name] can indicate yourself, the bride/groom, the couple as a whole, or another member of the bridal party!

1. “Gosh, what an emotional day it’s been. Even the cake is in tiers!”

2. “Hi everyone! I’m [Name] and it’s time for me to give the speech I frantically scribbled down 15 minutes ago!”

3. "The couple have requested that I don't share any embarrassing stories... so that's it from me! Thanks for listening!"

4. "[Name], I love you so much, and I really hope you'll feel the same about me after you hear my speech."

bride giving a speech

5. "I just want to start by congratulating [previous speaker's Name] on their wonderful speech. I always knew it would be hard to follow and I was right, I couldn't follow a word of it."

6. "The couple actually had a bit of trouble finding someone to make a speech today. They started by asking their funniest friend, and they said no. Then they asked their most charming friend, and they said no. After that, they asked their best-looking friend and, again, they said no. Then they asked me, and, after already turning them down three times, I couldn't refuse again."

Bride gives speech Olga Hogan Photography: Hannah & Eoghan

7. "Ladies and gentlemen, today we witnessed a unique event in history - it's the first and presumably last time anyone has trusted me to give a speech!"

8. "[Name] and I share the same sense of humour, so if you don't like my jokes, you can blame them!"

9. "Ladies and gentlemen, we are gathered here today to celebrate something truly magical. Something so rare and fortuitous and wonderful that it simply must be celebrated. I am, of course, talking about the open bar/donut wall/photo booth/[Name] wearing a tie ."

great speech opening jokes

10. "Where do I start with [Name]? They're kind, intelligent, gorgeous, charming... [directed at them] sorry, I'm having trouble reading your writing, you'll have to tell me the rest later."

11. "I think we can all agree that it's been a fantastic day. But unfortunately that ends right here with my speech."

12. "Loyal. Kind. Honest. Generous... That's enough about me, I'm here to talk about [Name]!"

great speech opening jokes

13. "I'd like to begin my speech by giving the happy couple some relationship advice, but unfortunately I'm single and spend most of my time trying to coax my cat into little outfits/browsing Doctor Who fan sites/playing Rock Paper Scissors with Alexa."

14. "A few months ago, [Name] called me up and asked, 'What are your feelings on marriage?' I had to tell them that, while I was very flattered, I wasn't ready to settle down just yet."

15. "Can everyone hear me OK? If you can't hear me in the back, the silence from the people at the front should reassure you that you're not missing anything."

great speech opening jokes

16. "Hello everyone! I'm [Name]. I'm sure you all know me as (Name's best friend/sister/mum/dad), but if you don't, well done on sneaking into the wedding unnoticed!"

17. "Before I begin, I must explain that, this morning, [Name] asked me to remove anything resembling innuendo from my speech. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to go through it again, but if I come across anything risqué, I'll whip it out immediately."

18. "[Name] knows that I'm a bit nervous about this speech, and they gave me some great advice. They said 'Don't try to be too charming, witty or intellectual... just be yourself!'"

Funny Opening Lines for Wedding Speeches

19. "All of us gathered together in this room, we've got something really important in common - none of us have got a clue what I'm going to say next!"

20. "I was told that the secret to a good speech is to start with something that's relevant to everyone in the audience. So here it goes - all of your cars have been stolen."

21. "I want to start by saying that, of all the weddings I've attended over the years, this one is, by far, the most recent."

great speech opening jokes

22. "I'd like to start by congratulating [Name] on their excellent taste... in speakers."

23. "Before we start, can everybody do me a favour and get up off their seats? Now can everyone take one step backward, please? Now can everyone move one step to the right? And now can everyone move one step left? Thank you. Someone told me that the key to giving a good speech was to move people, but I think they must have been having me on, because this is going terribly!"

wedding speech opening lines funny opening lines sincere opening lines (9)

24. "I'm so happy to be overseeing the only five minutes of today that [bride or groom's Name] didn't plan. Only joking, they went over my speech with me at the bar half an hour ago. [Pulls extra page out of pocket] But I did manage to hide one page!"

25. Guys, before I start, just some housekeeping notes, the venue has asked that you don't stand on any of the chairs and tables for my standing ovation."

26 . I sincerely hope that each day of [Insert names] marriage is better than the the one before, the only thing is that also means they'll look back on today, their wedding day, and say that it was the worst day of their lives.

27. I’ve been worried about giving this speech for a while now. You'll be glad to hear, that last night I slept like a baby. I woke up every two hours, bawling my eyes out.

great speech opening jokes

28. Please keep clapping and cheering to a minimum. I’m terribly hungover. I know, you shouldn’t drink the night before a wedding, but I couldn’t very well let the groom/bride drink alone, could I?

29. Just some last messages here to read out: one from [NAME’S] football team for [PARTNER] " Apologies we couldn’t all be there today, good luck with [NAME], we found him/her to be useless in most positions, but wishing you all the best for tonight ."

30. Before I start ladies and gentlemen, let us observe a few moments of silence in memory of the 3,000 prawns, 250 chickens, and the many, many carnations, roses and wedding coordinators who selflessly gave their lives to make this wedding celebration possible.

Loved these opening lines for wedding speeches? We also have a handy checklist of people you need to remember to thank !

Image credits

Marc lawson photography, via one fab day, see more in:.

great speech opening jokes

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great speech opening jokes

Let's Roam Explorer

120+ Clever and Hilarious Icebreaker Jokes

Tell a joke that’s guaranteed to get laughs! These 120+ hilarious icebreaker jokes are a great way to start any meeting or conversation.

great speech opening jokes

If you’re looking for some new and interesting icebreaker jokes to help break the ice at your next meeting or social gathering, look no further!

We’ve gathered over 120 of the best and funniest icebreakers out there, so you’ll be sure to have plenty of material to work with.

Whether you’re looking for a way to loosen up a tense situation or just want to make everyone laugh, these jokes are sure to do the trick. So go ahead and give one of these icebreakers a try—we promise you won’t be disappointed!

Get acquainted with your coworkers !

Work can be lonely when you don’t really know your colleagues. Gather the gang together for a team-building event ! Our expert guides will help you choose the perfect group activity to suit your needs. Build employee bonds, improve productivity, make training more fun, and more!

Icebreaker Jokes That ALWAYS Get a Laugh

  • How can you get four suits for a dollar? Buy a deck of cards.
  • What do you get if you cross an elephant and a kangaroo? Big holes all over Australia!
  • What washes up on very small beaches? Microwaves
  • What did the rug say to the floor? Do not move! I have got you covered!
  • What kind of bird can lift the most? A crane.
  • Penguins are never full from dinner… they like to have ice pudding for dessert!
  • Did you hear about the magic tractor? It was driving down the road and suddenly turned into a field!
  • How do you make a hot dog stand? Steal its chair.
  • Why didn’t the lifeguard save the hippie? Because he was too far out. Ha!
  • What travels around the world but stays in one corner? A stamp
  • Do you know what batman loves to eat? His diet isn’t very varied, he loves just-ice.
  • What has one horn and gives milk? A milk truck
  • Why did the chicken cross the road? Because he wanted to get to the other side
  • You know what a clean desk is a sign of? A cluttered desk drawer.
  • Why did the duck get kicked out of rehab? He couldn’t lay off the quack.
  • Why was the math book sad? Because it has many problems.
  • How does a farmer count a herd of cows? With a cow-culator.
  • What did one hat say to the other? You stay here, I’ll go on a head!
  • What has six eyes but cannot see? Three blind mice.
  • What do you get if you cross an insect with the Easter rabbit? Bugs Bunny.
  • I’ve only been fired from a job once. It was a calendar factory. All I did was take a day off.
  • Why are penguins socially awkward? They find it difficult to break the ice.
  • How does a pig go to the hospital? In a hambulance.
  • Why did the gum cross the road? Because it was stuck to the chicken’s foot

Discover EVEN MORE great icebreaker questions for small groups .

  • Why did the frog take the bus to work today? His car got toad away.
  • If shorts are called shorts, why aren’t pants called longs?
  • Did you hear the rumor about butter? Never mind, I shouldn’t spread it
  • What did the man say when he slipped and fell on ice? Nothing he just gave everyone the cold shoulder!
  • When I meet women, I immediately start talking about global warming. It’s a real ice breaker.
  • What do cats like to eat for breakfast? Mice Krispies.
  • Want to hear an icebreaker? Fat penguin
  • What did one elevator say to the other? I think I am coming down with something!
  • What occurs when you are alone and you get too cold? You are totally ice-olated.What is the best thing to do if you find a gorilla in your bed? Sleep somewhere else
  • What do superheroes put in their drinks? Just ice!
  • Did you hear about the traveling snowman? He did his sales calls by i-cicle
  • There were three tomatoes, a mom, a dad, and a son. The son lagged behind and fell splat on the floor. His dad yelled to him, “Ketchup, son”.
  • What kind of cat likes to go bowling? Alley cats.
  • What did the right eye say to the left eye? Just between you and me, something smells!
  • Why does the Easter Bunny have a shiny nose? His powder puff is on the wrong end
  • What does the ice say to the fire? Fire listen, you might be hotter, but I’m cooler.
  • How do you make a hot dog stand? Steal its chair
  • I recently started speed reading. So far, I can read “War and Peace” in ten seconds. It’s only three words, but it’s a start.
  • What do you call an alligator in a vest? An investigator!
  • We both have something in common. You don’t know what I’m going to say, and neither do I.
  • What’s at the bottom of the ocean and shivers? A nervous wreck!
  • What do you call a country where everyone has to drive a pink car? A pink car-nation.

Sick of jokes? Give a riddle a try! These icebreaker riddles are sure to stump your colleagues.

  • What do you call a cat on ice? One cool cat!
  • What’s the best thing about Switzerland? I don’t know, but the flag is a huge plus.
  • Where do you learn to make ice cream? Sundae school.
  • Why were the teacher’s eyes crossed? She could not control her pupils.
  • Why did the scarecrow get a promotion? Because he was outstanding in his field.
  • What is green and loud? A frog horn.
  • What country makes you shiver? Chile.
  • What did the mother broom say to the baby broom? It is time to go to sweep.
  • A man has died after falling in a vat of coffee; it was instant.
  • Are you a 45-degree angle? Because you’re acute-y.
  • What did Delaware? Her New Jersey.
  • What bone will a dog never eat? A trombone.
  • Why does a chicken coop have two doors? Because if it had four, it would be a chicken sedan!
  • What has many keys but cannot open any doors? A piano.
  • What did the green grape say to the purple grape? BREATHE!! BREATHEEEEE!!!!!
  • Why did the gum cross the road? Because it was stuck to the chicken’s foot.
  • “Do you know what really bugs me? Discreetly placed microphones
  • Why couldn’t anyone get a job at the ice rink? There was a hiring freeze.
  • What is round and bad-tempered? A vicious circle.
  • What is worse than raining cats and dogs? Hailing taxis!
  • If the formula of water is H₂O , then what is the formula of ice ? H₂O cubed
  • What did the duck say to the woman who bought lipstick? Put it on my bill!
  • What do you call the cheese that is not yours? Not-yo-cheese (Nacho cheese)
  • I just wrote a book on reverse psychology. Do not read it.
  • How do you get an ice cube to melt faster? Talk to it and get into a heated argument!
  • Do you know what Jack Frost likes to eat? He always orders ice-bergers.
  • How do you prevent a summer cold? Catch it in the winter!
  • If you want to serve a polar bear a drink before bed, just give him an ice-cap.
  • What’s a comedian’s least favorite drink? Booze!
  • How much does a polar bear weigh? Enough to break the ice.
  • If a long dress is evening wear, what is a suit of armor? Silverware.
  • What do you call the best butter on the farm? A goat.
  • What is a tree’s favorite drink? Root beer.
  • Why can’t the bike stand on its own? Because it’s two-tired
  • What do you get when you cross a stream and a brook? Wet feet.
  • Why do Eskimos build so many igloos? Because they love to ice-o-late themselves.
  • My sister once froze a dollar in a block of ice. It was cold hard cash.
  • Why does the Easter Bunny have a shiny nose? His powder puff is on the wrong end.
  • What did the iceberg take-away have on its menu? Freshly caught ice-skate.
  • Life without you would be like a broken pencil…pointless
  • My girlfriend told me she needed to take a break from me. So I gave her a Kit Kat.
  • What is Jack Frost’s favorite mode of transport? A tr-Ice-cycle.
  • What is every ice cream parlor owner’s side hustle? Sundae school teacher.
  • How do you make an egg laugh? Tell it a yolk.
  • Did you hear the arctic circle has its own toy store? They’ve called it Fisher Ice.
  • What’s not a good icebreaker? Global warming.
  • What can you hold without ever touching it? A conversation.
  • What kind of eggs does a wicked chicken lay? Deviled eggs.
  • Why was Cinderella thrown off the basketball team? She ran away from the ball.
  • What happens when frogs park illegally? They get toad

Jokes aren’t the only way to get a laugh. Try one of these funny icebreaker questions out!

  • Why do cows wear bells? Because their horns don’t work
  • Did you hear about the adventurous snowman? He had quite the ice-capade.
  • What do you call a song sung in an automobile? A cartoon.
  • Everyone is gifted, but some people never open their packages.
  • What did Tennessee? The same thing Arkansas.
  • Nobody is born cool, except of course… an ice cube
  • I can’t take my dog to the park because the ducks keep trying to bite him. I guess that’s what I get for buying a pure bread dog.
  • How do Eskimos make their beds? With sheets of ice and blankets of snow!
  • Do you know what really bugs me? Discreetly placed microphones.
  • You know what can really ruin a Friday? Remembering it’s only Thursday.
  • What did the traffic light say to the car? Don’t look at me. I’m changing!
  • I wondered why the baseball was getting bigger. Then it hit me.
  • What did the Buffalo say to his son when he left for college? Bi-son
  • What do you call kids that love to spend time on the ice? Chill-dren.
  • What did the necktie say to the hat? You go on ahead. I will hang around for a while
  • What did the big furry hat say to the warm woolly scarf? You hang around while I go ahead!
  • What clothes does a house wear? Address.
  • Why did the man put his money in the freezer? Because he wanted cold hard cash!
  • What do you get when you cross poison ivy with a 4-leaf clover? A rash of good luck.
  • What do you call a person who is born in Columbus, grows up in Cleveland, and then dies in Cincinnati? Dead.
  • How did the hipster drown? He ice-skated before it was cool.
  • What does the ice cube say? I was water before it was cool.
  • What do you call a frozen crocodile? A croc-ice.
  • Why are mountains funny? Because they’re hill areas.

Let’s get weird! Try out these wacky and weird icebreaker questions with your team.

Socialize on a scavenger hunt !

Whether you’re looking to get to know new friends or reconnect with familiar faces, a scavenger hunt is an awesome activity! While you roam through a city, tracking down each stop, you’ll get fun facts about local attractions. You and your fellow explorers will need to remember what you’ve learned because trivia will help you earn points. It’s a game, n adventure, and the perfect way to share a unique experience with others. Find one near you !

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COMMENTS

  1. 100 Public-Speaking Jokes to Add Humor to Your Next Speech

    Here are a few funny quote you can use if you had trouble creating or designing your speech. "The human brain starts working the moment you are born and never stops until you stand up to speak in public.". - George Jessel. "It usually takes more than three weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech.". - Mark Twain.

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    So take the time to make the equivalent of a "verbal handshake". Say "Hello" and make a "connection" before you start your talk. The quicker you build a personal rapport with an audience, the sooner they'll be persuaded to listen to your ideas or buy your goods and services. "Thank you.

  3. 22 Good Opening Jokes for a Speech: Kickstart Your Speech!

    BONUS Jokes: The 'Unexpected Twist' Joke: "I promise to keep this speech short…so short, it'll be over before you know it…or maybe not.". The 'Pop Culture' Reference: "This speech is like a Netflix series…I hope it's binge-worthy.". The 'Observational Humor' Opener: "I'm not sure why they call it public speaking.

  4. 20 Public Speaking Jokes to Spice Up Your Presentation

    Here are 10 more public speaking jokes: "I used to be a public speaker for a living… but I quit because the audience never laughed at my jokes.". "Public speaking is like skydiving… it's terrifying at first, but once you get the hang of it, it's a real rush.".

  5. 40 Funny Speech Opening Lines: Make 'Em Laugh

    Or as my therapist would say, 'It's a start.'". "Thank you for that warm welcome. I was worried you'd all be asleep by now.". "Hello, everyone! I'm here to talk to you about [topic]. Or as my kids call it, 'The thing that makes dad boring.'". "Before I begin, I want to thank the person who invented coffee.

  6. 44 Witty & Wacky Icebreaker Jokes For Meetings

    5) "Nowadays, comedians tell the news and the media tells the jokes.". 6) A player asked his golf coach: "What is going wrong with my game?". The coach replied, "You're standing too close to the ball after you've hit it.". ( Golf Workout Program) 7) "Housework won't kill you.

  7. 91 Good Icebreaker Jokes

    A man is driving down the road with twenty penguins in the back seat. The police stop him and say that he cannot drive around with the penguins in the car and that he should take them to the zoo. The man agrees and drives off.The next day, the same man is driving down the road with twenty penguins in the back again.

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    4. Make them laugh. Injecting a little humor into your opening line puts everyone at ease and makes your speech more memorable. Just make sure your joke is relevant and doesn't offend your audience. Example: "They say an apple a day keeps the doctor away, but if the doctor is cute, forget the fruit!". 5.

  9. Speech one liners & jokes

    I hope my speech will keep you on the edge of your seats. Hopefully that will be because you're interested, not because you're trying to get up the nerve to leave. I hope you enjoyed my speech and if you did not, I hope you had a good nap. (For a roast) My friends: I know you too well to call you ladies and gentlemen.

  10. Public Speaking Jokes

    Public Speaking Jokes. Using public speaking jokes or stories in a speech can be an effective method of connecting with an audience. It's a great way to get your presentation off to a good start, with a lot of positive momentum. BUT... you'll run into problems if you don't structure the joke or story properly, or don't rehearse it enough.

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    20. A best man is similar to a dead body at a funeral. You're expected to be there, but if you say too much, people start freaking out. 21. A wise man once told me that a best man speech is like a miniskirt. It should be short enough to be interesting, but long enough to cover the goods. 22.

  12. Jokes For Public Speaking

    Once you can fake that you have got it made!" - Jean Giraudoux. "There are always three speeches, for every one you actually gave. The one you practiced, the one you gave ... and the one you wish you gave." - Dale Carnegie. Jokes for public speaking - a secret weapon whether you are attending public speaking courses, searching for public ...

  13. Humor and Jokes on Public Speaking

    By OratoryCDC September 22, 2023. Jokes on public speaking can lighten the mood during presentations and help speakers connect with their audience. Many people find public speaking daunting, so using humor can help alleviate tension and create a more relaxed atmosphere. Effective humor can also enhance the speaker's credibility and make the ...

  14. 15 Funny Ice Breaker Jokes (For Speeches, Meetings, Dates)

    As she rapped her knuckles on the table, she said, "That must be someone at the door. I'll get it!". You: "Titanic". Them: "What?". You: "Oh sorry, that's not a good ice breaker.". This one time, I met a girl in a bar in Canada. I started to tell her about my job working on an ice breaker.

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    One of the best ways to open your speech with a buzz is to startle or shock them. You can shock an audience in many ways, but they all rest on the major senses of VAKS: Visual. Auditory. Kinesthetic (touch) and Smell. We don't want your audience tasting your talk, but it should leave a good taste in their mouths.

  16. 42 Hilarious Best Man's Speech Jokes

    6) I just heard there was a competitive sweepstake on the length of the Best Man's speech. I put my money on 45 minutes, so settle in…. 7) My name is James and I am the Best Man. Many of you would beg to differ, but you'd do well to keep quiet - I know your secrets. 8) I'd like to congratulate the Groom on a truly magnificent speech.

  17. 31 Funny Icebreaker Jokes for Work Meetings

    Plagiarism! A bus station is where a bus stops. A train station is where a train stops. On my desk, I have a work station…. My boss just texted me: "Send me one of your funny jokes!". I texted him back: "I'm busy working. I'll send one later.". "That's hilarious," he said. "Send another one!".

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    Opening Jokes for Best Man Speech. Saying something amusing at the beginning of your speech is a great way to engage your audience from the get-go. If you want to kick off your speech with some humor, here are 10 funny ways to do so: I'd like to start by congratulating Scott on his excellent taste in speech givers.

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    Analyze their response and tweak the joke accordingly if necessary. Starting your speech with humour means your setting the tone of your speech. It would make sense to have a few more jokes sprinkled around the rest of the speech as well as the audience might be expecting the same from you. 4. Mohammed Qahtani.

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    Jack is the kindest friend anyone could ask for; a man whose philanthropy knows no bounds. 'Generosity' should be his middle name. He would do anything for me; like helping write a section of the best man speech because you forgot about it until late last night at the bar! Jack was in a pub when he proposed.

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    If you've read our post on how to make a great best man speech, you'll know that we recommend starting with a joke, and here, we're sharing 30 foolproof examples of funny opening lines for wedding speeches!The beauty of this list is that it works for any wedding speech, whether you're a groom, bride, best man, bridesmaid, groomsman, bridesman, groomsmaid, father of the bride, father of the ...

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  23. Groom Speech Jokes

    Anything which shows their real character will get a much bigger laugh than an impersonal, internet gag. STEP 2 - GET STORY HUNTING. Conduct a forensic search of your relationship and find your best stories. To be clear, your best stories NEVER relate to the proposal (unless it went wrong).

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