Use Self-Effacing Humor to Make You More Relatable and… Your Point Punchy

Even if we aren’t trying to come across as a guru or think we are any better than the people we are speaking to in an audience, just the fact that we are on stage can create a barrier. It can make it harder for people to relate to us. One of the best ways to dismantle this barrier is by telling stories about you making mistakes, about you being imperfect.

Here’s one of my favorite personal examples of using a story to do this. I love to use this story because it not only helps people get it that I realize I’m just a regular guy sharing with them, but that it also helps to make a simple resilience-enhancing technique more memorable because it’s packaged in a funny story.

Stories that include surprise or humor are a great way to make your ideas “Sticky” (vis a vis Made to Stick by Chip and Dan Heath). They make a simple idea–like the one in the video you’ll see shortly–hit home more powerfully than if you just shared the idea, and…they make your point more memorable.

So…start collecting experiences you’ve had where you were “the fool” and think about how you can use them in your presentations to make you more bond-able and make your points hit home harder.

Here’s the link to the story and video on my resilience website WhateverLifeBrings.com.