"Humor increases persuasion's effectiveness." - Dr. Jim Lyttle I am comedian/author/dudeman Marshall Chiles and I will show you step-by-step proven methodologies to help add humor to your business presentations in order to increase your persuasion, maximize your impact, and be one of the cool kids. "I used your recommendations and absolutely crushed my sales presentation at the conference. Was told I was a stand out speaker and was really able to get the crowd engaged with some humor. You the man!" - Ryan Hughes, 360 Rick Partners After 16 years as a comedian and comedy entrepreneur, I have taken my knowledge of comedy and business to write this book. YPIJ initially was as an introductory course for new comedians, then I adapted it for business presenters as a speech. Over the last three years, I have been able to fine-tune the lessons that easily help people be funnier on stage. What really reenforced my belief in what I have to offer happened in 2015 when the presentation form of YPIJ won an award from YPO (Young Presidents' Organization www.ypo.org). YPO is one of the most elite executive groups on the planet, and they not only hired me, but honored Your Presentation is a Joke as award worthy which helped me finally feel acceptance. If you have a business presentation, then you want to stand out, make people pay more attention and give you their money. I submit humor is the way to reach those goals. In this book you will learn proven techniques from adding funny images, to finding the funny in (almost) any subject, to writing self-deprecating jokes, and more. So whether you're a seasoned public speaker, a new speaker, or you just think I'm pretty and want to give me money, you should get Your Presentation is a Joke.

WALL STREET JOURNAL, LOS ANGELES TIMES, AND USA TODAY BESTSELLER • Anyone—even you!—can learn how to harness the power of humor in business (and life), based on the popular class at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business. Don’t miss the authors’ TED Talk, “Why great leaders take humor seriously,” online now. “The ultimate guide to using the magical power of funny as a tool for leadership and a force for good.”—Daniel H. Pink, #1 New York Times bestselling author of When and Drive We are living through a period of unprecedented uncertainty and upheaval in both our personal and professional lives. So it should come as a surprise to exactly no one that trust, human connection, and mental well-being are all on the decline. This may seem like no laughing matter. Yet, the research shows that humor and laughter are among the most valuable tools we have at our disposal for strengthening bonds and relationships, diffusing stress and tension, boosting resilience, and performing when the stakes are high. That’s why Jennifer Aaker and Naomi Bagdonas teach the popular course Humor: Serious Business at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, where they help some of the world’s most hard-driving, blazer-wearing business minds infuse more humor and levity into their work and lives. In Humor, Seriously, they draw on findings by behavioral scientists, world-class comedians, and inspiring business leaders to reveal how humor works and—more important—how you can use more of it, better. Aaker and Bagdonas unpack the theory and application of humor: what makes something funny, how to mine your life for material, and simple ways to identify and leverage your unique humor style. They show how to use humor to rebuild vital connections; appear more confident, competent, and authentic at work; and foster cultures where levity and creativity can thrive. President Dwight David Eisenhower once said, “A sense of humor is part of the art of leadership, of getting along with people, of getting things done.” If Dwight David Eisenhower, the second least naturally funny president (after Franklin Pierce), thought humor was necessary to win wars, build highways, and warn against the military-industrial complex, then you might consider learning it too.

A practical guide based on a proprietary skill assessment tool—a Myers-Briggs for presenters—that provides tips and strategies that address the core element for becoming a successful presenter: YOU What kind of presenter are you? Are you charming? Purposeful? Informative? Inspiring? Do you have natural charisma? A clear message? A powerful vision? What’s Your Presentation Persona? is a revolutionary guide based on Badge, the first-of-its-kind proprietary skill assessment tool―a Myers-Briggs for presenters―that provides strategies and tips that address the core element for becoming a successful presenter: YOU. This groundbreaking book identifies 16 presentation personas, each with its own strengths and weaknesses, and shows you how to leverage your unique qualities to become a more powerful, persuasive, and successful presenter. Take the self-assessment test in the book and discover your persona. Are you: • The Director: a respected leader with an empathetic core (Oprah Winfrey or Ned Stark from Game of Thrones) • The Captivator: a charismatic presenter with a natural, unrehearsed flair (Gary Vaynerchuk or Captain Kirk from Star Trek) • The Producer: a successful speaker who believes in hard work—not luck (Martin Luther King Jr. or Walter White from Breaking Bad) • The Scholar: an always-curious learner informed by their own wisdom (Elon Musk or Hermoine Granger from Harry Potter) • The Liberator: an optimistic visionary who loves to inspire (Tony Robbins or William Wallace from Braveheart) The key to reaching others is knowing who you are. Get to know yourself. Build on your strengths. Work on your weaknesses. Learn how to deliver your message with confidence, charisma, humor, and authenticity. Be yourself—but better. Once you’ve mastered your presentation persona, explore others you’d like to experiment with and learn from. Incorporate techniques into your unique style to become the strongest, most well-rounded communicator you can be―so you can razzle-dazzle any audience on any topic anytime.

The most important speeches of America's "Great Communicator": Here, in his own words, is the record of Ronald Reagan's remarkable political career and historic eight-year presidency.

Timeless advice about how to use humor to win over any audience Can jokes win a hostile room, a hopeless argument, or even an election? You bet they can, according to Cicero, and he knew what he was talking about. One of Rome’s greatest politicians, speakers, and lawyers, Cicero was also reputedly one of antiquity’s funniest people. After he was elected commander-in-chief and head of state, his enemies even started calling him “the stand-up Consul.” How to Tell a Joke provides a lively new translation of Cicero’s essential writing on humor alongside that of the later Roman orator and educator Quintilian. The result is a timeless practical guide to how a well-timed joke can win over any audience. As powerful as jokes can be, they are also hugely risky. The line between a witty joke and an offensive one isn’t always clear. Cross it and you’ll look like a clown, or worse. Here, Cicero and Quintilian explore every aspect of telling jokes—while avoiding costly mistakes. Presenting the sections on humor in Cicero’s On the Ideal Orator and Quintilian’s The Education of the Orator, complete with an enlightening introduction and the original Latin on facing pages, How to Tell a Joke examines the risks and rewards of humor and analyzes basic types that readers can use to write their own jokes. Filled with insight, wit, and examples, including more than a few lawyer jokes, How to Tell a Joke will appeal to anyone interested in humor or the art of public speaking.

Public speaking can be terrifying. For David Nihill, the idea of standing in front of an audience was scarier than cliff jumping into a thorny pit of spiders and mothers-in-law. Without a parachute or advanced weaponry. Something had to change. In what doesn't sound like the best plan ever, David decided to overcome his fears by pretending to be an accomplished comedian called "Irish Dave" for one full year, crashing as many comedy clubs, festivals, and shows as possible. One part of the plan was at least logical: he was already Irish and already called Dave. In one year, David went from being deathly afraid of public speaking to hosting a business conference, regularly performing stand-up comedy and winning storytelling competitions in front of packed houses. And he did it by learning from some of the best public speakers in the world: stand-up comedians. Do You Talk Funny?: 7 Comedy Habits to Become a Better (and Funnier) Public Speaker shows how the key principles of stand-up comedy can be applied to your speaking engagements and presentations to make you funnier, more interesting, and better looking. (Or at least two of the three.) Whether you are preparing for a business presentation, giving a wedding toast, defending your thesis, raising money from investors, or simply want to take on something you're afraid of, this book will take you from sweaty to stage-ready. You'll learn how to: - Craft a story and content that your audience will want to listen to - Find the funniest parts of your material and how to get to them faster - Deal with stage fright - Master the two most important parts of your performance: timing and delivery Ten percent of the author's proceeds from this book will go to Arash Bayatmakou via Help Hope Live until he is fully back on his feet and thereafter to one of the many facing the same challenges after suffering a severe spinal cord injury.

Humour is pervasive in contemporary culture, and is generally celebrated as a public good. Yet there are times when it is felt to produce intolerance, misunderstanding or even hatred. This book brings together, for the first time, contributions that consider the ethics as well as the aesthetics of humour. The book focuses on the abuses and limits of humour, some of which excite considerable social tension and controversy. Beyond a Joke is an exciting intervention, full of challenging questions and issues.

Humor That Works is a business book on humor. No, that's not an oxymoron. It really is a business book and it really is about getting better results by having more fun. Because people who use humor in the workplace are more productive, less stressed, and happier. No joke; sources included.

This practical guide to the effective use of humor in public speeches and presentations includes step-by-step directions for telling jokes, working the audience, dealing with stage fright, and more. Also contains a special section on handling a host of surprising situations, from angry audiences to extreme temperatures, plus extensive coverage of roasts.

The author, a computer science professor diagnosed with terminal cancer, explores his life, the lessons that he has learned, how he has worked to achieve his childhood dreams, and the effect of his diagnosis on him and his family.