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Effective Communication - Emergency Management Institute ...

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UNIT 6: EFFECTIVE ORAL COMMUNICATION<br />

Humor<br />

Using humor in speeches is a long-standing tradition. You can probably<br />

remember many times when you heard a speaker open a presentation with a<br />

joke. Most likely, you smiled at the jokes, settled in to listen to the messages<br />

and cannot remember any of the jokes that were told. However, if you can, it is<br />

probable that the joke offended you in some way. Why?<br />

When you hear humor successfully integrated into a presentation, it can<br />

enhance your reception to the speaker and message. You are relaxed by<br />

amusement and open to listening. Hence, the successful use of humor lies in<br />

eliciting a smile from the audience with a joke that is unlikely to offend.<br />

Humor used wisely may:<br />

Establish commonality.<br />

Increase trust.<br />

Reduce anxiety.<br />

Provide relief.<br />

Pace the delivery of complicated information.<br />

<strong>Effective</strong> <strong>Communication</strong> Page 6.17

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