Public Speaking Tips - How to Inject Humour When Writing a Speech

Everybody loves to laugh but, not everybody can make others laugh. Do you know how to weave jokes and funny stories into your speech?

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We all like funny people. As such, when speaking in public, it is important to use humour to bridge and build rapport with your audience. For sure it is not easy task, still, it is very much impossible to inject humour into your speech to make other laugh.

In this article, we will answer the following three frequently asked questions when one is trying to weave humour into his or her speech:

    When to use humour?
    What happens if there is no laughter?
    Where can you find humour?

How to Use Humour?

If you are in doubt about your humour, don't use it. Please remember that not every speech requires humour. It is also not necessary to use humour to break the ice with the audience. However, if you wish to use humour, then follow the guidelines below.

The guidelines are:

    Write down the humourous piece and memories it, When you present it, speak naturally in a conversational tone. If you are nervous and you have trouble remembering it, then it is better to forgo the humour.
    Try to find a suitable place in your speech to fit in the humour. The humour must tie in with the point you are emphasizing or link with the next comment. Do not make a joke or give a humourous comment just because you like it. Humour has to be relevant. You are not there to be a stand-up comic but to present a speech.
    Customise your humour for the event or occasion is most appropriate. For example, if the event is for sales people, then your humour or joke is evolved around sales and sales people.
    Personalize your humour to poke fun at yourself or someone who is popular or well-known in the event.
    Find the "in" jokes for the audience. You will instantly receive warm response for that.
    Especially, when you are a foreign speaker, please check with the organizer and research for the "in" things or jokes.
    Avoid ethnic or cultural jokes, try to be sensitive about this segment of the people. Humour has to be clean and understood by all.
    Tell short humourous story is more effective than a long story. Speak slowly and clearly, and make sure it is loud enough to be heard.

Use The Right Humour Targets

Humour is laughing at something or someone (like the speaker). It must have a target. In America, politicians and celebrities are the most popular targets. The more popular they are and the more people target them.

Be careful in the selection of targets. Sometimes it can backfire. Avoid using the audience, females and the sacred cows like religion and sex.

If you aim at someone among the audience whom you know and is happy to take a punch, then the audience will laugh and your target is correct.

The Best Humour Targets

1. You, The Speaker

You are the best target because you are responsible for yourself. If you can accept the feeling that the audience is laughing with you, then you have managed to put the audience at ease. This is called self-deprecating humour.

Here is a classic example:


    Just before my turn to speak; I was pacing to and from in a room. Suddenly a lady came behind me and said, " Are you nervous before your speech?"

    I said, "No, not me, I don't get nervous."

    "Then, what are you doing in the ladies room?" she said.

2. Superiority Figures

Anyone who holds a position of authority, such as bosses, government officials, teachers, or rich people are perceived as leaders.

Americahas a culture against authority and therefore speakers use humour to target at authority. In the Asian context, they respect the elders and authority, therefore not many Asian speakers dare to use humour to target at the authority.

Here is an example:

    In 1990 when Goh Chok Tong was sworn in as Prime Minister; the next day I called him on the direct line to congratulate him. He picked up the phone.

    I said, "Congratulations. Mr Prime Minister."

    He replied, "Oh, I think you've got the wrong extension."

3. People Related To The Speaker

People such as wives, children, in-laws, neighbours, and business associates.

Here are a few examples:

    Take my wife for instance, she always asks questions.

    Usually when I come home late, she will say, " What time is it?. Why are you back so late."

    One evening when I returned home at 9.00pm. She said, " What time is it? Why are you back so early?"

    My wife is a woman of few words. In the morning before I leave for work, she would say: " Come home early."

    In the evening when I return home, she would say: "Lock the door."

How To Tell A Humourous Story Effectively

Here are the rules for the amateur to tell jokes or humourous stories

    Memorize the punch line. It is the punch line that gets the laughter. The lunch line must be delivered smoothly and without hesitation.
    Tell a story in the fewest words possible. Remember more words are not better. In fact, more words can be more cumbersome and verbose. Remember KISS - keep it short and sweet.
    Rehearse the story until it becomes second nature. It means that you have to practice and practice to ensure smooth delivery.
    Don't laugh at your own jokes. It is like applauding yourself.
    Don't blame the audience if you do not get a response. You may have to change the punch line or the setup. Fine tune the story.
    Personalise your story and put yourself in the story. It sounds real and the audience will believe you.

Public Speaking Tips - Ways to Wiggle Humour Into Your Speech and Your Audience

Have you heard this maxim - laughter is the best medicine? Everybody loves to laugh but, not everybody can make others laugh. It's because telling jokes or funny stories is not easy and it takes special skill to render this part of the speech.

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Researchers have found that having fun and laughter is good for your health. Norman Cousin, the author of the book: "Anatomy of an illness" confirmed that laughing has a remedial effect on illness.

He was suffering from a terminal illness and he turned to humour and laughter such as watching cartoons and shows like " The Three Stooges Shows" and "the Lucy Shows."

It was the laughter that nursed him back to health. His doctor found laughter reduced the inflammation and infection in his body. Since then there are reports that many terminally ill patients turned to laughter such as cartoons and comedies to get them better.

Humour bridges and builds rapport with the audience instantly. It is not easy but not impossible to inject humour into your speech. Many speakers avoid humour in their speeches because humour can sound like a faux pas when delivered by them.

Great values in using humour in speeches

    It connects you immediately to the audience. The audience loves humour and enjoys great laughter. If you can make it laugh, it will like you more.
    It eases your approach to sensitive subjects. The strategy is to make the audience your ally. When you touch on sensitive subjects, it would not be so sensitive any more. In a way, you have desensitized it.
    Humour is a quick way to disarm a hostile audience. If you can make it laugh, then it would not be hostile.
    People remember a humourous story than a simple story.
    Humour motivates the audience and it will want more.
    At the end of the day, the audience remembers you because of the joke and your illustrations are more memorable.

Frequently Asked Questions About Humour

    What is humour?
    Why do people laugh?
    How do we use humour?
    Who are the best targets?
    How to create humour?
    When to use humour?
    What happens if there is no laughter?
    Where can you find humour?

What is Humour?

If you ask ten people "What is humour?" Most probably, you would receive ten different answers.

Some of the answers are:

    "Humour is exaggeration or surprise." - Mark Mayfield.

    "Rebellion against the status quo creates humour." - Grady Jim Robinson

    "A humour is the ability to see absurdity in our greatest fears." - George Valliant.

    "Humour helps us to shift perspective on our lives. It is a creative alternative to coping with stress." - Lorrie Bard

    "Humour is an art. As with any other art, the increasing awareness of humour enables you to appreciate it more. It also improves your skills and talents." - Roger Bates

    "Humour is emotional chaos remembered in tranquility." - James Thurber.

    "Humour is laughing at what you haven't got when you ought to have one." - Langston Hughes.

    "Humour is affirmation of dignity, a declaration of man's superiority to all that befalls him." - Ramon Gary.

And here are my versions of explaining what is humour:

    "Humour is a serious thing that becomes funny."
    "Humour is better if it is unprepared and impromptu."
    "An effective humour has no cultural barriers."
    "Humour has magic if it explodes at the right time."

The Common Forms of Verbal Humour

An Anecdote is a short account of a true or not-so-true account of an interesting and entertaining incident.

A Riddle is a puzzling question or statement that needs to be solved.

A One-Liner is a single brief incident, a comic tale that creates laughter.

A Joke is a single brief incident, a comic tale that creates laughter.

A Story or a humorous story is a longer version of joke. It has a beginning, body and ending.

Why Do We Laugh?

Much research has been done to determine the reasons behind the laugh.

The following are some of the reasons why people laugh.

1. Surprise

Remember the occasion when you were caught in a situation when someone surprised you with something, such as a birthday party. You started roaring with laughter because you did not expect it to happen. In a story, a surprise ending will bring laughter to the listeners.

The listeners are unaware of the unexpected ending. The speaker has to use witty words to build up the story and end with a punch (the punch line) that triggers the laughter.

2. Superiority

Human being like to be treated as superior and even though we are not superior; we like to feel superior. In jokes we like to play on the superiors, the authority, the rich and famous and the stronger ones (like the politicians.)

As we cannot beat them on level terms, at least, we can joke about them. Sometimes, the jokes can lead to witty insult. humour can be social criticism, and in America, there are blatant thrusts at the ethnic minority. The object is to deflate. According to a famous comedian, Melvin Helitzer, "As individuals, our humour is generally directed upwards against authoritative figures. In a group setting, our humour is directed downward towards groups that don't conform to our social, religious or national norm."

3. Incongruity

People laugh at incongruity because of its absurdity. For example, a company Chairman delivered his new year's address thus: "I wish everyone to have a New Year resolution like this - I shall support the company's policy of restructuring and agree to leave the company peacefully."

For instance, an experienced speaker was asked to say a few words at a company diner. He got up and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, good evening to you. I am happy to be here to say a few words. I have done it and now I shall shut up."

4. Ambivalence

This is similar to incongruity except that ambivalence stresses conflicting emotions whereas incongruity stresses clashing ideas and perceptions. For example, Bill Crosby to his troublesome son: "Listen, son, I am telling you, damn it. I brought you into this world, and I can take you out of it."

Business and Brand Puns - How To Attract Consumers With Humour

Everyone loves a good pun. Brand New Memes

There's nothing better than making your audience and consumer instantly smile, or even chuckle, just by hearing or seeing your business' name. It is an instant icebreaker, and lets the consumer know that you are a down-to-earth, approachable business.

However, we realise that not everyone feels the same way about the idea of turning a business or brand name into a pun. They might not work for everyone, and instead of attracting a consumer, it may well put them off a business altogether. Also, there is the possibility of causing confusion as far as different cultures and translations: if you want to appeal to a more international market, it is probably best to stay away from a brand pun.

Most adversity to business and brand puns is quite unfair though. Many businesses are thriving with business puns, and it makes some businesses reputable solely based on their name. So, if you are a non-believer of the power and attraction of puns, we hope to bring you round to our appreciation after reading this!

Free Promotion!
The promotion, reputability and publicity that all come from simply having a business name pun is undeniable, as well as ridiculously under-appreciated.

When your business has a funny (or punny!) name, people will definitely take pictures and share those images with their friends. Nowadays, that image will certainly end up online, on social media and possibly in a trending list article about epic puns from the UK.

Since all business goals revolve around gaining reputability and getting their business well known, this is definitely one way to do it. This is free promotion; you just have to make sure your phone number and business information is closely linked to your business name pun. For every person who clicks onto that image of your business name pun, there will be someone looking for what you do who will take note of your number.

However, in order to gain promotion and publicity from your punning name, you don't have to wait and rely on others to draw attention to your business. For example, it can be a selling point for a promotion or competition on social media. You can offer incentives for everyone who has a picture taken with your funny sign, or use it as a way to encourage other puns or funny business names in another campaign.

Make it Memorable
Perhaps the most important, and valuable, fact of utilising a witty pun as your business name is that it is bound to be memorable. A pun makes everyone smile, laugh, or even groan (in a good way!), and this humour helps people remember. However, be careful, as one of the worst things to do for your business is choose a name that is spelt wrong in some way - even if it has been adjusted to fit a pun.

For example, you may remember an optometrist called "OptimEyes", but would you necessarily remember how to spell it? It wouldn't be harmful as a store, in order to gain attention on the street, however if people tried to Google the name, they may be searching many wrong spellings.

Alternately, spelling and having to explain your business names are always obstacles in naming your business or brand. Even if you name your business a relatively normal, plain name, you will get questioned on your choice. At least if you are explaining a punny business name, there is a story to go behind your decision. It is easier to explain "OptimEyes - eyes as in the ones we specialise in!", rather than explaining how you came up with "Eyesify" and how exactly you spell that, or worse.

Asides from spelling, a main advantage of a punning name, rather than a made up or plain name, is that there will be a story that people will enjoy hearing, and undoubtedly remember. The funnier, and more unique, the pun and the story behind it: the better! Plus, even if there isn't more of a story than "it rhymes / made us laugh", your name will still be far more memorable as a pun.

Multiple Meanings
One useful advantage of utilising puns in your business name, or even tagline, is that you can be quite clever with it. You can use your business pun to mean many different things, and add different facets to your business and what you provide.

Of course, this isn't possible for all puns, but there are a few gems that can get away with multiple meanings that can be attributed to your brand in a positive way. For example, there's a cheese cake supplier (and we literally mean a cake - made out of cheese), who mainly supply stacks of cheese for weddings and special occasions, called C'est Cheese.

This is a great example of a pun with multiple layers of meaning that can all be attributed to the supplier in a positive way. Firstly, their name is cleverly chosen in French, meaning literally "it is cheese", which is true, but they are also playing on the fact that they are being cheesy in our British associations of the word. Also, they're playing on the fact that the French line rhymes with "say cheese", as well as playing on the well-known French term "c'est chic", meaning "it is stylish". There are so many positive associations with the name, as well as the fact that you will remember it, making it a perfect pun.

Plus, even if the meanings are simple to understand, a pun will usually add an extra layer of meaning for your business. For example, we discovered a tile-laying business, simply called Bonnie Tiler. This is a perfect example of an easy pun that makes you smile with its simplicity. Of course, it plays on the famous singer Bonnie Tyler, whilst adding the extra facet of the business being bonny tilers (bonny or bonnie as in attractive and happy), which is an association you'd like to be known for as a business.

Overall, we think these positives and advantages of puns far outweigh any negative associations. Of course, brand and business name puns tend to work better for smaller businesses, mainly on a national level. However, there are many examples of bigger brands utilising puns in taglines or advertising slogans, rather than keeping them as permanently in their name.

Plus, some are so subtle that you may not even notice them at first: for example, Absolut vodka is infamous for its advertising campaign revolving around their name, such as "Absolut magic". This is clever, as you don't notice it at first, but they are using their name in order to describe their product and add positive attributes to it, playing easily on "Absolut/absolute".

Therefore, no one can deny that puns are effective, and a good way to market your business or product. There is an acknowledgement that puns are cheesy, and they exist in a clever, ironic, self-aware comedic form as business and brand puns often. So, what's not to like?

Why Human Resources is Transforming Into Humour Resources?

Post Globalisation, HR Departments across the globe claim that they are the very foundation and only facilitators of businesses flourishing never before on the earth.

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Today, recession stuck corporate world is treating their assets i.e. Human Resources, People, Employees as just like dust and shooing away from the offices with pink slips, which situation was never expected by any great Economist in the world. Almost, every Economist stopped giving their valuable opinions on the recession and economic down turn across the globe. Many global banks, Companies declared bankruptcy and most glamorous CEOs are declared as worst CEO in the wake of the performance of their banks and companies.

Then, what is the reason for this phenomenon? Who is responsible for this unexpected 9/11 twin towers kind of crumble of the economy? What is the responsibility of HR Departments in this kind of casualties of Companies? How far HR departments can avoid this kind of drastic failure of system? They have publicized their companies as ideal and certified by every quality organization with regard to Corporate Governance, People Management and Financial Management.

HR is just a support function in any Company and it is the only function which gains confidence of the people and Management through the functioning style of the Head of the department.

How HR has to support the Management in this kind of situation?

The following action plan of HR will be effective while managing employee relations and acting as bridge between employees and Management.

o HR has to be proactive
o HR has to break the ice across the organization
o HR has to mingle with people without any inhibitions
o HR has to be outspoken
o HR has to do Management by Wandering Around (MBWA)
o HR Audit must be done periodically at least once in three months
o All kinds of steps must be taken for regular disbursement of pay and allowances
o Employees must be monitored to settle all financial dealings with the department immediately after returning from official tours and duties
o HR must function in such a manner to make the management understand the importance of Human Resources Department
o HR should always maintain proactive communication channels but not provocative communications styles
o HR must be always assertive and not aggressive
o HR must always inculcate productive interpersonal relations to mange team spirit
o HR has to bring new knowledge to the Company to make the Management understand the importance of training and development of all functions viz general management, Governance policies, financial management, sales and marketing management.
o HR has to take up the challenge of transforming Managers into Leaders
o HR has to strive to maintain emotional balance across the organization, enhance emotional intelligence and manage emotional quotient to create more result oriented and productive atmosphere

So, if HR cannot perform the above duties effectively, what will happen? Human Resources Department will become Humour Resources Department in the eyes of Employees as well as Management.

If the Company is declaring quarterly results without any problem and profit after tax (PAT) is increasing every financial year, that means HR Department is working effectively giving 'peace of mind' to its people and employee relations management, employee engagement are highly effective and productive.

What is 'peace of mind' to employees?

i) Regular disbursement of salaries without fail in coordination with Finance Department and Management.
ii) Regular appraisal of performance from time to time
iii) Rewards and Recognition Policies to motivate employees
iv) Celebrating life taking advantage of occasions such as Birthdays, Marriage Anniversaries and identifying achievers who regularly enhance their skills to enhance their position in the Company.
v) Proactive and positive behavioural patterns of HR will always empower people to speak out their mindset without any mental blocks

Then what is peace of mind to Management? Companies are always confused about the roles and responsibilities of Human Resources Department. HR is not productive and it will not produce any material to show physically to impress Management.

HR's role is like Lord Vishnu, who is one among the Trinity of Gods in Hindu Mythology. Among the Trinity of Gods Lord Brahma is the Creator, Lord Vishnu is the Sustainer and Lord Shiva is the Destroyer.

Lord Vishnu always protects the world from Raakshas i.e. Demons. Whenever, evil is flared up in the Society, Lord Vishnu rescues the righteous people and removes bad people. In the same way, HR department will remove 'the rotten apples' from the 'basket of organisation' to help productive people to become more proactive and result oriented and also to send a message that non-performers and disturbance creators will not be tolerated.

Lord Vishnu is the God of Sustenance. He will always strive to give peace of mind to the people to sustain the development by managing, engaging and enhancing the knowledge of people from time to time.

If the HR department is not a position to make the people feel the importance of their activities, it cannot garner the support of the Management. Every decision with regard to people management must go through the HR department to the people. If Management ignores the support of HR department and does not support HR Department, it will be sending wrong signals to the employees and they will be mismanaged for no fault of theirs. HR must gain respect from the Management and must be respected by one and all and also Management for its solid support to manage and enhance businesses without any kind of disturbance or obstruction.

No organization can sustain the development, if it cannot respect the support of HR department with mutual cooperation, motivation and admiration required from time to time.

In any organization HR must be treated as Omniscient, Omnipresent and Omnipotent for long life of the organization and to attract the loyalty of the people.

No Organisation will survive without the support of HR Department. And no HR department will survive without the support of the Management. They must have mutual respect, love, affection and admiration like Husband and Wife.

If this cannot be done effectively, Human Resources Department will become Humour Resources Department in the eyes of Management and Employees. It will become ineffective which may lead to indiscipline among the employees and finally collapse of the organization.

My Kind of Humour - Writing Humorous Articles

With the abounding influx of blogging, we are fortunate to get so much to read and enjoy on a variety of subjects. While the contributions on Technology, Literature, Poetry or other related subjects are doing wonderfully well it is the area of "Humour", "Satire" etc that worries me a little. Humour, according to me, is a very sublime emotion that has the unique quality / power to entertain both the person who initiates it and the person to whom it is addressed. The result being a good laugh that is good for the Heart!, literally.

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Unfortunately this art of making humorous posts / articles is quite a challenging task in that, very often one ends up by making a poor joke or making himself look ridiculous. This excellent tool of merriment was expertly handled by Authors like George Bernard Shaw, Robert Lynd etc who produced such wonderful works like "Pygmalion" and our own inimitable R K Narayan, whose stories like "Malgudi Days", "Financial Expert" etc were in a class of their own. I read somewhere that even Bernard Shaw had a taste of his own bullying nature once. He was walking on a narrow lane in the London suburbs when he saw a poor farmer coming towards him from the opposite direction. One of them had to get closer to the side wall to let the other pass. Bernard Shaw, not in his finest of moods, barked "I do not give way to fools!". The farmer politely stepped aside to let him pass saying, "I do Sir." Well that is what I call a good repartee! Adroitness and cleverness in reply, not necessarily abusive or even sarcastic.

Do write about comical situations and funny episodes of people, no problem. Just ensure that everyone laughs. I know, it is the fashion nowadays, to make a dig at someone and make funny remarks about the mannerism or idiosyncrasy of that person. Well they are fine up to a stage. You may find that you start losing your popularity sooner or later, if you depended ONLY on this kind. Well, before I begin to sound like a social reformer, I want to end this post. This is not a criticism or complaint against the excellent Humorous Blogs. Just an appeal to excel and enjoy with everyone.

How to Find Humour in Criticism?

No one likes criticism, however, at some point in your life, it is inevitable to be criticized.

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When I was young I have often been criticized. I was called " The ugly duckling", "Big fat girl" just to quote a few, such harsh labels can definitely leave a person with a bruised ego. I struggled to cope with criticism when I was in school. I would get really upset and was affected by the comments that made me feel miserable for days and even months.

In my adult life, I do get negative comments from time to time. My approach to criticism has somewhat changed over the years. I realised that I have no control over what people want to say, however, I have control over how I choose to react to criticism.

I would analyse and see if it is a constructive or destructive criticism. You will know if the feedback was meant to help or to hurt you. If it is a constructive feedback, thank the person for the feedback and seek ways to improve and be better. If the criticism has no justification, try not to take it personally and if possible add humour to it.

I have found some useful examples of dealing with critics.

When someone bluntly says "You look FAT", try to reply saying: "WOW! Thanks for telling me I look "Fabulous, Awesome & Terrific!" That would certainly leave the person either confuse or speechless.

What if someone says, " I look down on you ". You can jovially says: "Oh! Don't you realise you're wearing heels and I'm not. I shall wear heels that are 4 inches higher than yours and we shall see who is closer to the sky." Observe how the person reacts to you.

When you are told, " You eat so much today, you NEED to go on a diet". Reply by saying: " I would like to listen to you, but the thought of a skinny person who fall from the 10th floor with broken bones freak me out! I think if that person have a spare tyre and is rounded, protected with cushion, she might be able to bounce and stay alive! "

Billy Cosby once said: "Through humor, you can soften some of the worst blows that life delivers. And once you find laughter, no matter how painful your situation might be, you can survive it."

Have fun, find creative ways to deal with critics! Good humor is a tonic for mind and body. Throw your critics into astonishment, and make them wonder what you are thinking.

Someone said, "Angels can fly because they take themselves lightly; devils fall because of their gravity."

Destructive critics are trying to push you down and hurt you. Make a decision to take destructive criticism lightly.

When criticism strike, dish out your most creative, positive, humourous vibes and FLY like an angel.

Neutralising Self Criticism Through Humour and Laughter

Everyone suffers from self criticism from time to time. It can be useful. You can get important feedback from criticism. However criticism directed at the self can become an unhealthy habit causing feelings of low self worth. It's useful to balance this tendency. An easy and quick way to achieve this is with humour. By lightening things up you can get some much needed perspective!

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Have a go at laughing at your inner critic with the following ideas:

1. Funny Soundtracks

Sometimes we get into the bad habit of re-telling ourselves a sad story about ourselves; "Why does this happen to me, why is life so tough... " What happens if you hear this story with an accompanying comedy soundtrack? Hear the same old story but with circus music playing in the background or how about the Benny Hill theme tune!

2. Inner Clown

Become aware of what your critical self says to you. Notice the way it speaks to you. Now imagine it as a clown standing in front of you: Notice is big funny shoes. Look at the crazy colours of it's clothes. Put silly make-up on it's face with a big smile. What kind of ridiculous hat can you see? Now hear the clown making criticisms but in a goofy voice.

3. Word Magic

How do you criticise yourself? eg) "I'm such an idiot!"

What happens if you change the critical word into an inanimate object such as a 'paper cup.'

"I'm such a paper cup!"

Have fun trying out other objects. By laughing you are losing up the critical associations in your mind.

4. Micky Mousing

What does your voice sound like when it is being critical? Is it a whiny voice?

Now hear the same kinds of things it says but with Mickey Mouse's tonality. What about Daffy Ducks voice or Sylvester the Cat?

5. The Funniest Thing!

Can you remember sharing an experience you had with one of you friends and they thought it was one of the funniest things they'd ever heard? You both had a right laugh about it!

Now as you remember those good feelings of laughter think about your recent self criticisms. Now switch back to the laughing memory with your friend. And then switch back to your self critical thoughts and laugh at them too!

Making use of humour and laughter is one of the quickest ways to neutralising over-seriousness. By using simple methods like those listed above you can gain control over your self criticism and access more of your inner resourcefulness.

For over ten years Colin G Smith has been driven to find the very best methods for creating effective personal change. If you are anything like me, you're probably interested in simple and straight-forward explanations. Practical stuff that gets results!