Be Careful With Edgy Humour

Edgy or offensive humour can quickly make you either a star or an outcast as illustrated in a feature  in the  Weekend Review section of the Vancouver Sun  on Saturday, Dec 17, 2011.


In this feature " Did he really say that?" by Rene Bruemmer he uses  a  joke by the Lt. Governor of Newfoundland and Labarador to illustrate this point.


It seems that during the swearing-in  ceremony for provincial cabinets ministers Crosbie cracked this joke:


" This fellow said, 'I was so depressed last night thinking about the economy, wars, jobs, my savings, social security, retirement funds etc., I called a suicide hotline and got a call centre in Pakistan. When I told them I was suicidal, they got all excited sand asked if I could drive a truck.'"


Of course he was  catigated by, among other the Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, Kathy  Dunderdale, who was far from amused.


The important point Brummer is making here is that as he says in the article, "Edgy of offensive humour done right, comedians says, has the power to illuminate society's ills and bring together groups separated by race or class by forcing them to question their beliefs and view of the world."


Remember it is all about setting and who is telling the joke and of course how he tells it. The trick according to comedians quoted in the article is to either use these types of jokes with an audience they knows you and what kind of person you really are as well to lead into such jokes gradually.


Remember it  is a very fine line between being funny and offensive


For more valuable advice on this topic see the  Dec. 17, 2011 edition or the paper on click on  "vancouversun.com"

Make The Main Points Stand Out.

Whether you are reading material you have written or some quotation or even a speech written by somebody else be careful to isolate the main points -- just like a painter accentuates parts of his landscape painting with different tones or a digital photographer plays with colors and shades to highlight important features of his subject.


If you don't your reading will be just like that desert countryside that goes on for mile after boring mile.


You can makes these main points stand out quite simply by appropriate pausing, changes in pace and the tone of your voice as well as by a change in the depth of feeling.


If you've written the material yourself you shouldn't have much trouble with this as you would have built your speech or presentation around these main points which all support or clarify  the theme or thesis of your speech.


If, on the other hand, you are reading a quotation or entire speech  written by somebody else take the time to site down and analyze what they have written --making sure you have the  ideas they are trying to highlight clearly in mind before you read that quote or speech.


This is where  reducing such copy written by somebody else to that Mind Map would be especially helpful. Just lay out those main ideas on the branches radiating out from their central idea.


Doing this will make your reading truly informative, memorable, and persuasive.


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Exercise:  You can of course practice all of this using sections of your own speech or presentation but if you would like extra practice    you can use one of the editorials in your local newspaper. Analyze it to isolate those main points  then practice reading the piece to capture that memorable and persuasive point of view

Make The Main Points Stand Out.

Whether you are reading material you have written or some quotation or even a speech written by somebody else be careful to isolate the main points -- just like a painter accentuates parts of his landscape painting with different tones or a digital photographer plays with colors and shades to highlight important features of his subject.


If you don't your reading will be just like that desert countryside that goes on for mile after boring mile.


You can makes these main points stand out quite simply by appropriate pausing, changes in pace and the tone of your voice as well as by a change in the depth of feeling.


If you've written the material yourself you shouldn't have much trouble with this as you would have built your speech or presentation around these main points which all support or clarify  the theme or thesis of your speech.


If, on the other hand, you are reading a quotation or entire speech  written by somebody else take the time to site down and analyze what they have written --making sure you have the  ideas they are trying to highlight clearly in mind before you read that quote or speech.


This is where  reducing such copy written by somebody else to that Mind Map would be especially helpful. Just lay out those main ideas on the branches radiating out from their central idea.


Doing this will make your reading truly informative, memorable, and persuasive.

Your Voice Paints A Picture of You

Your voice paints a picture of you in the first few minutes.


To see how this  true  go the movies, or watch a television drama -- or even some reality or quiz show for the express purpose of just painting a picture of the different characters or personalities  through the sound of their voices. Close your eyes to do this


Try and decide kind of person you are listening just through the clarity, volume, nasal quality, pace, pitch, and warmth or coldness  of their voices. With professional actors your mental picture should be very close to the person they are trying to portray.  A large part of their success in character portrayal  depends on how they use  different voice qualities to help you do this.


Now, as a speaker or presenter your voice also does this for you as well as a speaker or presenter  so turn on that tape or digital recorder and tape  your speech if it is  not already recorded record it and then listen to it  --  with your eyes shut -- just to the quality of your voice.


Ask yourself, what kind of character you are listening to. Is it a positive or negative picture?  If you were a member of your audience what would you think of the person speaking. Are you likable, confident, cold, indifferent etc?


Better yet ask your spouse or partner to listen to your tape (with their eyes shut too)  and get her (or him)  to give their honest opinion of the character portrayed by your voice.


Then work to eliminate any negative qualities.

Navigational Listening -- Learning To Use it!

When you're listening to other speakers and presenters  don't forget to you use your navigational listening skills in order to evaluate whey they are telling you.

For more information in this invaluable skill click on www.creatingwe.com