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Do You Talk Funny? 7 Comedy Habits to Become a Better (and Funnier) Public Speaker
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 mother-in-laws. Without a parachute or advanced weaponry. Something had to change. In one year, David went from being deathly afraid of public speaking to 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 storytellers in the world: standup comics. In Do You Talk Funny, you will learn the key principles of standup comedy and how they 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.
157 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 11, 2015
476 people are currently reading
3682 people want to read
About the author
David Nihill
2 books87 followersBorn in Dublin, Ireland, David is the Founder of FunnyBizz, a community, writer platform, and conference series, where business meets humor to abolish boring content. His work has been featured in Inc., Lifehacker, The Huffington Post, NPR, The Irish Times, Fast Company and Forbes. A graduate of the UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School he wears a tie, but only to bungee jump.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 184 reviews
August 4, 2024
I am with friends at a pub quiz. One of the questions is: what is the height of an emperor penguin? We have to guess within a margin of 10 centimetres.
I like animals and I often visited the zoo in my hometown as a kid. There was a sculpture of the penguin made from stone and covered with glass mosaic - it always felt enormous to me.
I propose a height of 1.8 metres as the answer, with confidence that it might be even higher but a 10 centimetre margin covers it. After all, an emperor sounds huge, right? My friends are not convinced but I’m fighting for it with all my heart. They say that penguins can’t be as tall as humans but I’m so convinced that eventually they believe me and it stays.
Emperor penguins are the tallest and the heaviest penguins on our planet. But they are not that tall, they are roughly around 110 centimetres high. I was wrong. After this pub quiz, whenever I see an image of an unrealistically large penguin in a commercial or on an ice cream stand I take photos and send them to my friends. Imagine these enormous flightless birds going for a walk in the city hand in wing with its residents.
Penguins remind me that when we are kids the world around us is not designed for us. Everything is far too big. We need to have a reference point and the book “Do You Talk Funny?” taught me to use stories, not just whilst talking, but also writing.
The book is highly practical with a serious dose of humour that helps us to remember and is key to making a memorable public speech. The author went all the way to become a standup comedian solely to deal with stage fright, and he shares all his findings from this journey. On the back cover, the last testimonial (written by his mother) says that when he was six years old he drew a penguin drinking beer in a Chinese restaurant, so the potential for him to become a comedian was always there. I wonder how tall the penguin was.
this-review@Perspectiveship
I like animals and I often visited the zoo in my hometown as a kid. There was a sculpture of the penguin made from stone and covered with glass mosaic - it always felt enormous to me.
I propose a height of 1.8 metres as the answer, with confidence that it might be even higher but a 10 centimetre margin covers it. After all, an emperor sounds huge, right? My friends are not convinced but I’m fighting for it with all my heart. They say that penguins can’t be as tall as humans but I’m so convinced that eventually they believe me and it stays.
Emperor penguins are the tallest and the heaviest penguins on our planet. But they are not that tall, they are roughly around 110 centimetres high. I was wrong. After this pub quiz, whenever I see an image of an unrealistically large penguin in a commercial or on an ice cream stand I take photos and send them to my friends. Imagine these enormous flightless birds going for a walk in the city hand in wing with its residents.
Penguins remind me that when we are kids the world around us is not designed for us. Everything is far too big. We need to have a reference point and the book “Do You Talk Funny?” taught me to use stories, not just whilst talking, but also writing.
The book is highly practical with a serious dose of humour that helps us to remember and is key to making a memorable public speech. The author went all the way to become a standup comedian solely to deal with stage fright, and he shares all his findings from this journey. On the back cover, the last testimonial (written by his mother) says that when he was six years old he drew a penguin drinking beer in a Chinese restaurant, so the potential for him to become a comedian was always there. I wonder how tall the penguin was.
this-review@Perspectiveship
January 29, 2018
Lots of useful, funny tips for public speaking.
The book strongly relies on TedTalks and occasionally feels like a developed research paper, but overall worth it. I definitely want to come back to this one.
The book strongly relies on TedTalks and occasionally feels like a developed research paper, but overall worth it. I definitely want to come back to this one.
November 1, 2023
"A guy joins a monastery and takes a vow of silence. He's allowed to say two words every seven years. After the first seven years, the elders bring him in and ask for his two words. He says, "Cold floors." They nod and send him away. Seven more years pass. They bring him back in and ask him for his two words. He clears His throat. "Bad food," he says. They nod and send him away. Seven more years pass. They bring him in for his two words. He goes, "I quit." One of the elders looks at him and says, "That's not surprising. You've done nothing but complain since you got here." (David Nihill, Do You Talk Funny?)
This was an excellent book on how to add humour to your public speaking. He says that most corporate presentations are boring, so if you can learn how to add even just a little of humour, you will have an advantage and keep your audience engaged.
The 7 Comedy Habits that he expounds upon are:
#1 Start with a Story
#2 Add Humor-Find the Funny
#3 Write Funny
#4 Rehearsed Spontaneity
#5 Delivery
#6 Control the Audience
#7 Close the Book, but Not Fully-Permanent Beta
Who better to learn from then comedians to add funny to your public speaking? This is exactly what the author did, he was working in a cooperate environment and then went on a quest to experiment in the world of comedy for one year. He says, "My year of study and self-experimentation brought me to three conclusions:
1. Top business speakers are using humor.
2. They are developing laugh lines using the same process as comedians, even though most are unaware of it.
3. You don't need to be naturally funny to get laughs. Most comedians I met were not."
To sum up my review, "Book good, me likey!"
This was an excellent book on how to add humour to your public speaking. He says that most corporate presentations are boring, so if you can learn how to add even just a little of humour, you will have an advantage and keep your audience engaged.
The 7 Comedy Habits that he expounds upon are:
#1 Start with a Story
#2 Add Humor-Find the Funny
#3 Write Funny
#4 Rehearsed Spontaneity
#5 Delivery
#6 Control the Audience
#7 Close the Book, but Not Fully-Permanent Beta
Who better to learn from then comedians to add funny to your public speaking? This is exactly what the author did, he was working in a cooperate environment and then went on a quest to experiment in the world of comedy for one year. He says, "My year of study and self-experimentation brought me to three conclusions:
1. Top business speakers are using humor.
2. They are developing laugh lines using the same process as comedians, even though most are unaware of it.
3. You don't need to be naturally funny to get laughs. Most comedians I met were not."
To sum up my review, "Book good, me likey!"
February 8, 2015
useful and intelligent
I'm feeling funnier, telling better stories, and some third thing. David Nahil gives a great primer on how to get to the funny and improve public speaking. I'm already using lots of his tips.
I'm feeling funnier, telling better stories, and some third thing. David Nahil gives a great primer on how to get to the funny and improve public speaking. I'm already using lots of his tips.
April 10, 2019
An entertaining guide to public speaking.
February 19, 2016
As a trainer who has taught others how to present, I thought this book would offer very little for me to learn. To say I was hugely mistaken, is no exaggeration.
David magically weaves business, humor, tragedy, and action into this brilliant read. He draws from marketing masters like Seth Godin and Gary Vaynerchuk, comedy masters like Jerry Seinfeld and Matt Groening, and literary masters like Mark Twain and William Shakespeare to show you how to deliver your message - regardless of the topic.
Of course, "what you say" is only a part of the delivery equation. David also serves up unconventional advice on managing your crowd, the clock, the stage, interruptions, and your body. Through countless delivery experiences, David bares his soul with honest analysis of his surprising successes and painful failures.
When your journey is over, you will have dissected and reassembled story telling, joke delivery, and TED talks. But you don't just get the theory; you get actionable steps. These end-of-section exercises were a welcome surprise and were the cherry on top for me - allowing me to not just see what makes effective deliveries, but experience it and hone my own deliveries.
You will smile. You will cringe. But most importantly, you WILL become a more effective presenter with this book.
David magically weaves business, humor, tragedy, and action into this brilliant read. He draws from marketing masters like Seth Godin and Gary Vaynerchuk, comedy masters like Jerry Seinfeld and Matt Groening, and literary masters like Mark Twain and William Shakespeare to show you how to deliver your message - regardless of the topic.
Of course, "what you say" is only a part of the delivery equation. David also serves up unconventional advice on managing your crowd, the clock, the stage, interruptions, and your body. Through countless delivery experiences, David bares his soul with honest analysis of his surprising successes and painful failures.
When your journey is over, you will have dissected and reassembled story telling, joke delivery, and TED talks. But you don't just get the theory; you get actionable steps. These end-of-section exercises were a welcome surprise and were the cherry on top for me - allowing me to not just see what makes effective deliveries, but experience it and hone my own deliveries.
You will smile. You will cringe. But most importantly, you WILL become a more effective presenter with this book.
June 11, 2016
This book covers a lot of ground at limited depth. Author Nihill sounds like a lively speaker. He doesn't really do justice to presentation skills in much detail. His suggestion that humour could galvanize a lot of moribund business presentations is very welcome, but he's not totally credible with some of his comedy references.
For example, he talks about pro comedians generating 12 to 20 laughs per minute, which is wildly high. That's a laugh every 3 to five seconds, which is impossible to sustain. Four or five laughs per minute would be strong performance for standup, so no business presentation is likely to be close to even 5 per minute.
In some cases, his advice is impractical. He suggests presenters use stories, which can be very engaging but also tend to take too long to achieve anywhere near the lofty laugh frequency targets he sets. His suggestion of getting a laugh every three lines is fine for standup but unrealistic for business presentations.
I liked the premise that humour helps, but found this book failed to show how to implement that premise.
For example, he talks about pro comedians generating 12 to 20 laughs per minute, which is wildly high. That's a laugh every 3 to five seconds, which is impossible to sustain. Four or five laughs per minute would be strong performance for standup, so no business presentation is likely to be close to even 5 per minute.
In some cases, his advice is impractical. He suggests presenters use stories, which can be very engaging but also tend to take too long to achieve anywhere near the lofty laugh frequency targets he sets. His suggestion of getting a laugh every three lines is fine for standup but unrealistic for business presentations.
I liked the premise that humour helps, but found this book failed to show how to implement that premise.
January 29, 2015
First let me say I am sooo not the intended audience for this book. However, I thought it was just wonderful. The book is written for anyone who needs help with public speaking though Nihil does make frequent reference to the business presentation. He started off as your normal scared-to-death public speaker who went on a journey and ended up becoming an award-winning speaker and storyteller. The evening of the day I finished this book, I actually went to a teaching lecture and the professor was very good. We laughed all night while learning about a very serious topic; I found myself noticing Nihil's insights and philosophy in action with this public speaker. I have no intention of public speaking, I suffer from social anxiety disorder along with other related conditions, but the title grabbed me because I do talk funny and for some reason I read this book totally out of my usual genre. I certainly see the information being incredibly useful for its intended audience but from the perspective I'm coming from, an audience member of a speech, the book is also very enlightening. Highly engaging reading!
July 11, 2019
I've read a few books on public speaking, and this one's the best, by far. David Nihill is full of great stories and practical advice. Reading this one alone would be enough to get to stage, either to do comedy or public speaking.
May 24, 2020
Being a Toastmaster and a public speaking enthusiast myself, I can personally vouch for all the tips given by the author to be authentic and genuine. The author David Nihill has done a fabulous job in chronicling his journey of overcoming his fear of public speaking. Throughout the book the author gives valuable tips and also actionable items to put them in practice.
I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking to overcome their fear of public speaking and aiming to be the funnier person in the room :)
I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking to overcome their fear of public speaking and aiming to be the funnier person in the room :)
June 19, 2024
Do You Talk Funny?
Heard about this book as an aid to public speaking. It is an easy fun listen on Audiobooks by the author. He has keen comedic insights for non-comics. Extremely informative and not hard to implement his suggestions.
Heard about this book as an aid to public speaking. It is an easy fun listen on Audiobooks by the author. He has keen comedic insights for non-comics. Extremely informative and not hard to implement his suggestions.
April 22, 2024
Good book, funny.
May 22, 2021
My fav quotes (not a review):
-Page 29 |
"“The end of laughter is followed by the height of listening.” — Jeffrey Gitomer"
-Page 36 |
"Kimberly-Clark, Darwin Smith, a man described by CNN as one of the 10 greatest company leaders of all time. Smith stood up and commenced his talk by saying, “Okay. I want everybody to rise and give a moment of silence.” Everybody looked around confused, wondering who had died. They looked down uncomfortably and stared at their shoes in silence. Darwin allowed this process to continue for a period of time. Then he looked down at the group and said in the somber tone, “That was a moment of silence for Procter and Gamble.” The place went bananas. At the time, Procter and Gamble was Kimberly-Clark’s biggest competitor. Intentionally building up the tension created the laughter that followed, which was essentially a nervous release of energy."
-Page 46 |
"You want to use words like weird, amazing, scary, hard, stupid, crazy, or nuts. Try to incorporate these words into your opening setup or statement. This will help people focus on you and pay attention quickly. If you want people to be passionate about your topic, show them some passion."
-Page 49 |
"Always write in the present tense: You never want to write, “I was walking and I saw.” It should be “I’m walking and I see.” Even if the event happened many, many years ago, you want the audience to be living that moment with you as if it’s happening right now. Write the scene for the audience as if it’s unfolding in front of their very eyes."
-Page 49 |
"Believe it or not, some words are funnier than others and can be amusing without any given context. In an interview with the New York Times, Jerry Seinfeld talked about how he wrote his bit about Pop Tarts. He took foods from the ‘60s in all their strange, frozen, unhealthy forms and narrowed his focus on Pop Tarts. Why Pop Tarts? Because Pop Tarts sound funny. “The Pop Tart suddenly appeared in the supermarket…and we were like chimps in the dirt playing with sticks”. According to Seinfeld, what makes the joke, “Is you have got chimps, dirt, playing and sticks. In seven words, four of them are funny. Chimps, chimps are funny.” In one Seinfeld episode, The Apology, Jerry has a naked lady wanting to snack on pickles. Why pickles? Because pickles are funny."
-Page 49 |
"In The Sunshine Boys, Neil Simon quips, "Words with a ‘K’ in it are funny. Alka-Seltzer is funny. Chicken is funny. Pickle is funny. All with a ‘K.’ L’s are not funny. M’s are not funny." The Simpsons creator Matt Groening proclaimed the word “underpants” to be at least 15% funnier than the word underwear. Pants are funny."
-Page 52 |
"The first one comes from Jon Stewart. “I celebrated Thanksgiving in an old-fashioned way. I invited everybody in my neighborhood to my house, we had an enormous feast, and then I killed them and took their land.” The twist here is obviously the last part. The triplet in the set, “I killed them and took their land,” comes as a shock because he used the first two parts of the joke to create an event in your mind that is very familiar; this way, you think you know where you’re going to end up. He starts with a broad picture and something everyone will understand: “Thanksgiving in an old-fashioned way.” Then he begins to narrow the vision in a way that his audience will relate to and personalize: “I invited everyone in the neighborhood, we had an enormous feast.” These lines allow you to recreate your own Thanksgiving memories in your mind, thus making you feel like you know where he’s heading. Then, the twist, the derailment, the laugh line, always third in the set: “and then I killed them and took their land.”"
-Page 55 |
"Macro/Wider topic: It makes it easier for older people to use technology. Micro/Specific problem my product solves: It makes it easier for older people to type and use smart phones/tablets. Key funny to my story: My Dad’s struggles with technology and specifically what he does by writing emails in the subject line. Set/Up intro here becomes the challenges older people have adapting to and using technology, specifically email in my case. This should be delivered in as few words as possible. This example is far from a classic but it is a quick and easy joke that gets laughs: It’s hard for old people to get to grips with technology. (Relatable setup) My Dad (specific to me) finally tried sending email last year. He wrote me a fine long one.... All in the subject box. (Punch line) He continues to do this. (Tagline) Show staged image of my Dad looking confused."
-Page 57 |
"He built a repertoire of fallback jokes and a few in-case-of-emergency jokes. Over time, he was ready for whatever came his way. Years later, he was still using this format—the “unstructured and modern” element of his shows were the defining element of his standup career. That success, generally, can be traced back to comedic habit #4: Rehearsed Spontaneity."
-Page 70 |
"quickly make your way onto the stage. You should be in position to commence speaking as soon as the applause begins to dwindle down. If, for any reason, you need to set up or adjust some items at this point in time, it’s a great moment to ask the audience for a round of applause for your host or previous speaker."
-Page 70 |
"If the host didn’t introduce you with a strong round of applause, this is a good time for you to ask the audience to offer a round of applause."
-Page 70 |
"If you do this in groups of 3, it’s more likely that their applause will spill over and become a habit that stays evident for the rest of your presentation and for others to follow. Feel free to ask for a round of applause for the presenter, the host, for some of the presenters before you, for the sponsor or organizers of the show/conference/talk."
-Page 70 |
"Getting a quick laugh can be a great way to lighten the mood. Move forward from there with an anecdote or a personal story. This should establish affinity with your audience. It should tell them who you are, what your passion is, and why they should have your passion too, whether it’s about a product or research area or a topic in general."
-Page 71 |
"Acknowledging the obvious is known in comedy as “calling the room.” It means vocalizing exactly what’s going on in the room or what people are likely thinking."
-Page 71 |
"Vocalize everything that’s happening in that moment, everything that is being shared between you and the audience. It can be comments on lunch, the setup, the room temperature, someone arriving late or leaving early, a loud noise, someone sneezing, a fire alarm going off in the background, etc. Comedians never ignore these moments, as they often generate spontaneous laughs."
-Page 72 |
"I asked him to come out on stage after the video and say, "Does it show my mother made that video? If my wife had made it, it would look very different!” He had to laugh at himself so the audience would
-Page 29 |
"“The end of laughter is followed by the height of listening.” — Jeffrey Gitomer"
-Page 36 |
"Kimberly-Clark, Darwin Smith, a man described by CNN as one of the 10 greatest company leaders of all time. Smith stood up and commenced his talk by saying, “Okay. I want everybody to rise and give a moment of silence.” Everybody looked around confused, wondering who had died. They looked down uncomfortably and stared at their shoes in silence. Darwin allowed this process to continue for a period of time. Then he looked down at the group and said in the somber tone, “That was a moment of silence for Procter and Gamble.” The place went bananas. At the time, Procter and Gamble was Kimberly-Clark’s biggest competitor. Intentionally building up the tension created the laughter that followed, which was essentially a nervous release of energy."
-Page 46 |
"You want to use words like weird, amazing, scary, hard, stupid, crazy, or nuts. Try to incorporate these words into your opening setup or statement. This will help people focus on you and pay attention quickly. If you want people to be passionate about your topic, show them some passion."
-Page 49 |
"Always write in the present tense: You never want to write, “I was walking and I saw.” It should be “I’m walking and I see.” Even if the event happened many, many years ago, you want the audience to be living that moment with you as if it’s happening right now. Write the scene for the audience as if it’s unfolding in front of their very eyes."
-Page 49 |
"Believe it or not, some words are funnier than others and can be amusing without any given context. In an interview with the New York Times, Jerry Seinfeld talked about how he wrote his bit about Pop Tarts. He took foods from the ‘60s in all their strange, frozen, unhealthy forms and narrowed his focus on Pop Tarts. Why Pop Tarts? Because Pop Tarts sound funny. “The Pop Tart suddenly appeared in the supermarket…and we were like chimps in the dirt playing with sticks”. According to Seinfeld, what makes the joke, “Is you have got chimps, dirt, playing and sticks. In seven words, four of them are funny. Chimps, chimps are funny.” In one Seinfeld episode, The Apology, Jerry has a naked lady wanting to snack on pickles. Why pickles? Because pickles are funny."
-Page 49 |
"In The Sunshine Boys, Neil Simon quips, "Words with a ‘K’ in it are funny. Alka-Seltzer is funny. Chicken is funny. Pickle is funny. All with a ‘K.’ L’s are not funny. M’s are not funny." The Simpsons creator Matt Groening proclaimed the word “underpants” to be at least 15% funnier than the word underwear. Pants are funny."
-Page 52 |
"The first one comes from Jon Stewart. “I celebrated Thanksgiving in an old-fashioned way. I invited everybody in my neighborhood to my house, we had an enormous feast, and then I killed them and took their land.” The twist here is obviously the last part. The triplet in the set, “I killed them and took their land,” comes as a shock because he used the first two parts of the joke to create an event in your mind that is very familiar; this way, you think you know where you’re going to end up. He starts with a broad picture and something everyone will understand: “Thanksgiving in an old-fashioned way.” Then he begins to narrow the vision in a way that his audience will relate to and personalize: “I invited everyone in the neighborhood, we had an enormous feast.” These lines allow you to recreate your own Thanksgiving memories in your mind, thus making you feel like you know where he’s heading. Then, the twist, the derailment, the laugh line, always third in the set: “and then I killed them and took their land.”"
-Page 55 |
"Macro/Wider topic: It makes it easier for older people to use technology. Micro/Specific problem my product solves: It makes it easier for older people to type and use smart phones/tablets. Key funny to my story: My Dad’s struggles with technology and specifically what he does by writing emails in the subject line. Set/Up intro here becomes the challenges older people have adapting to and using technology, specifically email in my case. This should be delivered in as few words as possible. This example is far from a classic but it is a quick and easy joke that gets laughs: It’s hard for old people to get to grips with technology. (Relatable setup) My Dad (specific to me) finally tried sending email last year. He wrote me a fine long one.... All in the subject box. (Punch line) He continues to do this. (Tagline) Show staged image of my Dad looking confused."
-Page 57 |
"He built a repertoire of fallback jokes and a few in-case-of-emergency jokes. Over time, he was ready for whatever came his way. Years later, he was still using this format—the “unstructured and modern” element of his shows were the defining element of his standup career. That success, generally, can be traced back to comedic habit #4: Rehearsed Spontaneity."
-Page 70 |
"quickly make your way onto the stage. You should be in position to commence speaking as soon as the applause begins to dwindle down. If, for any reason, you need to set up or adjust some items at this point in time, it’s a great moment to ask the audience for a round of applause for your host or previous speaker."
-Page 70 |
"If the host didn’t introduce you with a strong round of applause, this is a good time for you to ask the audience to offer a round of applause."
-Page 70 |
"If you do this in groups of 3, it’s more likely that their applause will spill over and become a habit that stays evident for the rest of your presentation and for others to follow. Feel free to ask for a round of applause for the presenter, the host, for some of the presenters before you, for the sponsor or organizers of the show/conference/talk."
-Page 70 |
"Getting a quick laugh can be a great way to lighten the mood. Move forward from there with an anecdote or a personal story. This should establish affinity with your audience. It should tell them who you are, what your passion is, and why they should have your passion too, whether it’s about a product or research area or a topic in general."
-Page 71 |
"Acknowledging the obvious is known in comedy as “calling the room.” It means vocalizing exactly what’s going on in the room or what people are likely thinking."
-Page 71 |
"Vocalize everything that’s happening in that moment, everything that is being shared between you and the audience. It can be comments on lunch, the setup, the room temperature, someone arriving late or leaving early, a loud noise, someone sneezing, a fire alarm going off in the background, etc. Comedians never ignore these moments, as they often generate spontaneous laughs."
-Page 72 |
"I asked him to come out on stage after the video and say, "Does it show my mother made that video? If my wife had made it, it would look very different!” He had to laugh at himself so the audience would
April 12, 2019
Not a bad book by any means, but I expected more. There are a couple truly useful chapters, but most of the information here feels like common sense (i.e. People enjoy humor! Eliminate unnecessary words! Be relatable!). The book tackles theories behind proper story-telling, joke-writing, and presentation methods, but it isn't a very deep dive, and author David Nihill spends as much time distilling other authors' ideas as coming up with his own. The book is intended to help people infuse more comedy into their business presentations, yet most of the examples Nihill refers to are not business-oriented speeches--and that includes his own live-recorded speech in the audiobook version. That speech was pure stand-up comedy and a little too "adult" for some public settings.
As someone who regularly watches stand-up comedy on Netflix, I don't need to be introduced to the concept of telling jokes on stage; I need an explanation of how to make boring information and statistics more fun and compelling. Nihill's book gave me a little of that, but not enough to be worth the full cover price. DO YOU TALK FUNNY? may be great for people who don't know the first thing about public speaking, but for everyone else, it offers little more than a few great tips.
As someone who regularly watches stand-up comedy on Netflix, I don't need to be introduced to the concept of telling jokes on stage; I need an explanation of how to make boring information and statistics more fun and compelling. Nihill's book gave me a little of that, but not enough to be worth the full cover price. DO YOU TALK FUNNY? may be great for people who don't know the first thing about public speaking, but for everyone else, it offers little more than a few great tips.
March 7, 2016
David Nihill went on a wild ride to become a good public speaker, to perform and make people laugh. DYTF shares his excellent story. The real gem of the book is the delivery of lessons learned in the form of a simple and clear map for us to follow to do the same.
DYTF shares exercises that can be taken step by step to craft a speech that incorporates laughter. Humor makes it easier for an audience to follow along, enjoy what you are sharing, and absorb it. He shows us how to identify and evaluate our best tales and see the jokes from our own lives. DYTF explains how to use humor in everyday presentations.
Storytelling is a great art. This book is an inspiring guide and a reminder to practice, practice, practice to hone and maintain any skill. Nihill might have a great advantage as an Irishman, yet we can all rise up and learn to share stories and information with greater humor and life force. Read DYTF. David Nihill has done his part. Let's help rid the world of boring presentations! Laughter is more fun for everyone! Laughter is the best medicine!
DYTF shares exercises that can be taken step by step to craft a speech that incorporates laughter. Humor makes it easier for an audience to follow along, enjoy what you are sharing, and absorb it. He shows us how to identify and evaluate our best tales and see the jokes from our own lives. DYTF explains how to use humor in everyday presentations.
Storytelling is a great art. This book is an inspiring guide and a reminder to practice, practice, practice to hone and maintain any skill. Nihill might have a great advantage as an Irishman, yet we can all rise up and learn to share stories and information with greater humor and life force. Read DYTF. David Nihill has done his part. Let's help rid the world of boring presentations! Laughter is more fun for everyone! Laughter is the best medicine!
March 29, 2017
You may not know this, but I'm a recovering college professor, am now a federally-employed archaeologist, and I won a copy of this book as a Firstreads giveaway. While the third fact has in no way influenced the content of this review, the first two have definitely informed why I was initially drawn to this book and what I ultimately found most valuable within its pages.
Terrified of public speaking but required by circumstance to host a fundraising event for a friend who had suffered a spinal cord injury, author David Nihill embarked on a one-year crash course in stand-up comedy. Convinced that he could learn everything about public speaking (in general) and stand-up (in particular), if he only adopted a laser-like focus to it, "Irish Dave"--as he was known on stage after an initial false start in which he failed to provide his last name on the sign-up sheet at open mic night and was then heckled by the emcee before even taking the stage--shares the lessons learned in that year. Moreover, Nihill has now shifted professional gears to running a business called FunnyBizz which assists members of the business community in a host of different ways to improve their marketing strategies, their sales, and above all their frequently stultifyingly boring business talks. But that is not why you, Dear Reader, should read this book.
The reason you should read this book is that it joins together, whether intentionally or not, multiple lines of wisdom that will be of use to heritage interpreters, public historians, K-12 and higher education professionals, public historians, Muggles, best persons at weddings, givers of toasts at events large and small, deliverers of eulogies, and public speakers of all sorts and stripes. (Heck, you can use the tips provided here to write more effective Briefing Sheets for your boss or agency's Solicitor if you were, hypothetically, an employee of an agency that required such things.)
As a species, humans tend to make sense of the world around us by observation and then arranging and relaying those explanations into a host of forms that, at their core, assume the form of a narrative--that is, a story. At heart, we are all storytellers--some a good deal more adept than others, to be sure, whether the story/account is delivered via the written or spoken word. This book exclusively addresses the latter. The same is true for all forms of public speaking--you are essentially telling a story and there is a structure that effective storytelling adapts, some techniques from stand-up comedy one would do well to adhere to, and that even if you're less entertaining than watching paint dry in your real life, these hacks can be learned and perfected.
In Do You Talk Funny: 7 Comedy Habits to Become a Better (and Funnier) Public Speaker, the artist formerly known as "Irish Dave" distills the lessons learned in his whirlwind tour of the comedy club and stand-up circuit--in addition to tons of reading, research, and interviews he conducted on the topic--and bottles it into what he referred to as "my wee book" in the inscription included on the title page of my autographed copy. He makes points that will serve aspiring and/or accomplished public speakers alike very well, that most readers will find highly amusing (esp. his own story involving a tiger shark that he misidentified to snorkelers as a resting whale shark that fortunately ended well for said misdirected tourons).
Most important, at least from this reader's perspective, Nihill achieved his goal, was able to not only deliver the goods as host of the fundraiser in support of his friend Arash's rigorous gamut of physical therapy, but ultimately Arash was able to incorporate the full range of tips included in Nihill's book to tell his own story in the form of a Tedx talk at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mBw2... (But don't take my word for it, check it out yourself!)
All told, Nihill's book is about far, far more than just being funny. It is about outlining a strategy for telling your story or relaying your message, about finding common ground or making yourself relatable to your audience, about effectively ordering and communicating that message, and about anticipating and then mastering a host of strategies for dealing with the many, many things that may go wrong along the way (e.g., interruptions, equipment failures, panic, forgetfulness, etc.). This highly readable and short book (i.e., 138 pages of text) includes exercises for getting started as well as a "tipliography" section with further brief advice and resources. While an entertaining read just for fun, the book could readily be incorporated to good effect in any public speaking class at either the K-12 level or higher. I know that if I were still teaching Heritage Interpretation, in just the same way as I drew parallels to and included readings from the literature and craft of effective storytelling, I would also include this book on the syllabus. After all, while we frequently need to take what we do seriously, it's just as important that we're able to enjoy a good laugh--even (as possibly most especially when it's) at our own expense.
I'll conclude this review as Nihill ended the book, with some good advice for any occasion: "Where you can, add comedy. We all need more of it" (p. 138).
Terrified of public speaking but required by circumstance to host a fundraising event for a friend who had suffered a spinal cord injury, author David Nihill embarked on a one-year crash course in stand-up comedy. Convinced that he could learn everything about public speaking (in general) and stand-up (in particular), if he only adopted a laser-like focus to it, "Irish Dave"--as he was known on stage after an initial false start in which he failed to provide his last name on the sign-up sheet at open mic night and was then heckled by the emcee before even taking the stage--shares the lessons learned in that year. Moreover, Nihill has now shifted professional gears to running a business called FunnyBizz which assists members of the business community in a host of different ways to improve their marketing strategies, their sales, and above all their frequently stultifyingly boring business talks. But that is not why you, Dear Reader, should read this book.
The reason you should read this book is that it joins together, whether intentionally or not, multiple lines of wisdom that will be of use to heritage interpreters, public historians, K-12 and higher education professionals, public historians, Muggles, best persons at weddings, givers of toasts at events large and small, deliverers of eulogies, and public speakers of all sorts and stripes. (Heck, you can use the tips provided here to write more effective Briefing Sheets for your boss or agency's Solicitor if you were, hypothetically, an employee of an agency that required such things.)
As a species, humans tend to make sense of the world around us by observation and then arranging and relaying those explanations into a host of forms that, at their core, assume the form of a narrative--that is, a story. At heart, we are all storytellers--some a good deal more adept than others, to be sure, whether the story/account is delivered via the written or spoken word. This book exclusively addresses the latter. The same is true for all forms of public speaking--you are essentially telling a story and there is a structure that effective storytelling adapts, some techniques from stand-up comedy one would do well to adhere to, and that even if you're less entertaining than watching paint dry in your real life, these hacks can be learned and perfected.
In Do You Talk Funny: 7 Comedy Habits to Become a Better (and Funnier) Public Speaker, the artist formerly known as "Irish Dave" distills the lessons learned in his whirlwind tour of the comedy club and stand-up circuit--in addition to tons of reading, research, and interviews he conducted on the topic--and bottles it into what he referred to as "my wee book" in the inscription included on the title page of my autographed copy. He makes points that will serve aspiring and/or accomplished public speakers alike very well, that most readers will find highly amusing (esp. his own story involving a tiger shark that he misidentified to snorkelers as a resting whale shark that fortunately ended well for said misdirected tourons).
Most important, at least from this reader's perspective, Nihill achieved his goal, was able to not only deliver the goods as host of the fundraiser in support of his friend Arash's rigorous gamut of physical therapy, but ultimately Arash was able to incorporate the full range of tips included in Nihill's book to tell his own story in the form of a Tedx talk at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mBw2... (But don't take my word for it, check it out yourself!)
All told, Nihill's book is about far, far more than just being funny. It is about outlining a strategy for telling your story or relaying your message, about finding common ground or making yourself relatable to your audience, about effectively ordering and communicating that message, and about anticipating and then mastering a host of strategies for dealing with the many, many things that may go wrong along the way (e.g., interruptions, equipment failures, panic, forgetfulness, etc.). This highly readable and short book (i.e., 138 pages of text) includes exercises for getting started as well as a "tipliography" section with further brief advice and resources. While an entertaining read just for fun, the book could readily be incorporated to good effect in any public speaking class at either the K-12 level or higher. I know that if I were still teaching Heritage Interpretation, in just the same way as I drew parallels to and included readings from the literature and craft of effective storytelling, I would also include this book on the syllabus. After all, while we frequently need to take what we do seriously, it's just as important that we're able to enjoy a good laugh--even (as possibly most especially when it's) at our own expense.
I'll conclude this review as Nihill ended the book, with some good advice for any occasion: "Where you can, add comedy. We all need more of it" (p. 138).
March 24, 2015
Great collection of tips for public speakers.
March 29, 2015
Very actionable, great tips. I was able to apply lots of what I've read to a new talk I'm presenting. And I think it quickly became the best talk I ever delivered!
July 31, 2018
This book breaks the wall that I often hit with other business books. The knowledge here is actionable!
If you follow the worksheets as you read you will walk away with better stories, funnier intros and a better sense of how to speak in public. A solid understanding of the basics leads into practical and useful tips that can be used right after reading.
You can tell that David has really struggled with this subject and has discovered a deep insight in the techniques of stand ups. True to his own teaching - the fact that the book is full of hilarious anecdotes helps :)
If you follow the worksheets as you read you will walk away with better stories, funnier intros and a better sense of how to speak in public. A solid understanding of the basics leads into practical and useful tips that can be used right after reading.
You can tell that David has really struggled with this subject and has discovered a deep insight in the techniques of stand ups. True to his own teaching - the fact that the book is full of hilarious anecdotes helps :)
July 29, 2018
A great book for public speaking. He does an excellent job of walking through the preparation necessary to become a better public speaker while not sugar coating the hard work that goes into the effort. I constantly reference this book while coaching others and when I am preparing to speak.
I cannot recommend this book enough.
I cannot recommend this book enough.
January 1, 2022
This book was quite good with lots of examples and how to's.
January 26, 2023
Would give 6 stars if I could. What a *fantastic* book!!
January 3, 2018
This is an awesome book on a difficult topic - being funny in business conversations. It is entertaining and practical, suites my appetite very well.
December 30, 2018
A short book but full of useful and immediately-applicable methods, tips, and exercises to improve one's presentation skills. This book is staying in my personal reference library.
March 1, 2015
As a stay-at-home mom and writer, I am definitely not the target audience for Do You Talk Funny. But I still somehow, amazingly, found this book to be relevant to my life, and I ended up really enjoying it. I think a big part of the book's appeal is that it is written with the novice in mind. I am pretty much terrified of public speaking, as Nihill was, so I could easily identify with his situation. Moreover, I absolutely appreciated his willingness to put himself out there so he could overcome his fear. I thought that was admirable. Right off the bat, I wanted to listen to him, because I felt like he was not only speaking from personal experience, but that he was genuinely interested in helping others to become better speakers and feel more comfortable in front of crowds.
His tips are pretty straightforward, and other reviewers have outlined most of them. So, for the sake of brevity, I'll just list some of the points that I found helpful. In general, I really liked the chapters on how to write with humor and how to deliver your message/speech/whatever effectively.
✻ Work in references to the local area whenever possible.
✻ Use words with attitude.
✻ Give clear takeaways.
✻ Reference items that got a good reaction earlier.
✻ Use different voices when possible.
✻ Always write in the present tense.
✻ Start strong, since the first 30 seconds make or break you with the audience.
✻ Try and get a quick laugh.
✻ Call the room, i.e., acknowledge the obvious (e.g., a sneeze, room temp)
✻ Make sure you are fully visible.
✻ Talk with your hands.
✻ Record your performances so you can analyze them later.
✻ Rehearse and practice; all the best performers do.
✻ Plan for audience laughter or participation.
✻ Memorize your jokes or speech using the Memory Palace technique.
Maybe these tips seem obvious to some people, but they weren't obvious to me. And I liked that Nihill presented them in a way that made it easy for me to incorporate them into my "non-performer" life. I think that's one of the things I liked best about this book: it all felt very doable. Nihill kept repeating that if you incorporate even one or two jokes into your business presentation, you are going to be better than 90% of the speakers out there. That's a pretty big payoff for only a little bit of effort.
And I loved this quote from Tim Ferris: “If you’re getting chased by a lion, you don’t need to run faster than the lion, just the people running with you. Speaking to other people is similar: you don’t need to be perfect, you just need to be better than a few others.” Nihill kept the stakes manageable enough that I was never intimidated. Perfect public speaking? No way. But adding one or two good jokes to a speech felt entirely possible.
Overall, I was truly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is looking for a non-threatening way to improve his or her public speaking skills.
See this review and more on my blog, BUG BUG BOOKS!
http://bugbugbooks.com/2015/02/27/do-...
His tips are pretty straightforward, and other reviewers have outlined most of them. So, for the sake of brevity, I'll just list some of the points that I found helpful. In general, I really liked the chapters on how to write with humor and how to deliver your message/speech/whatever effectively.
✻ Work in references to the local area whenever possible.
✻ Use words with attitude.
✻ Give clear takeaways.
✻ Reference items that got a good reaction earlier.
✻ Use different voices when possible.
✻ Always write in the present tense.
✻ Start strong, since the first 30 seconds make or break you with the audience.
✻ Try and get a quick laugh.
✻ Call the room, i.e., acknowledge the obvious (e.g., a sneeze, room temp)
✻ Make sure you are fully visible.
✻ Talk with your hands.
✻ Record your performances so you can analyze them later.
✻ Rehearse and practice; all the best performers do.
✻ Plan for audience laughter or participation.
✻ Memorize your jokes or speech using the Memory Palace technique.
Maybe these tips seem obvious to some people, but they weren't obvious to me. And I liked that Nihill presented them in a way that made it easy for me to incorporate them into my "non-performer" life. I think that's one of the things I liked best about this book: it all felt very doable. Nihill kept repeating that if you incorporate even one or two jokes into your business presentation, you are going to be better than 90% of the speakers out there. That's a pretty big payoff for only a little bit of effort.
And I loved this quote from Tim Ferris: “If you’re getting chased by a lion, you don’t need to run faster than the lion, just the people running with you. Speaking to other people is similar: you don’t need to be perfect, you just need to be better than a few others.” Nihill kept the stakes manageable enough that I was never intimidated. Perfect public speaking? No way. But adding one or two good jokes to a speech felt entirely possible.
Overall, I was truly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is looking for a non-threatening way to improve his or her public speaking skills.
See this review and more on my blog, BUG BUG BOOKS!
http://bugbugbooks.com/2015/02/27/do-...
February 20, 2016
“Modern-Day Storytelling Is Joke Telling”
The premise of David Nihill’s Do You Talk Funny? is that while we all can’t be professional comedians we can, and should, utilize the comedians’ techniques for public speaking in order that we make more powerful connections with our audience. Whether you work in business, the arts, or education, Nihill’s comedy primer is designed for you.
Nihill correctly points out that the secret to comedy is not the one-liner or the punch line, but the personal story or anecdote: “Modern-day storytelling is joke telling.” Much of his book centers on crafting one’s personal story in order to maximize comic impact so that the story leaves a deep lasting connection. One of my favorite lines, from Rita Rudner, is that we don’t connect when we act confident and brag about our success; rather, when we “embrace our embarrassment” and show the humiliations that toughened our character is when we really connect with our audience.
Nihill explains that to tell an effective story we must have a hero/protagonist, a clearly identifiable conflict, a “clear lesson of transformation,” unexpected story twists, believability, and an “inciting incident.”
Nihill makes it clear that “great stories are told, not read.” They must be performed from the heart, and he teaches you how to develop a “memory palace” so you can caress al the details of your story without notes.
One of the major exercises you’ll have to do to successfully apply this book to your storytelling improvement is to make a long story bank or what he calls a “story file.” Your story list will be the bank that you go back to again and again. A related exercise is to comb over each story and identify the comic bit, what he calls “find the funny.” What we’re doing with our story is creating a “joke funnel,” beginning with the general story and premise and moving toward a punch line and taglines (related punch lines).
Over and over, Nihill will have you go back to your story file. With each story, you’ll want to identify the funniest part and the life lesson as you discover how to make it into a public presentation.
Nihill succeeds in selling the story as a universal form of human connection, and told well, a story helps us identify meaning in our lives and make this connection with others.
For anyone trying to improve his or her storytelling skills, I can give Do You Talk Funny? the highest recommendation.
The premise of David Nihill’s Do You Talk Funny? is that while we all can’t be professional comedians we can, and should, utilize the comedians’ techniques for public speaking in order that we make more powerful connections with our audience. Whether you work in business, the arts, or education, Nihill’s comedy primer is designed for you.
Nihill correctly points out that the secret to comedy is not the one-liner or the punch line, but the personal story or anecdote: “Modern-day storytelling is joke telling.” Much of his book centers on crafting one’s personal story in order to maximize comic impact so that the story leaves a deep lasting connection. One of my favorite lines, from Rita Rudner, is that we don’t connect when we act confident and brag about our success; rather, when we “embrace our embarrassment” and show the humiliations that toughened our character is when we really connect with our audience.
Nihill explains that to tell an effective story we must have a hero/protagonist, a clearly identifiable conflict, a “clear lesson of transformation,” unexpected story twists, believability, and an “inciting incident.”
Nihill makes it clear that “great stories are told, not read.” They must be performed from the heart, and he teaches you how to develop a “memory palace” so you can caress al the details of your story without notes.
One of the major exercises you’ll have to do to successfully apply this book to your storytelling improvement is to make a long story bank or what he calls a “story file.” Your story list will be the bank that you go back to again and again. A related exercise is to comb over each story and identify the comic bit, what he calls “find the funny.” What we’re doing with our story is creating a “joke funnel,” beginning with the general story and premise and moving toward a punch line and taglines (related punch lines).
Over and over, Nihill will have you go back to your story file. With each story, you’ll want to identify the funniest part and the life lesson as you discover how to make it into a public presentation.
Nihill succeeds in selling the story as a universal form of human connection, and told well, a story helps us identify meaning in our lives and make this connection with others.
For anyone trying to improve his or her storytelling skills, I can give Do You Talk Funny? the highest recommendation.
February 23, 2016
I'm a member of a local Toastmasters club, completed my CC and working on a double DTM (if you're into TM, then you know what I mean). I was raised on PBS, British comedies, and have a highly idiosyncratic sense of humour - meaning that, generally, only long-time friends and family members get my humour. I'm fairly adept at academic, inspirational and informational speaking, but felt that I could use some humour training. I found Mr. Nihill's blog very helpful. That's how I ended up getting to review the book.
This book takes the info on the blog (and his information out there in inter-verse) to a whole new level. I've read it once and plan on reading it again very soon. I was so engrossed that I would make up fictitious spills on my tablet screen so my co-workers didn't know I was taking it into the lavatory to read during my water-closeting breaks. The tone is conversational, like a public-speaking mentor you go out for pints with (which might count for the bit of wordiness here and there). The examples and suggestions are realistic and easy to comprehend. This is not an academic treatise or a "philosophy of funny" thesis - it's a good, basic, nuts and bolts guide to developing the skills necessary to grow as a humourous speaker. Maybe it is a bit basic for those of you who are naturally gifted and who pull gufffaws out of people like bonobos pick chits out of fur, but for those of us who stumble in that area (being funny, not chit-picking), - the book is a real value. I wish I'd read this book before I gave my Humourous Speech Contest bomb on the Cain and Abel story. I'll be recommending it to a newbie Toastmaster I eventually get selected to mentor.
This book takes the info on the blog (and his information out there in inter-verse) to a whole new level. I've read it once and plan on reading it again very soon. I was so engrossed that I would make up fictitious spills on my tablet screen so my co-workers didn't know I was taking it into the lavatory to read during my water-closeting breaks. The tone is conversational, like a public-speaking mentor you go out for pints with (which might count for the bit of wordiness here and there). The examples and suggestions are realistic and easy to comprehend. This is not an academic treatise or a "philosophy of funny" thesis - it's a good, basic, nuts and bolts guide to developing the skills necessary to grow as a humourous speaker. Maybe it is a bit basic for those of you who are naturally gifted and who pull gufffaws out of people like bonobos pick chits out of fur, but for those of us who stumble in that area (being funny, not chit-picking), - the book is a real value. I wish I'd read this book before I gave my Humourous Speech Contest bomb on the Cain and Abel story. I'll be recommending it to a newbie Toastmaster I eventually get selected to mentor.
February 10, 2025
Listened to this on audio - can’t say I’d recommend it. There’s some helpful bits in there, but nothing particularly standout. And sadly, it’s just not very funny. David’s delivery and timing is not great - maybe the book works better on paper?
February 7, 2017
If your thinking about getting into standup, this is the book for you. The book literally outlines at the end 80 steps to practice and use to be great at it. While I'm not looking to head in that direction (yet), the advice greatly spills over into the art of public speaking.
The bottom line of this book is that if you want to be engaging as a speaker, you have to be funny. And the cool secret is that anyone, even those with absolutely no experience, can give a very funny talk.
The bottom line of this book is that if you want to be engaging as a speaker, you have to be funny. And the cool secret is that anyone, even those with absolutely no experience, can give a very funny talk.
February 18, 2017
Short Practical Tricks To Make You Funny
Pros:
- Good solid advice from an obvious expert on public speaking.
- Practical tips from joke structure, storytelling and how to continuously improve your funny
- Just as importantly, what to avoid that can kill your funny and speech
Cons
- Short (although to some this might be a pro)
- This book seems aimed at the novice presenter or comedian. Someone more experienced would likely know most of these points.
Since this book is for presenters who want to add more humor to the presentations, I give it five stars. There is lots of good, actionable strategies for anyone interested in upping their humor game.
I like the examples in the clear outline of tips listed at the end that summarized the book. I really like when books make it super easy for the reader to remember and apply the main points. This book does that well.
Pros:
- Good solid advice from an obvious expert on public speaking.
- Practical tips from joke structure, storytelling and how to continuously improve your funny
- Just as importantly, what to avoid that can kill your funny and speech
Cons
- Short (although to some this might be a pro)
- This book seems aimed at the novice presenter or comedian. Someone more experienced would likely know most of these points.
Since this book is for presenters who want to add more humor to the presentations, I give it five stars. There is lots of good, actionable strategies for anyone interested in upping their humor game.
I like the examples in the clear outline of tips listed at the end that summarized the book. I really like when books make it super easy for the reader to remember and apply the main points. This book does that well.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 184 reviews