Public Speaking
Public Speaking: International Perspective on Humor
responsibility to be aware of the important sections of the audience and to recognize those
who come from different
backgrounds. If you are speaking in another country, then it is up to you to learn about the
local customs and types
of humor that are appreciated in that area. The answer to humor is very different for
different cultures. Paying close
attention to this fact will give you more opportunities to connect with an international audience in the United States and abroad.
Public Speaking: International Perspective on Humor
If you are not familiar with your target audience, you may ask in pre-program research, ‘How diverse is your group?
‘The answers to these questions will help you plan your strategy to connect
with a specific audience.
I was planning my speech in Baltimore, Maryland, and found out that
25% of the audience was Asian Indian.
I didn’t know much about Indian culture and I didn’t have much time to
plan. What I did know was that the Duncan donut store near my house was
owned and operated by Indians. It was a good excuse to stay under a few
clips and do some research. I told the owner what I was trying to do and
he was happy to help. I used only one line from the information he gave me about humor in
India. That’s all it took to connect. The line was, “I want to tell all my new Indian friends that I’
m sorry, Johnny Lever couldn’t do it.” Johnny Lever was one of India’s top comedians.
They lit up and I went with the program.
Public Speaking: International Perspective on Humor
Don’t worry if your local donut shop doesn’t have the right nationality for your next speaking engagement.
There are other ways to get the information you need. If you’re talking outside of the United States,
get the opinion of locals before you joke. If you’re speaking in the United States,
find the members of the nationality you’re talking to. If you don’t know someone,
you can always call their embassy. I have called my State Department, World Bank,
Voice of America and many other public agencies for information. Just tell the receptionist that
you want to talk to a country of interest. Don’t forget to tell them you want to speak English.
In Hong Kong, you will never point to anyone with your hand outstretched and
your index finger moving back and forth. Why? Read on
When talking to a foreign audience, you should check your humor carefully so
that you do not offend anyone by mistake. In some countries, you may hear people joking
openly on television or in public about articles that would be banned in the United States.
This does not mean that you should joke about the same topics in your presentation.
Can try
Public Speaking: International Perspective on Humor
Even if you have a good sense of humor, you need to be familiar with the other customs
of the country in which you are speaking. Customs are very different around the world.
It’s easy to make mistakes when you’re in a brand new environment. If you do something
wrong by mistake, you will never make the audience laugh. A good resource to entertain
you about customs in other countries is Roger Axtel’s book ‘Hints: The Dos and Taboos
of Body Language Around the World’. This book gives a lot of information about
things to do and what not to do when you are in a foreign country. Here are just
a few serious mistakes that can easily be made during a speaking engagement that
will be annoying:
1. In Colombia, if you want to show the height of an animal, you will hold your arm
under the palm and raise it to the appropriate height. If you are trying to show a
person’s height, you do the same, but your palm is on the edge. So, if you wanted to
Public Speaking: International Perspective on Humor
show a person’s height, but you did it down like we usually do in the US, you would either
insult that person by treating him like an animal or You would confuse your audience
because they will now think you were talking about an animal whose name was a person.
See how crazy it can be.
2. I have another animal problem for you. In Hong Kong, Indonesia, and Australia you
will not point to anyone with your hand outstretched and move your index finger back
and forth (as you can to join someone on stage). This gesture is used to call animals and /
or nocturnal women and will be offensive to your audience.
Public Speaking: International Perspective on Humor
3. People in Latin America and the Middle East stand very close when talking.
If you were chatting with someone from one of these cultures during a public
speaking engagement and you stepped back to have a typical American private space,
you would be sending a very unfriendly message. Asians, however, generally stand far
apart. Your understanding of this will prevent you from following them throughout the stage. Keep that in mind if you go to Ad.