How To Use Humor Successfully in the Business or Corporate Environment, Part I

Some folks probably think that humor, comedy, levity- whatever you want to call it- doesn't belong in the workplace. They could not be more wrong. In fact, you know what really doesn't belong in the workplace? Boring, stultifying, dry and overly serious. Sure there are times when a relatively somber, no-nonsense approach is needed to communicate some very technical and official information. But most of the time, a heaping bowl of necessary words is so much more attractive and ingestible when covered with a spoonful of sweet humor! Many of the best business, political and organizational achievers know when and how to tell a joke, spin a yarn, and enhance an important point with a zinger. 

What situations in business are excellent opportunities to leverage smart humor to make a big impact and eclipse the more boring competition? Let's start with any sort of spoken presentation. Many industries have awards dinners or luncheons, where top salespeople, managers or franchisees are recognized for top performance at a widely attended special event. The person hosting or presenting said awards event should do at least 5 minutes of introduction up top, where they can make jokes about the company, the venue and city in which the event is held, and the company's competition and important clients. Another, perhaps edgier way to go, is to make some jokes about specific award honorees, assuming that the company culture and nature of those individuals is such that some good-hearted ribbing would be enjoyed and not cringed at. 

There will be other occasions in which you may be asked to speak to a large crowd within your industry, as an honored expert, perhaps as part of a professional society or organization. The audience will not be bound by being employees of the same organization, but rather by being in the same field, with shared areas of professional experience and knowledge. Often this is called a 'Keynote' speech, and such speeches almost always strongly technical aspects, elaborating on a somewhat technical or "inside" aspect of the profession. These speeches are prime placement opportunities for light, clever punchlines, woven into highly specific references and also slightly tangential asides. With excellent situational comedic writing, this addition of humor interspersed throughout your keynote or other professional address speech will not disrupt or hinder the flow, it will enhance it. 

That's all for this installment of Using Humor in a  Business or Corporate Environment. Keep an eye out for other chapters covering this wide and important topic. 


Adam Gropman has been custom writing comedic/humor content for clients for private, business and public speaking events for over 12 years. Through Funny Biz Speech Writers he creates funny speeches, roasts, presentations and custom novelty videos for clients across the US and in other countries.       

How A Funny Best Man or Maid of Honor Wedding Speech Works

Some people have curiosity or trepidation around the possibility of being really funny when giving a Best Man or Maid of Honor wedding speech. You've been asked to deliver this very important oration for your friend or relative's momentous event, and you'd love to do something special, meaningful, and unforgettable, but the idea of using comedy in front of a huge group of people scares you. "I like to listen to funny people, but how do I write and deliver funny myself?"

First of all, let's go over the components of a great funny wedding (or other major life event) speech.
A great humorous Best Man or Maid of Honor wedding speech starts with a strong introduction. This begins with a greeting to those in attendance, perhaps an acknowledgment of where the attendees traveled from, a comment or two about the venue if there's anything notable about it, and a light joke about how people are just there for the open bar, fantastic buffet or the chance to travel to such and such exotic location.  

Next it is good to briefly introduce yourself, explaining who you are in a nutshell, ideally with a self-effacing joke about some aspect of yourself. Very often, a quick joke about your line of work will do.

 Now we get into the "meat" of the speech, which is honoring the person's life thus far and their unique traits and personality, while using strong humor. An excellent format to use is a condensed biography of the person (or persons) being honored, which I call a "This is your life" speech. The key is finding the most important milestones, achievements and episodes in the person's life so that all of that information can easily be contained in a 5-10 minute speech. 

The funny speech should generally move in chronological order through their life, starting with where they grew up, attended college, and lived as an adult, the latter usually tying into some jobs or career path they have been on. All of these elements can be mined for jokes.

It is good to talk about the person's likes and dislikes and also their strengths and weaknesses in life. This could be, for instance, being a rabid fan of Japanese anime, and hating dance music; being incredible at remembering names and phone numbers, and being unable to figure out social media.

It is great near the end to add a memorable and unique anecdote having to do with the person, that is entertaining and out of the ordinary, and also captures a distinct aspect of their personality. These stories are often from many years earlier, but they don't have to be. For instance, maybe after a long night of partying, in desperation to get home, your bride or groom "borrowed" an unlocked kids' bicycle, rode home on it and returned it the next day, with a note and some candy attached. Or it could be the time they went on an Internet date, sat down at a table for two in the specified cafe at the planned upon time, had a nice, if slightly awkward conversation, then realized it was the wrong person, not the one from the dating site.

Lastly, an acknowledgment of very special family members and/or friends, especially in attendance, is always a good idea, followed by an earnest, poignant "all kidding aside" mention of how wonderful and loved these two people are and how happy they will be together. And, if you're feeling a bit on the "expert" side, you can always end the speech with a tight little zinger to leave them laughing as you say thank you and walk off.

I hope this explanation of the essential parts of a highly effective and applauded funny Best Man or Maid of Honor wedding speech has been helpful. Any questions or comments are welcome!


Adam Gropman has been running Funny Biz Speech Writers and custom creating funny speeches and roasts for weddings (Best Man, Maid of Honor, parents, officiants), birthdays, bar mitzvahs, anniversaries; and corporate or business needs, for over a dozen years. He loves making you the star of the event!  

Video Testimonial from Repeat Client

This is a testimonial video from a guy who used Funny Biz Writers to get custom funny speeches for two separate major life events. He was so thrilled with the first speech he came back and hired us again for the second one. That actually happens quite a bit!  Check out this testimonial and feel free to give us a shout anytime if you need a custom written personalized funny speech, roast, presentation, or you just want to chat and hear a few jokes.