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Ep92: David Nihill Teaches Us How to Use the Power of Humor

October 14, 2015 by Beth Buelow 2 Comments

Ep92 Show Notes

About David Nihill

DN Bungee ProfileDavid is the Founder of FunnyBizz, a community and conference series where business meets humor to abolish boring content. He is also the author of the best-selling book “Do You Talk Funny?” He has been featured in Inc., Lifehacker, The Huffington Post, Fast Company, Entrepreneur, and Forbes.

Key Conversation Points

  • Incorporating humor
  • Creating humor with personal anecdotes
  • Understanding how best to communicate anecdotes for humorous effect
  • Embracing your natural humor
  • Being relatable and making your presentations relatable
  • Turning a traumatic experience into a hilarious one
  • Observing your world and the importance of taking notes
  • Taking no more than three sentences to get to your key point
  • Exploring the role of taboo in comedy
  • Considering how the lack of your subject matter would impact people’s lives
  • Getting better at public speaking

Detailed Conversation Highlights

David starts off recalling a scenario he observed a day before the interview and already starts to practice what he preaches about sharing stories. He considers himself an ambivert, as his energy changes drastically based on his situation. With the focus turned to David’s expertise, the point is made that although performers such as actors and comedians focus on entertaining and connecting with others, most are strong introverts. David attributes this dichotomy to the fact that preparation and other behind-the-scenes activities are very quiet and personal exercises. Stand-up comedy in particular is a very solitary and a cutthroat industry where the focus is putting your best self in front of a crowd. Collaboration with others offers a less substantial benefit to your career compared to other types of performance and even other types of comedy such as improv.

Personal anecdotes are one of the easiest ways to segueway into humor, as it is met with the least resistance and is the most natural. Highlighting a simplified version of your subject matter can create interest easily. Anecdotes can come from your experience as well as observation – just remember to record what you’ve witnessed. Most people state that they’ll remember everything including the details, but they’re typically wrong and the opportunity is lost. Brevity is important in this era, as technology has evolved and attention spans haven’t. David filled a niche, showing people how to use humor, instead of just suggesting it for public speaking.

Resources Mentioned in the Podcast

Do You Talk Funny? 7 Comedy Habits to Become a Better (and Funnier) Public Speaker
FunnyBizz.co
Judy Carter’s Amazon.com page
Tig Notaro
Maysoon Zayid TED Talk
Mark Pollock TEDx Talk
Ken Robinson TED Talk
Billy Connolly
Bill Cosby
Download this episode (right click and save)

David’s Introvert Island Book Selections

The Man Who Tried to Save the World: The Dangerous Life and Mysterious Disappearance of an American Hero – Scott Anderson
Catch 22 – Joseph Heller
One Hundred Years of Solitude – Gabriel García Márquez/Family Photo Album

Tweet: Sharing is Caring!

  • Humor in your #business presentation could earn you more money! #Podcast via @IntrovertCoach @funnybizzsf
  • Learn how to add humor to your #business presentations. #Podcast via @IntrovertCoach @funnybizzsf
  • David Nihill tells us 3 steps to slay your presentation. #Podcast via @IntrovertCoach @funnybizzsf
  • Your social media friends can make you a funnier person. #Podcast via @IntrovertCoach @funnybizzsf
  • Every introverted #entrepreneur should embrace brevity. #Podcast via @IntrovertCoach @funnybizzsf

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Filed Under: Featured, Podcast Tagged With: communication, connection, inspiration, introvert

Comments

  1. Shana says

    October 21, 2015 at 6:57 am

    The first link in your resources, “Do You Talk Funny? 7 Comedy Habits to Become a Better (and Funnier) Public Speaker,” links to Judy Carter’s Amazon page. Was the 7 comedy habits one of David’s publications?

    Reply
    • Beth Buelow says

      October 21, 2015 at 8:41 am

      Shana, thank you! You’re right. The link is now fixed. Thanks for bringing that to my attention.

      Reply

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