Good Beginnings

September 28, 2005 4:57 PM

I'm taking a leadership position for a local networking group and I'd like to start my term off with a good joke, preferably related to a new president or something to deal with a leadership role. Any suggestions???
posted by Wallzatcha to human relations (8 comments total)

Uh. Are you thinking of starting your acceptance speech with a joke? If so, that almost *always* backfires. My advice (several years of toastmasters, lots of leadership roles) is to NOT start anything with a joke.
posted by SpecialK at 5:02 PM on September 28, 2005

I´d like to respectfully disagree with SpecialK - I´ve witnessed numerous speeches begun by jokes, and only once did it fall flat and it was because the audience was a bunch of humorless idiots. Both my graduation speeches began with jokes and they went over brilliantly.

That said, is that in fact when you´ll be telling this joke?

I´ve found the best bad joke to tell, to begin ANYTHING (unrelated to leadership though it may be), is to go up there and say, in total seriousness, "hi everyone. Before I begin, I´d like to address something that you may have heard about. There´s... there´s been a fire at the circus. (pause). It... was intense."

Booya!
posted by ORthey at 5:24 PM on September 28, 2005

You want leadership jokes? Google News.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 5:30 PM on September 28, 2005

re: SpecialK -- I feel as though in my entire career, I've almost never heard a formal speech that didn't begin with a joke.
posted by Miko at 6:31 PM on September 28, 2005

What lies at the bottom of the ocean and shakes a lot?
-A nervous wreck

It sounded good in my head at least.
posted by idiotfactory at 6:41 PM on September 28, 2005

Another idea NOT to do (hey, if we give you enough don'ts, you'll eventually narrow the dos down): Do not, under any circumstances, start by reading an email forward. I've heard numerous speakers try this and they bomb every time.

I recommend that if you feel the need to used a joke, tie it in to the rest of your speech. That's just good public speaking.
posted by wallaby at 7:21 AM on September 29, 2005

It's for a 7am networking group. and it would be used at the first meeting that I chair. The group is great b/c there is a lot of humor involved (which is needed to show up every week at 7) so it should be fairly easy to get a laugh.
As for tying it into the rest of my speech, that is my goal....

Specifically, I was hoping someone had a joke that related to a new president or the CEO of a company something that I could use to make fun of myself.
(although I think I will use the circus/intense joke in the very near future)
posted by Wallzatcha at 8:06 AM on September 29, 2005

This one was used at a meeting, very successfully:
"Outgoing CEO gives new CEO three envelopes to open in an emergency...."

An entire afternoon's worth of jokes at google.
posted by sgarst at 8:59 AM on September 29, 2005