Chapter 6-Harnessing Humor

I found chapter six very interesting because I have walked into a class and as soon as the lights become dim the lecture would begin and students had to be prepared.  My instructor was very serious and would click the mouse again and again, reading off the slides and shuffling from slide to slide.  I was ready to take notes while some students became exasperated and would doze off.  At that point I realized I did not want to become one of those instructors. 

In chapter six, Burmark (2011), gives advice to presenters on how to effectively add humor to their presentations.  She further explains that by utilizing humor it will help warm up the audience as long as the joke pertains to the lesson or content because if it were unrelated it would only hurt the presentation.  I will use this technique in my future PowerPoint presentations for my students and even for my business because I do believe that laughter does lead to retaining knowledge.

Reference

Burmark, L. (2011). They Snooze You Lose: The Educator´s Guide to Successful Presentations. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.