Should You Laugh at Your Own Joke?

You’re giving a presentation, and you tell a funny story and hope the audience laughs at it. Should you laugh yourself to show them that it was a joke? 

Well, have you ever seen anyone do this? If so, how did it make you feel?  

It makes me uncomfortable.  Humor depends on surprise; and since I know the speaker can’t have been surprised by their own story, I know it’s faked. And unfortunately, it usually sounds faked too.

My reactive brain tends to jump to the conclusion that the speaker thinks I’m too stupid to recognize the humor, so he has to signal it to me. That’s insulting.  

Or my reactive brain might jump to the conclusion that he’s trying to manipulate me, like using a laugh track. In that case, I feel resentful. Insulted or resentful — neither one puts me in the mood to appreciate the humor.

Now, it is possible that a more forgiving part of my brain might realize that the hapless jokester could be laughing at his own material, because he’s nervous.

Yeah, okay. I’ve been there and done that. Embarrassing, but true. So in appreciation of the others who tolerated my newbie mistakes, I’d probably do my best not to make any snarky comments or nasty facial expressions.

But seriously, try not to laugh at your own material.

There are ways to cue an audience to laugh, but laughing at your own jokes is not one of them.

Do your best to stay in character as the narrator, in other words keep a straight face. Convey respect by allowing the audience to react honestly.

A person who feels respected is more likely to let down their defenses and enjoy your joke.

Try it and tell us how it worked for you.