Humor

But people neither laugh nor learn at the same pace or in the same way. A knee-slapper to one person might be a subtle smirk to another. I recall a speaking engagement I had in Seattle before a group of aspiring speakers in a world semi-final speech contest. Four or five of my best lines had killed in previous speeches, and most of my present audience roared with laughter time after time. But there was one stodgy lady in the second row who refused to crack a smile. I remember thinking to myself, ‘I’m going to make her laugh if it’s the last thing I do!’ I delivered the next punch line squarely at her. Nothing! And so it continued through the end of my speech. Nothing, nothing, nothing. But imagine my surprise when she came up to my table after dinner and said, “Gary, thank you so much for your valuable message. You’re also one of the funniest speakers I’ve ever heard.”