Stand-up Comedy and Presentations - Test 2
B2 First · Gapped Text · Cambridge B2 First 4, Cambridge University Press
You are going to read an article which compares performing stand-up comedy with giving a presentation. Six sentences have been removed from the article. Choose from the sentences A-G the one which fits each gap (1–6). There is one extra sentence which you do not need to use.
Stand-up comedy and presentations
Monica Platter describes how her experiences on a stage performing stand-up comedy helped her to get better at giving presentations for work.
It felt more like a shaky mess to me than anything else, to be honest.
This showed the importance of observing your audience and responding to them.
This told me the best script in the world is nothing in the hands of someone who isn't funny in themselves.
It just provides them with an opportunity to remember what they were meant to say next.
Either way, the best thing to do is carry on and assume they're really getting a lot out of it.
It was a major turning point for me.
It's when your audience has a think about what you've just said.
I work in marketing, but I've always fancied trying stand-up comedy in my spare time. Earlier this year I finally plucked up courage and made a series of appearances on stage at a comedy club. The experience provided me with some useful lessons for the public speaking I do in my normal job. To start with, half an hour trying to be funny on stage is a long time. The first five minutes are normally fine, just as the start of a work presentation usually is. I know well. But then a rather awkward 25 minutes often follow. I tend to speak very quickly and run out of things to say, but after a couple of difficult experiences at the club I realised I needed to speak at half the speed. That way I immediately made life easier for myself.
I've subsequently tried to slow down in the presentations I give at work, and it's definitely helped. I also learned that you shouldn't judge your performance by the audience's reaction. If they aren't laughing, it doesn't necessarily mean they don't think it's funny. It could just be that they aren't laughers. Similarly, in a presentation, if your audience isn't looking excited, it might just be that they don't show much emotion. You might have been good or rubbish up to that point.
Do that and you'll end up feeling better. Every comedian I met at the club said that knowing how to pause is crucial.
They get the joke and wait in suspense to find out what comes next. I've realised that the same principle applies to other types of public speaking. It's good to extend your pauses and use them to make your listeners think before you move on. Another thing I noticed was that even comedians who were very confident are mostly just good at appearing confident. I would often stand at the club almost fainting with fear, but I managed to deliver a routine that people thought was calm and polished.
If you appear to be in control, however, people believe that you know what you're doing, and they listen to you. It's true of other public speaking too. Then, there is the use of fillers, techniques that comedians and public speakers regularly employ. I've seen some take a sip of water, while others adjust the microphone lead, even though they're not thirsty and the microphone sounds fine.
So, whether you're going to do standup or business talks, develop fillers that you feel comfortable with. The bottom line with stand-up comedians, however, is that it's always been about performance and delivery. Everything I saw at the club confirmed that.
I've been to great shows where 80% of the humour came from the comedian's facial expressions, and eyebrow movements seem particularly important. I've been focusing on improving my eyebrow use when I'm giving work presentations. I'm still not as good as I'd like, but I'm making progress, and much of this is down to what I've learned from stand-up.
I work in marketing, but I've always fancied trying stand-up comedy in my spare time. Earlier this year I finally plucked up courage and made a series of appearances on stage at a comedy club. The experience provided me with some useful lessons for the public speaking I do in my normal job. To start with, half an hour trying to be funny on stage is a long time. The first five minutes are normally fine, just as the start of a work presentation usually is. I know well. But then a rather awkward 25 minutes often follow. I tend to speak very quickly and run out of things to say, but after a couple of difficult experiences at the club I realised I needed to speak at half the speed. That way I immediately made life easier for myself. ___ I've subsequently tried to slow down in the presentations I give at work, and it's definitely helped. I also learned that you shouldn't judge your performance by the audience's reaction. If they aren't laughing, it doesn't necessarily mean they don't think it's funny. It could just be that they aren't laughers. Similarly, in a presentation, if your audience isn't looking excited, it might just be that they don't show much emotion. You might have been good or rubbish up to that point. ___ Do that and you'll end up feeling better. Every comedian I met at the club said that knowing how to pause is crucial. ___ They get the joke and wait in suspense to find out what comes next. I've realised that the same principle applies to other types of public speaking. It's good to extend your pauses and use them to make your listeners think before you move on. Another thing I noticed was that even comedians who were very confident are mostly just good at appearing confident. I would often stand at the club almost fainting with fear, but I managed to deliver a routine that people thought was calm and polished. ___ If you appear to be in control, however, people believe that you know what you're doing, and they listen to you. It's true of other public speaking too. Then, there is the use of fillers, techniques that comedians and public speakers regularly employ. I've seen some take a sip of water, while others adjust the microphone lead, even though they're not thirsty and the microphone sounds fine. ___ So, whether you're going to do standup or business talks, develop fillers that you feel comfortable with. The bottom line with stand-up comedians, however, is that it's always been about performance and delivery. Everything I saw at the club confirmed that. ___ I've been to great shows where 80% of the humour came from the comedian's facial expressions, and eyebrow movements seem particularly important. I've been focusing on improving my eyebrow use when I'm giving work presentations. I'm still not as good as I'd like, but I'm making progress, and much of this is down to what I've learned from stand-up.
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