376: Use the Secrets of Comedy for Better Storytelling and Delivery in Your Talks

376: Use the Secrets of Comedy for Better Storytelling and Delivery in Your Talks

Integrating humor into your talks can seem daunting or even unimportant, but it's an essential element to use to connect with your audience.

Recently, Diane Diaz, our lead speaking coach, delivered a 5-minute stand-up comedy set live on stage (!).

You don’t have to add jokes or stand-up routines to your presentations.

But, you can learn from the secrets of comedy to improve your storytelling and delivery.

Diane and I talk about her experience and what you can take away from it for your speaking, including:

  • What makes something funny
  • Her process of writing the comedy set
  • The need for a single clear throughline
  • How she practiced the set by chunking it
  • Storytelling and audience engagement
  • The importance of timing, pausing, and vocal variation
  • Doing a comedy set vs. improv

Hopefully you’ll be inspired to try something new too!

Links:

Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/376/

Video of Diane’s stand-up comedy set: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/dianediaz_comedy-publicspeaking-personalgrowth-activity-7155204978867863552-gHre

Resources: How to write a 5-minute comedy set and The New Comedy Bible

Discover your Speaker Archetype by taking our free quiz at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/quiz/

Enroll in our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/


Become Bookable Live Online Workshop - April 15, 2026
If you want to speak more but you’re not sure where to start or your efforts haven’t produced the results you want, I’m hosting a live online workshop called “Become Bookable: How to Get Speaking Invitations” on Wednesday, April 15th.


A lot of brilliant women assume they just need to pitch themselves more. But the real reason speakers get invited isn’t because they pitch harder — it’s because they’re positioned as bookable.

In this 3-hour interactive workshop live on Zoom, I’ll show you how speakers actually get invited — and help you clarify the positioning that makes event organizers say yes.


As a podcast listener, use the coupon code “Podcast100” to save $100 on your registration.

Learn more and register at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/bookable

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