Welcome to 2020! This year, I’m changing my monthly blog to include speech critiques as well as tips for public speaking. Let’s dive in with Brad Pitt’s remarks at the Golden Globes. Here’s what worked … and what could have gone better.
At the Golden Globes, Brad Pitt won Best Supporting Actor for his role in “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.” He spoke for two and a half minutes without notes. He seemed sincerely grateful for the honor and paid tribute to iconic actors who’d come before him: Al Pacino, Joe Pesci, and Tom Hanks.
After this great start, Pitt rambled a bit, listing “thank you-s.” Then at the end, he shared two jokes back to back.
The first involved a nod to Leonardo DiCaprio. Pitt described LDC saying, “He’s an all-star, he’s a gent and I wouldn’t be here without you, man. I thank you. Still, I would have shared the raft.”
This was a bit of inside baseball from the movie Titanic. Unfortunately, Pitt’s timing was off. He rushed too quickly from acknowledging DiCaprio one moment, then launching his punch line the next. As a result, the audience was slow to pick up on the joke, if they got it at all. (The joke is explained more here).
Three tips for telling jokes – and that’s no laughing matter.
Pitt’s second joke was a bigger hit. He set it up by saying, “I want to say ‘hi’ to my folks because … hey.” Pitt paused again, then added that he’d hoped to bring his parents to the Golden Globes, but ultimately decided against it. It’s awkward to invite my mother, he explained, because (drum roll) the press assumes he’s dating anyone he’s standing next to.
This joke worked for two reasons. First (and I love this part), it showed his humanity. Even the rich and famous like to show off for mom and dad on tv.
Pitt’s body language made the joke a success. Watch his delivery at 2 minutes in. After he said, “hey,” he just stood there—arms open wide, shoulders square to the camera. He smiled and smiled. After rushing the first joke, Pitt looked relaxed, confident, and fully in command of the room. And he was!
The audience applauded loudly and clapped him off the stage as he shared a final, sincere request for people to be kind to one another. This was a nice, albeit brief, capstone to his speech.
Tips on Humor
Jokes can fall flat for any number of reasons. Here are a few tips I’ve learned after 15-plus years as a speechwriter.
1) Timing is everything. One of the main reasons jokes fail is not enough set up. In other words, the audience needs more time to visualize the scene. A penguin and priest walk into a bar, order shots of whisky and down them. Great! Now let it sink in. The scene is funny in and of itself and, heck, you just might get some mileage out of the set up alone – a chortle, a snort, a smile here or there. My point is to take your time. A pause goes a long way. Make sure folks are with you, before launching into that big punch line.
2) Play it safe. It’s not worth offending someone or alienating an audience member just for a laugh. Never use racist, sexist, or vulgar humor. Ever. Instead, the safest approach is self-deprecating humor – with one caveat. The first words out of your mouth shouldn’t cut yourself down. Apologizing for yourself right out of the gate tells people you’re not worth listening to … so they’ll heed your own words and tune you out.
3) Know your audience. I once wrote a joke for a room of Russians and it royally flopped. They sat there, stony faced. Not a single chuckle. Honestly, it was crickets! Fortunately, my boss at the time (then the Secretary of Defense) kept rolling. He later laughed off the experience, but I learned an important lesson. Do your homework. Be sensitive to other cultures. And if you’re not sure if your joke will fly for non-native speakers … skip it.
Update: After I wrote this blog, I came across this article in The Guardian in mid-February. In it, Brad Pitt talks about his acceptance speeches at both the Golden Globes and Oscars. He said he didn’t hire a speechwriter, but instead put in some good ‘ol fashion hard work. Nice job, Brad. It certainly paid off!
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For more tips on using humor in your next speech, check out this blog, this blog, or drop me a line. Reach out too if your organization is looking for a public speaking trainer. At the end of last year, I did gigs in Washington, DC, Phoenix, and Colorado Springs. I’d love to come to your home town. You can reach me at rose@rosespeechwriter.com.