Public Speaking Course: 

Parody

In my public speaking course I explain that a parody is a funny imitation of a person, event, song or serious piece of writing. I have a really fun time doing parodies during my programs and the audience always has a great time.

A great way to use a parody is to change the words of a recognizable song into something funny and relatable to your audience. You can get the audience members to sing along with me by putting the words in their handouts or giving out a song sheet. (The latter method keeps the whole segment hidden so I can surprise them.) I get the words to customize the song from my pre-program research and assemble them in a funny way.

All you have to do is take a recognizable song, change the words, and sing it yourself or get the audience to sing along. Getting the audience singing along is a great way to interact and get them involved. Using parody as a way to add humor to your speech is talked about more in my public speaking course.

*Parody is generally protected from copyright infringement, but get competent legal advice before using this technique.

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