Mastering Humour Speech: Making Every Laugh Count
- James C Foo Leong
- Sep 17
- 3 min read
“Seriously… people came to learn humour from an accountant?”
That’s exactly how I opened my Mastering Humour Speech keynote with a group of Toastmasters on Zoom this week. And the room erupted.
It turned out to be one of the most energising evenings I’ve had.
People didn’t just come to hear jokes. They came to discover how humour can become a powerful part of leadership and speaking.
Why Mastering Humour Speech Matters for Leaders, Speakers and Trainers
Because humour isn’t just for comedians.
As leaders, speakers, and trainers, we can (and should) use humour to connect, teach, and make lessons stick.
But it wasn’t always this way.
I started out as a shy, introverted accountant. Standing in front of a room gave me the shivers. Presentations filled me with anxiety. For a long time, I thought public speaking was something you either had or you didn’t.
Then I made up my mind that I didn’t want to stay that way. I joined Toastmasters, learned the craft of speaking, and step by step discovered that public speaking is not a gift but a skill.
Winning the Toastmasters District Humorous Speech Contest was a turning point. It showed me that not only can speaking be learned, humour can be learned as well.
A Framework for Humour — Through an Accountant’s Lens
During the session, I shared my framework called L-A-U-G-H:
L – Life’s Pain Even our deficits, the setbacks, the slip-ups, can generate fresh laughter when revisited with perspective.
A – Amplify Stretch the story, and suddenly the top line of humour starts to grow.
U – Unexpected As accountants, we always expect the books to balance. When they don’t, it immediately grabs our attention. The same applies to humour. The surprise twist makes people sit up and laugh.
G – Gestures Words are only part of the story. Tone, pauses, and body language add compound interest to the delivery.
H – Humanity At the bottom line, humour is about being real. Vulnerability and authenticity are the intangible assets that our audience appreciate in us.
More Than Just a Laugh
By the end of the session, the room was filled with smiles and laughter. But the bigger win was this: people walked away with a new perspective.
Because here’s the crucial difference: we are not comedians.
We don’t joke for the sake of joking.
As leaders, speakers, and trainers, we invest in humour to create teachable moments, the kind that pay generous learning dividends for our audience.
That’s why Mastering Humour Speech is about more than jokes — it’s about connection, clarity, and impact.
And that’s why you can learn humour from an accountant.
Because we accountants make everything count — and that includes humour.
Make Humour Count. 🎤
👉 If you are looking for a a keynote where finance meets fun, and humour becomes a teachable moment, please reach out.
Beyond the Stage — Into the Book
This same L-A-U-G-H framework is woven into my soon-to-be-launched book Once Upon a Balance Sheet.
For many, learning finance has been painful in the past.
That’s why I wrote it in a fun, story-driven way, with Count Jargon® turning jargon into joy, unexpected characters bringing concepts alive, and humour sprinkled through every chapter to make the journey less daunting, and more engaging.
Once Upon a Balance Sheet is coming to a bookstore near you soon.
James The Financial Storyteller
Ready to turn financial confusion into clarity?
👉 If Once Upon a Balance Sheet resonates with you, we can change the way you see numbers.
