There can be few lonelier places than that occupied by the stand-up comedian whose routine is falling on unappreciative ears. With the spotlight shining, almost emphasising the fact that he is alone out there, he delivers gag after gag to a wall of silence, punctuated by the occasional nervous cough. With dry throat and sweating brow he plods on amidst the heckling until, finally, he gets the biggest cheer of his set when he walks off the stage.

Humour is not universal. What some people find hilarious would not crack a smile among others. A great divider on the subject is Mr Bean, who people tend to find either hilarious or as funny as toothache. But humour makes us feel good and so it is worth trying to find a balance that you can insert into a speech or presentation that will at least raise a collective smile from your audience. Used carefully humour can be an important communication skill if you are speaking in front of an audience and you want to win them over.

Humour can be a great disarmer and there is probably no quicker way to get an audience on your side than by inserting a funny line into your opening. But beware, for badly projected humour can also be a great alienator and a joke that falls flat can set the tone for the rest of the speech. So here are some pointers that may help you strike the right balance.

Material
Be careful of who or what you choose as your targets as you do not want to offend any sector of your audience. Obviously humour that has religious, political or sexist content, for example, should be avoided at all costs. A harmless target to aim at is you, especially if the humour involves a tale of woe. It may sound odd but you should also be careful not to make your humorous lines too funny. You want to raise a laugh from your audience but not to the extent that it deteriorates into helpless hilarity that interrupts the flow of your speech. You only need to be amusing, not hilarious.

Delivery
It is best if you can weave the humour seamlessly into your presentation so that it jumps out at your audience, catching them unawares. For example if you were discussing buying goods over the Internet you might want to include a warning to pay attention to how the goods are described online. You could then tell of your own experience when you bought a pair of crocodile shoes that turned out to be shoes for a crocodile. Not particularly funny, but if delivered in such a way that your audience thinks it is a genuine story right up to the punchline then the element of surprise increases its humour value.

Balance
You do not want to resemble a stand-up comic on Live at the Apollo, rattling off deadpan one-liners, but the occasional gag can pay dividends, especially if it fits in with the subject you are discussing. This will have your audience listening intently in the hope of hearing more, whereas a laboured or contrived gag can cause irritation.

Feedback
Watch your audience carefully to see how your attempt at humour is going down. If what you thought was a rare gem of a funny line bombs like rabbit pie at a vegetarian picnic then maybe it would be wise to cut your losses and omit the rest of your humorous lines. If, on the other hand, your delivery is met with laughter then bask in it. The trick is to gauge how well or otherwise your attempt at being funny is being received, and act on it.

Adding humour to a speech or presentation can be a very useful feather in your communication skills cap. Used well, humour will soften up your audience, putting them into a good mood and making them more receptive to any follow-up questions you may ask of them, such as making a donation or securing an order. And if the latter of those comes about, you could be laughing all the way to the bank.