Stand Up Comedy for Public Speaking is a practical and engaging workshop that uses techniques from stand-up comedy to help people become clearer, more confident, and more compelling speakers. Rather than teaching participants how to tell jokes, the workshop focuses on the underlying skills that make stand-up performers effective communicators and applies them directly to professional public speaking contexts.
The session is designed for people who regularly speak in front of others and want to improve presence, confidence, and connection with their audience. It is particularly effective for professionals who want to sound more natural, handle nerves better, and communicate with greater impact.
Why stand-up comedy works for public speaking
Stand-up comedy is one of the most demanding forms of public speaking. A stand-up performer must hold attention, communicate clearly, and respond to the audience in real time, often with nothing more than a microphone and their voice. These same demands exist in presentations, talks, and meetings, even when the setting is more formal.
This workshop draws on those principles without requiring participants to perform comedy. Skills such as clarity of intent, economy of language, timing, authenticity, and audience awareness are directly transferable to professional speaking. By learning how comedians think about communication, participants gain tools they can use in presentations, pitches, conference talks, and meetings.
A professional, respectful approach
This workshop is facilitated by Steven Morgan, an experienced stand-up comedian, improviser, and corporate trainer with a long background in technology and professional environments. He understands that many people feel apprehensive about anything labelled comedy, particularly in a workplace context.
For that reason, the workshop is carefully designed to feel safe, structured, and respectful. Participants are never pressured to be funny or to perform in front of the group unless they actively choose to do so. Exercises are framed around communication skills rather than humour, with humour emerging naturally rather than being forced.
This approach ensures that the workshop remains inclusive and accessible, even for introverted or sceptical participants.
Who the workshop is for
Stand Up Comedy for Public Speaking is suitable for a wide range of professionals. It works well for leaders, managers, engineers, consultants, trainers, and conference speakers who want to improve how they come across when speaking to groups.
The workshop is particularly valuable for people who struggle with nerves, over-preparation, or sounding overly scripted. It also supports those who want to be more engaging and memorable without relying heavily on slides or dense content.
No prior performance experience is required, and the workshop can be adapted for different levels of confidence and experience.
What participants learn
Participants learn how to communicate with greater clarity and intention. This includes understanding what they are really trying to say, how to structure ideas simply, and how to avoid overloading an audience with unnecessary detail.
The workshop also explores presence and delivery. Participants become more aware of how they stand, speak, and use silence. They learn techniques for slowing down, staying grounded, and responding calmly when something unexpected happens.
Another key focus is audience connection. Participants develop a stronger sense of how to read a room, adjust tone and pacing, and bring a sense of authenticity to their speaking. These skills help presentations feel more conversational and less performative, even in formal settings.
Practical and immediately applicable
The techniques taught in this workshop are practical and immediately usable. Participants are encouraged to apply what they learn to real presentations, talks, or meetings they already have coming up.
Rather than abstract theory, the session focuses on small, concrete changes that make a noticeable difference. This might include how to open a talk more effectively, how to land key points, or how to recover smoothly from a mistake or interruption.
Because the techniques are rooted in real-world performance experience, they translate easily into everyday professional contexts.
Format and delivery
The workshop can be delivered in person or online and adapted to different timeframes. It can run as a focused skills session or be expanded into a deeper exploration of public speaking and presence.
The session is highly interactive, with a strong emphasis on participation, reflection, and experimentation. Steven actively reads the room and adjusts the pace and focus to suit the group, ensuring that participants feel supported throughout.
Clear framing and facilitation ensure that the workshop feels professional, purposeful, and relevant to the participants’ working lives.
A different way to think about public speaking
At its core, Stand Up Comedy for Public Speaking reframes public speaking as a shared human interaction rather than a performance to be judged. By borrowing techniques from stand up comedy, participants learn to be more present, more responsive, and more themselves when speaking in front of others.
The result is communication that feels clearer, calmer, and more confident, without trying to imitate performers or adopt an artificial style.
For organisations and individuals looking to develop public speaking skills in a way that is engaging, practical, and genuinely useful, this workshop offers a distinctive and effective approach.