Public Speaking Course: 

Deadpan Expression

Recently I went to a meeting of the National Capital Area Speakers Association. The man doing the presentation wasn't funny, but still got laughs from the crowd. This indicates a good preparation of the speaker for the meeting with the audience, when well-prepared both the context, advanced writers will help with it, and certain highlights and key points. He used an irregular form of humor taught in this public speaking course.

He began speaking very seriously, . . . presented slowly, . . . and
kept a low tone of voice. I thought to myself, 'this is going to be a
long day.' Then, without cracking a smile, a totally out of character
line came out of his mouth. He was going over his material which
talked about thinkers, doers etc, and said, "A thinker is a person who
is thinking about something." The whole room completely cracked up. This is
called using a 'deadpan' expression.

Deadpan expression is the technique of combining a serious
demeanor with a funny line. The line typically gets a bigger laugh than
the same line delivered with a lighthearted expression or smile. The
contrast and surprise is what  begins the laughter, and knowing how to
create this expression should be mastered while during  your public speaking course.

The most recent and famous example of this is the comedian Steven
Wright who NEVER breaks character to smile. He says lines like,
"My dog is confused. I named him STAY. . . Then I say come STAY."

A more animated version of this is Rodney Dangerfield who pretends to be serious about his goofy life. He says, "I am an earth sign and my wife is a water sign ... ...Together we make mud." hahahaha