What you need to know about public speaking

Before you speak to an audience, you need to do a few things to establish rapport. In America, a common practice is to tell a joke. The underlying assumption is that the people are a bit distracted or tense, and you need to get their attention and loosen them up a bit.

In Asian societies, the common practice is to offer an apology. You say that you are unprepared; that in fact you know very little about the subject at hand; that there are people in the audience more qualified than you; and ask for their indulgence for any errors or omissions you might make. This does two things: you lower the expectations; and you come through as the truly humble person that you may be.

A scholar reading a paper at a symposium in Japan said this before his presentation: "In America where I come from it is customary to begin a presentation with a joke. I understand that here in Japan it is customary to begin with an apology. Since I am not certain what I should do, I will apologize for not telling a joke."