***Is There a Difference Between Male and Female Audiences?

You bet. Generally speaking, women make better audiences for one specific reason: they laugh more. Male audiences, on the other hand, are more difficult because of ego. And, it does not matter whether you, as the speaker, are male or female. The results are the same either way.

Studies done through the years find that the ladies laugh more often than the men; they laugh longer than men; and, they laugh louder than men. While the reasoning behind this fact is debatable, there is no doubt that the female sex feels freer to express emotion - hence, they feel freer to express their joy and laughter. (By the way, what all studies positively show is that laughter really is the best medicine because it has numerous health benefits.)

Men may also not want to laugh out loud depending on the type of audience to whom you are speaking. If it is a company in which the CEO is present, they may feel threatened by expressing their pleasure if their boss is unresponsive. If this is a prospective audience for you, it might be an idea to tactfully discuss this with the CEO in advance, explaining that his employees will be waiting for his approval; and, that it is his responsibility to 'allow' them to laugh.

If your audience is mixed in which there are more than 50% women, then you are in luck. Men will feel much more comfortable laughing in this situation because of the women's responses.

Recently I spoke to a group of about 150 people in which there were only a handful of women. The audience consisted of various sales people from different companies who were all members of the professional organization which had hired me. Getting a laugh from this group was like pulling teeth. There were 2 women - each located on opposite sides of the room - who were responsible for bolstering my confidence because they smiled, nodded their heads in agreement and laughed at the various things I said. The men did not. Because the group was mixed with a much larger percentage of men than women, my job was that much more difficult than had the situation been reversed.

Knowing your audience in advance means doing your homework: ask your host about the makeup of your group, specifically whether it is male, female or mixed and then tailor your material accordingly.