It might be just me but I get a little put off with over-the-top attempts at humour in developer conference videos.

I’m four minutes into a conference video which has already included some slap-stick humour (with cheesy CGI), and someone trying to pitch to me on why what they’re talking about is worth listening to. This was done in such a way that it actually distracted me from the content, a.k.a. the reason why I’m watching it.

This sort of thing is really a turn-off, almost to the point where I feel like turning it off. I also don’t think it helps you that much either. If you open your talk by pretending to get zapped by a piece of lab equiptment, I’m probably not going to assume the same level of sincerity in your presentation as I would for someone who is just trying to get their message across.

I like a joke as much as the next person, and one or two small, well contained jokes like substituted words in the slide pack is fine. But it really needs to be dished out in small doses, and it really shouldn’t distract from the content. Less (and much less than you think) is more in my opinion.