How to be funny

Want to make your loved ones feel better with you? But you don’t know how to make jokes or laugh at them more than others? Discover how to be funny in five easy steps.

We all want to be liked by others. Women try to stand out by their appearance and men by their jokes.

Today I thought about talking about jokes. And while I’m sure the pressure of being funny is higher for men, I recommend that women find out more about this area too.

Why do I recommend finding out how to make and tell jokes?

• Firstly, because this will help you make more friends.
• Secondly, it will help you to be more charismatic.
• Thirdly, you will make people feel good when they meet you.
• Fourthly, this ability will help you to communicate better with others.
• And lastly, it will help you conquer women.

About a year ago, I attended a course, “How to write jokes,” by Sergiu Floroaia and Toma Alexandru, comedians from Romania. A lesson I recommend, and I know it will appear again.

I also recommend more information on this topic:

• Masterclass Comedy courses from Steve Martin and Judd Apatow
• Charisma on Command youtube channel where more stars are analyzed. What makes them enjoyable.
• And I recommend you study any comedian that resonates with the jokes you would like to make.

So let’s move on to find out more.

I didn’t know that there were so many things behind a comedy show, and I appreciate their work on stage a lot more now. What I kept in mind and would like to put into practice, not as a comedian but as a creator of more fun articles on my blog, I will introduce you below through these five steps.

The five steps to be fun are:

1. Learn why people laugh.
2. Creates a connection with the public.
3. Find out what are the techniques and types of jokes.
4. Use all the weapons you have.
5. Learn how to tell a joke.

1. Learn why people laugh.

To make someone laugh when you want, you must know what makes the person in front of you react that way.

Laughter is a reflex. When your mind is pleasantly surprised, laughter appears. If we are to talk about the history of laughter, it has the role of releasing tension. It relaxes the mind that accepts that a thing can happen. The reason why laughter exists and why it has remained in our habits is because life offers you many unexpected things. Something you are not prepared for. As a result, laughter has helped you not focus on the wrong side of life but on the good side of it.

So laughter can occur when:

• You are surprised. Use the surprise by creating certain expectations through the premise (the first phrase in the joke, in which you make the introduction to the story). Then give an utterly different replica by Punch line (the part where people start laughing).
• When there is a contradiction (for example, between what a person says and what a person does)
• Laughter appears the sense of superiority (that is, when the mind realizes the joke, there is a reward in the form of laughter)
• If something embarrassing happens (someone stumbles or drops his pants like Stan and Bran etc.)

2. Make the connection with the audience to be funny.

A good joke appears when you create a connection with your audience. In the case of friends, you already have a relationship through experiences. You can have those inside jokes. Things are funny because you all know what those replies mean and what fun memories are related to that thing. But when you have a new audience, as with a first date, you must create that connection with the audience.

How do you connect with someone new?

• Use a simple vocabulary. You can’t create a connection if those you tell the joke to don’t understand what you’re saying. Do not use pompous words unless those words themselves are the joke. Because they are funny in the way, they are spoken.
• Your posture matters as much as what you say. Be relaxed and confident in your skin. Look people in the eyes. Move around and make moves that help the joke. Show how a person from your story moves, not just tells what he’s doing.
• Be aware of what other people think but do not say out loud. It is best to do it as if you were a naive and curious child about everything that is going on around you. Because no one can be upset with someone genuinely interested and eager to know something. That’s why jokes about more sensitive topics like discrimination, violence, and abuse are easier to accept when viewed as “I don’t understand this …” or “why are people doing this …”.
• Break the public’s concern that you consider yourself superior to them. Show your human side. That you can make mistakes. And bad things can happen to you. That’s why jokes on you are good. If you are short or tall, fat or skinny, bald or hairy, use these qualities and say out loud what others think.
• Choose a topic that everyone can understand. That’s why you don’t find jokes about astronauts, mathematicians, or other trades too specific. But you find many jokes about things you meet most often: a couple’s relationship, how to raise a child, how people who have jobs with whom we interact a lot (doctors, police, teachers).

3. Find out the techniques and types of jokes.

Writing a joke doesn’t mean thinking about something and the ideas coming suddenly. It means using specific techniques that work.

We imagine an artist, regardless of whether he is a comedian, a painter, or a musician, has a certain innate grace and that we, the “ordinary mortals,” could never do that. But the fact is that in any job, to become good, you have to practice and work. And before you create your art style, you must use the techniques of others to create art.

When writing a joke, don’t try to be critical. You have to be creative. Don’t stop writing down your ideas to correct what you are writing. After you have written down all the pictures, you do that.

So, what techniques and types of jokes do I recommend you use?

3.1. Extension of the main topic.

This technique can help you write jokes much faster. On a sheet, you make a graph. In the center, you put the main topic you want to discuss. Then note down which elements of the main subject you can consult and which words you associate with the main issue. And related to these words, you create a funny mini story.

How does the technique work? Let’s say we want to make wedding jokes. Notice what you can associate with this topic? Cake, brides, brides dance, wedding gift, church, rings, traditions. Then related to these things, what could you expand? Virginity, old habits, and new practices that you found your partner, honeymoon, etc. And so you can create a much broader series of jokes on the same topic or a whole story about how to get married (a story in which marks are sprinkled).

Below is an example of the love story of the groom and the relationship between the two brothers (the men of honor and the groom). The funny part is that the love between the two spouses is compared to the love of brothers.

3.2 Surprise the audience.

Create an unexpected meaning of what you say to make it funny. Words have different definitions, expressions, and wrong interpretations of what is being said.

“My wife is a good driver. She always drives me crazy.” – here, I’ve created a false assumption about what I want to say.

“My husband had a few girlfriends before me. One said she was a lesbian. Another one became a nun … You know what they say, the 75th time is with luck.” – here, I’ve created the assumption that I will say: Third time is with luck.

3.3. The story technique.

The story technique is also used in the writing comedy series.

• It starts from the end to the beginning, builds the structure, and completes the goals.
• You should ask yourself: What should happen next?
• Write as much as you can and then correct it.
• Let the character write the dialogue.
• Express things clearly and allow the subconscious to work.
• Hurry up the first draft and read what you write to see if it makes sense what you say.
• Specifically, when you want to use this technique, think about what you want to be the punch line and then think, “what can end in that phrase?”.

For example, I chose the punch line: “My mom did this better.” And you think: in what situation would you not want to be told this phrase, and you get to: “What not to say to your girlfriend when you are in the bedroom? My mom did this better.”

3.4. Jokes on your behalf.

Rodney Dangerfield used such jokes. See the video below of this technique.

These types of jokes are doing very well because the only person who could be hurt is YOU. Also, as mentioned above, this technique creates a closer connection with those who listen to you.

3.5. The rule of 3.

To use this technique, you create a list of activities or characteristics. There are two things you expect, and the third is something entirely unexpected. The third element may explain that you were talking about something else or that you lied when you said the other two.

See the video below as an example. Andrew Stanton begins with a funny story in which the third thing listed is something that surprises the audience and makes people laugh.

3.6. Definition.

The best-known comedian who uses such jokes is John Oliver. Below is a video with this technique.

How do you create such a joke? Present to the public: a thing, personality, or object, providing a more entertaining definition.

3.7. Wrong assumption.

When creating a funny story, you have to answer a few questions: “Who?”, “What?”, “Why?”, “How?”, “Where?” and “When?”.

However, there is no need to tell a person the answer to all these questions. According to standard logic, people will answer the questions in their heads. And then you come up with the punch line that shows him what he supposed is wrong.

Example: “I’m glad my husband’s first girlfriend is here. Cheers for his right hand.” – I created the wrong expectation of the audience “yeah, who’s his first girlfriend? Is she a person in this place?”.

3.8. Incongruence

To be funny, with this technique, you associate two totally different things. And then, create your story that links them and turns them into jokes, as in the example of the love between the brothers and the couple love from above.

Or you can use an inconsistency between what you say and what you do. In the video below is Ricky Gervais, who presented the Golden Globe for the fifth time. He has an ironic and incongruous style when he says how he will behave. Then he starts joking on behalf of the actors and even those organizing the event.

3.9. Create a character.

It can help you make something a little funny become funnier. Comedy actors know how to use this technique best because they have experience and have learned how to transition from one state to another. They can interpret all the characters as they are in a particular situation.

As you can see in the video below, Robin Williams creates characters very well.

3.10. Jokes on behalf of other people.

Although comedians are usually known for rude jokes about other people, I think that marks on someone’s qualities or flaws that do not affect their abilities are what you should do. Why? Because this kind of joke helps you make friends, not enemies.

Below is an example of a joke made by Ellen Degeneres about the actress Amy Adams.

3.11. Exaggeration.

Exaggeration works because it makes the situation ridiculous.

Below is an example from Ron White of such jokes, when he exaggerates how small the plane was and how it flew.

3.12. Call back.

These are the kind of jokes usually said by comedians at the end of a show.

The call-back jokes mention a joke that was told at the show’s beginning. It has the role of linking the whole show. It jokes that although they were on different topics, they felt like an entire unit with a callback. And at the same time, you can create an “inside joke” with people you have known for less time. Dave Chappelle often uses these jokes to end the show.

These were just a few of the types of jokes you can use. Practice, and you will build a lot of your joke material.

If you want to learn more, I recommend these books:

• Here’s the Kicker & Poking a dead frog by Mike Sacks
• What are you laughing at?: A comprehensive guide to Dan O’Shannon’s comedic event
• autobiographical books of comedians you admire (for example, I read from Kevin Hart and Ellen Degeneres).

4. Use all your “weapons” to create a funny personality.

Mimicry, gestures, intonation, sounds, light, colors, etc.

Often comedians are shy people with many emotions and feel better on the stage. They create a character. This character is childish and very playful (he sings, even if he has no voice; dances, even if he doesn’t have talent; juggles, etc.). All the choices you will use to be funny depending on the character you want to create and the type of jokes you want to make.

Even if you may not have good material, this ability to use everything you know will make it funnier.

As an inspiration for comedians who use all their abilities, I recommend: Bo Burnham for singing, Robin Williams for imitating voices, Steve Martin for juggling, Jim Carrey for imitating voices, and Nick Helm for singing and screaming.

Here is one of my favorites from Bo Burnham’s

5. Learn how to tell a joke

• Firstly, the best advice to tell a good joke is to tell a story full of tricks.
• Secondly, create a character by using: voice changes, changing body language and tone depending on what you say, changing your wardrobe (if you feel it helps). How you tell the joke also depends on the style of your character. Align your body shape with what you say. Change the pace of speech to create public attention and pause for laughter.
• Thirdly, don’t rush to tell the joke. Don’t talk too slowly.
• Fourthly, try to don’t use the same tone throughout the joke. Attention is created when you do not have an equal rhythm throughout the mark.
• Fifthly, you can use words that show the sounds you hear (bit, bang, etc.).
• Sixthly, do not inflate the story too much because you will get into details instead of getting to the joke.
• Seventhly, allow time for others to laugh.
• Eighth, keep the best jokes and upgrade the others.
• Think about who your audience is. Some jokes are for certain types.
• And lastly, it is essential to have jokes that are easier to understand (for people who get into jokes harder) and jokes that are more intelligent.

In conclusion:

I’ve noticed that a comedian is not, as some fans would say, just a person who tells jokes. A comedian is a person who goes through a roller coaster of emotions. It makes you pay more attention to what’s going on around you. It pushes you to be more mature (compared to the comedian on the stage who plays his role ). And wakes you up to reality to solve your problems.

And for that, I thank them.

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Thank you for reading the article, and I wish you more peals of laughter and connections with others.

Photo source: Freepik