User Forum

1. There are a few simple tricks that professional comedians employ which can improve your joke-telling. Some people say it is a natural talent and others believe practice makes perfect. The real reason why some people are funny is probably a combination of things and there is research that suggests if you get just one thing wrong your joke will either go unnoticed or just won’t be very funny.
2. A former full-time comedian who now teaches comedy at a university in England and has written the book about how best to tell jokes. He says you need to know what your audience might find funny. He also suggests that getting your timing right is crucial. You shouldn’t tell a joke when everyone is putting their food order in at a restaurant, for example. They will be busy thinking about other things. Pick a time that will have the most impact.
3. It has also been shown that jokes are sometimes funnier if you rehearse them. By practising the joke to yourself or others, you can often improve it. You should also know where your joke’s going. Don’t get lost in the detail and forget the punch line. Finally, if you are going to say something that’s only moderately funny, make sure it is short. It’s painful listening to joke that’s ten minutes long when the punch line could have been said after a minute.
4. It takes a bit of work to get people laughing. This is true most of the time, but sometimes when something funny happens a few words can make for raucous laughter amongst your group. Being a happy sort of person who likes to laugh and enjoys entertaining others is often enough because if you’re happy you’re more likely to see the funny side in any situation. That being said some of the funniest comedians are not the happiest – they just know how to make people laugh.