You do not have to be in the entertainment business to master the skills in being funny. Actually, learning the skill on how to be funny can help you in your day-to-day life. Even if you are just entertaining a couple of your friends or family, being funny can lighten any type of situation. Likewise, think about the health benefits of laughing because more than anything, it helps keep illnesses at bay and the heart healthy.
In that case, what are the simple rules of being funny? How do you come across as funny without sounding stupid or corny? Following are some suggestions on what you can do:
Know when to be funny. Timing is important if you want to be successful in making other people laugh. Sometimes, those who attempt at making others laugh fail because the jokes are totally uncalled for. Likewise, you should not be funny all the time because you might lose your touch as a funny person, therefore, your jokes become corny and people start disliking you.
Understand a good joke from a bad joke. Never underestimate the intelligence of your listeners when you are delivering your jokes. If they get the joke, then you get rewarded with fits of laughter. But tell them a bad joke, like the toilet humor kind, and you might get icy stares from some of your listeners. Some may appreciate those kinds of jokes, but others will not. So be sensitive when it comes to others sensibilities in order not to offend anyone.
Make the joke as simple as can be. Although researching your joke material will truly help, you have to remember that the more complicated a joke becomes, the cornier it sounds. And the result? A boring joke. Keep it simple and straightforward so that your listeners can easily grasp the idea behind the joke.
Have the confidence in your delivery. If you want people to laugh at the jokes, then be confident in your delivery. Remember that you want people to laugh at the joke and not on you. If you show even a small amount of uneasiness, your audience will see through it all. And who knows? You probably are seeing them laugh but they could be laughing at how uncomfortable you are with your material.
Learn from other people. Do you know other friends who are funny? Try observing them and see how they act when delivering their jokes. Observe how they react as well to their reactions. Does he follow up on the joke when people laugh? Does he make use of exaggerated facial expressions? What about body movements? How does he maximize the use of space? All these are factors that can help you build on your joke and learning how and when to use them will help you in your delivery.
Say the same line over and over again, but at different parts of the joke. This is what is commonly known as repetition technique where specific lines within the joke are repeated several times within the joke (something like what I just did, if you got my point? Or, do I need to repeat the lines within the joke several times again?). Got it?
In that case, what are the simple rules of being funny? How do you come across as funny without sounding stupid or corny? Following are some suggestions on what you can do:
Know when to be funny. Timing is important if you want to be successful in making other people laugh. Sometimes, those who attempt at making others laugh fail because the jokes are totally uncalled for. Likewise, you should not be funny all the time because you might lose your touch as a funny person, therefore, your jokes become corny and people start disliking you.
Understand a good joke from a bad joke. Never underestimate the intelligence of your listeners when you are delivering your jokes. If they get the joke, then you get rewarded with fits of laughter. But tell them a bad joke, like the toilet humor kind, and you might get icy stares from some of your listeners. Some may appreciate those kinds of jokes, but others will not. So be sensitive when it comes to others sensibilities in order not to offend anyone.
Make the joke as simple as can be. Although researching your joke material will truly help, you have to remember that the more complicated a joke becomes, the cornier it sounds. And the result? A boring joke. Keep it simple and straightforward so that your listeners can easily grasp the idea behind the joke.
Have the confidence in your delivery. If you want people to laugh at the jokes, then be confident in your delivery. Remember that you want people to laugh at the joke and not on you. If you show even a small amount of uneasiness, your audience will see through it all. And who knows? You probably are seeing them laugh but they could be laughing at how uncomfortable you are with your material.
Learn from other people. Do you know other friends who are funny? Try observing them and see how they act when delivering their jokes. Observe how they react as well to their reactions. Does he follow up on the joke when people laugh? Does he make use of exaggerated facial expressions? What about body movements? How does he maximize the use of space? All these are factors that can help you build on your joke and learning how and when to use them will help you in your delivery.
Say the same line over and over again, but at different parts of the joke. This is what is commonly known as repetition technique where specific lines within the joke are repeated several times within the joke (something like what I just did, if you got my point? Or, do I need to repeat the lines within the joke several times again?). Got it?
About the Author:
As a parting shot, I advise that you try to create your own materials or base your jokes on what you observe in real life. Improvise if you must and for more tips on how to be funny, check this website, http://www.howtobefunny.net, where you will find simple yet effective techniques.
