LEARN HOW TO BE FUNNY

 What makes a joke funny?


Have you ever given a speech and have an audience member yawn during your talk?

Have you ever given a speech and have someone in the audience fall off to sleep?

It happened to me. A lady in the front row fell off to sleep. Not only that. She started snoring. Loudly.

That's when I realized the importance of using humor in my talks.

Humor is like yeast in bread. Without it, the bread won't rise.
With humor you can ensure that your message is remembered.
You can motivate people and help them realize their dreams by conveying your message with humour. 

So what makes a joke funny? According to Edward de Bono, famous for his theory of lateral thinking, the mind works like a pattern machine. When a familiar pattern is interrupted and an alternative or new link is made in the brain via a different route than expected, then laughter occurs as the new connection is made.

From my experience of doing stand up comedy and watching other comedians, I found the rule of three very useful. In this rule, you have three jokes back to back to back, building up the laugh with each set up, till you come to the big punch line at the end.

Watch some of your favorite comedians on youtube. Watch them the first time for a laugh. The next time to learn.

Another useful resource is Stanley Lyndon's book 'How to be funny.'

As Toastmasters, we're often called on to give a speech that persuades, inspires and motivates. Adding humor to the mix makes sure that your message is remembered. Listen and watch the prize winning speeches of the World Champions of Public Speaking and you'll find that they use humor to make their message memorable.

Being funny is not difficult, despite what you may have heard. That is, it's not difficult if you know the basic techniques.

I'll be posting tips on how to add humor to your speech. If you'd like to receive regular tips on how to be funnier and add humor to your presentations, follow this blog by clicking on the 'follower' button and you'll receive automatic updates.