There’s a reason why everyone is not described as funny to people who have not met them. There’s nothing worse than someone trying to tell a joke and it just bombs. Sometimes when this happens, the unfunny person will conclude by trailing off or mention how, I guess you had to be there. This is unacceptable. There is an art to telling a joke packed with the funny stuff that people want to hear. That means that this art can be learned, so there is no excuse to tell a joke that is not funny.
Start with the set-up. This can take form in many different ways. But it should lead the person hearing the joke to understand that a funny punch line is coming. Many people like a joke that is set up in a three part set up. That is a pretty classic structure. At the beginning of the joke, it’s important to speak with confidence. Even if you can’t quite remember all the details, that’s OK. You can just make up the details as you go. There are usually only certain plot points that you must hit for the joke to make sense. Otherwise it’s a good thing to improvise a bit. That way the joke is personalized and you have put your fingerprint on it. It will likely be funnier this way.
Next, you will want to accentuate certain parts of the joke as it is being told, especially parts that are innately funny or that must be fully understood to get the punch line of the joke. Without the proper set up, the joke will probably not be very funny stuff. Once you have your audience riveted to their chair listening intently to your joke, you can then drop the punch line and let the laughter ensue.
It’s interesting how a joke can be like a weapon of extreme funny stuff in the hands of one person and a flaccid regret in the hands of other people. Some people are naturally funny and naturally understand how to tell a joke, while others mess up the punch line every time. The saving grace is that joke-telling can be learned with a little practice. If you believe you might need some help telling a funny joke, then recruit your mother or a friend or a stranger at a party and practice telling jokes. Sure, people might avoid you until you have mastered the skill, but that’s no reason to give up on funny stuff.
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