Tricks of the Trade Tips
Read these 6 Tricks of the Trade Tips tips to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. Each tip is approved by our Editors and created by expert writers so great we call them Gurus. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Comedy tips and hundreds of other topics.
Don't Rush the Audience
If the audience is laughing at your jokes that's a good thing. So savor the moment...give them a minute to laugh. A common error made by most novice joke tellers is rushing the audience. As soon as the audience is laughing they start telling another joke. If you do that, and the audience is liking you they will shut up to hear your next joke. You then just killed your own laughter, by trying to rush and get more.
Choose Funny Words
Certain sounds in the English language are funnier than others. Listen for these words and collet them:
For example: "K" sounding words are funny.
Cupcake is funny. Tomato is not. (Unless you are throwing a tomato at a person who's name ends in K.)
Kitchen is funny. Living room is not. (Unless you are doing something with a K in the living room).
Pickle is funny. Onion is not.(you get the point.)
Another Quick example:
Words ending in "er" are funny.
"Kisser", "smacker", "looker"
Localize Your Humor
Find out something about the town you are speaking in, or the group you are speaking for, or the person running the event...anything that will make your jokes seem as if they are taylor made. Or that you are giving them "inside material."
It can be as simple as making fun of a road sign you saw when driving into that town...it's not that you have to make jokes specifically for them. It's just you have to substitute their area and make it seem just for them. People feel flattered and really appreciate that you took the extra time to get to know them or their town.
How to Bomb Gracefully
Unless the audience is truly hostile, they came there to laugh. If the joke falls flat, deal with it. Do not get angry, sore or apologetic. Don't throw things even if you want to.
At the moment you may think it's the worst thing in the world...but you will live to joke again.
Think Johnny Carson. He was the master of bombing and recovery and that was on national TV. With Carson, the bombing became even funnier by his expressions. He poked fun at himself.
When something you prepared bombs, you feel awful. The bottom line is it's not what happens, but how you react to what happens that will make all the difference in the world...and even in your act.
Is My Joke Funny?
Try out the joke on everyone you can, but here's the key: do it without letting them know you're trying it out.
Testing a joke is good practice. It helps you work on your delivery, and you begin to feel comfortable saying the joke, and it lets you see an honest reaction.
I use the rule of three here too. I tell it to three different people at separate times. If they all laugh chances are you've got a winner.
Personalize Your Jokes
Whenever possible try to personalize your jokes and material. Even if you stole it out of a joke book (hopefully you can come up with your own stuff). But if you absolutely have to borrow the "old time jokes", change them so it looks as if they happened to you. When you personalize a joke the audience can empathize with you. When they laugh a bond is formed. They key to humor is making people relate to you and your experience.
