That moment when you’re in a group setting and tell a joke and it lands is probably the most elevating feeling of all time. On top of that, when a bit goes on between everyone and everyone can stack jokes on top of another? Peak comedy. Rushing to type out your joke in the active group chat before the topic changes so you can see all the reactions to your message? Oh yeah! The point is, we love humor. We wish there was always something funny going on, to entertain or distract us from the darker or more stressful moments in life. However, some people aren’t too sure how to be funny or create these iconic moments. As someone who has stood up and told jokes at an open mic and got a couple laughs, I’ll be the expert to tell you how it’s done.
Find Your Humor
Not everyone has the same humor and that’s okay. You don’t have to make everyone laugh. Find what makes you laugh. Find out what makes your friends laugh. But also find out what your personality is like. Some people are more awkward, and so awkward humor is more fitting to them and would come out better, such as comedian Dax Flame. Your most humorous trait could be something about you physically, whether it is your height, weight, or strange flexible faces you can make like Jim Carrey. Just be sure that you are comfortable making jokes about these traits and not being disrespectful to yourself for laughs. Now if you are, self-deprecating humor may be your thing. There are plenty of other comedy outlets like making parodies, doing imitations, dad jokes, puns, and the list goes on. Some people can think of clever jokes beforehand and tell them, while others are funnier within a context.
Confidence
When telling a joke or trying to be funny, say it like you know it’s funny. If your joke comes out along with stuttering or uncertainty, you might get laughs, but it will be from your fumble, instead of your humor. There is a line between someone laughing because they think your joke was funny or laughing because they think your attempt was lame. If your jokes are planned, try saying them out loud or recording them and hearing them yourself to see if they make you laugh. If your joke is on the fly, say it with confidence, even if you know that was the most awful thing you have ever said, and maybe it’ll pick up.
Timing
What usually secures a joke in the bag is when you tell it at the perfect time. 2 people can say the exact same joke, but I guarantee you if one says it too quickly or mistimed, the other person is infinitely better. There is no real math or system to timing, so it can’t be the same timing for every joke and crowd. Timing is something you just must feel in the moment. Maybe there needs to be a gap in between words, maybe quick is funny, maybe making a noise or making a motion makes it funnier? This is not something I can give a for sure answer on with no context, but maybe within the telling of a joke, it can be found perfectly.
Useless…
Be honest. This isn’t funny. You can tell me. Hurt my feelings all you want; I don’t even give a care. I can’t tell you how to be funny. If you came reading for answers, you may as well go kick rocks. I said it. Yeah, there are some tips, but being funny is like a personality trait. I guarantee you, you have made someone or at least even yourself laugh before. Being funny is like flying a plane. You either know how to make it land or you cause a tragedy. There! There’s a joke! Just go be funny. Be you. Make someone laugh. Make yourself laugh. Even this is corny.
Reviewed and Edited by Clarence Clark