Comedians make it sound so simple, but coming up with a funny joke actually takes a lot of preparation. You have to choose a victim and find a way to scoff at them so that they entertain your audience, without offending anyone. It can be a little risky, but it's worth it! Read this article to find out how to make jokes, or tell jokes, that will make your friends die of laughter.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Choose a Victim
Step 1. Joke about yourself
Using yourself as a victim of your humorous jokes guarantees guaranteed laughter. There is something about self-irony that triggers the pleasure caused by the misfortune of others, a mechanism that underlies the jokes of many comedians. Try to understand what sadly comical aspects you can find about yourself and use them to make others laugh.
- I'm really good in bed. I can sleep for 10 hours of yarn, without waking up even once. - Jen Kirkman
- The depressing thing about tennis is that no matter how much I play I'll never be as good as a block. I played against a wall once. They are relentless! - Mitch Hedburg
Step 2. Tell something about your spouse, boyfriend or girlfriend
We've all heard a comedian use their relationship as an inexhaustible source of funny jokes. There are many who can empathize, so you can rest assured: many will laugh heartily. If you don't have a boyfriend or girlfriend, you can joke about boys and girls in general.
Old-fashioned guys will never know how expensive it is to be a woman. That's why you're the one paying for the dinner. - Livia Scott
Step 3. Target a category or group of people
Hipsters, farmers, politicians, lawyers, the rich, children, the elderly, men, women … the list can be endless. Jokes towards a category or group of people elicit a lot of laughter, but be careful not to overdo it - you could offend someone.
- Everyone knows that hipsters are like bed bugs. For one you see, there are probably forty others under the bed judging the music you listen to. - Dan Soder
- If we are all children of God, what is special about Jesus? - Jimmy Carr
Step 4. You can joke about a place or a situation
A bus stop, high school, canoes, airplanes, the office, a cafeteria, the restrooms… are all places or situations from which to draw inspiration for your jokes. Try to understand what's paradoxical, annoying or surprising about some place you've been or something you've seen.
- I grew up near Newark in New Jersey. If New York City is the city that never sleeps, Newark is the city that watches you while you sleep. - Dan St. Germain
- I'll never understand why they cook on television. I can't smell food, can't eat, can't taste anything. Eventually they hold the dish in front of the camera, and they tell you, “Well, that's it. But you can't have any. Thanks for watching. Until we meet again". - Jerry Seinfeld
Step 5. Focus on a current person or event
Talk about a famous person or something well known, such as a politician, a movie star, a famous athlete, or someone else who always appears on television. Jokes about famous people are very hilarious, since most people know what you're talking about, and will enjoy being behind the back of the rich and famous.
- I wonder if Jeremy Irons smiles under his breath while ironing (The pun is that to iron means to iron) - Jon Friedman
- I've been wearing so many scarves lately that I wonder if my ancestors were ever tied to Steven Tyler's microphone stand. - Selena Coppock
Method 2 of 3: How to Create Humor
Step 1. Add a paradoxical element
Create an absurd contrast between your target and something else. This type of humor particularly appeals to children, teenagers, and those who like zany comedy.
If toast always falls buttered side down and cats always fall to their feet, what if you tie a piece of buttered toast to a cat's back and drop it? - Steven Wright
Step 2. Say something shocking or unexpected
Is there anything that hasn't been said yet? Do you have a different point of view from the others? You can also make people laugh by saying something that normally no one would say about a group or person who is generally considered innocent and devoid of malice, such as children, grandmothers, nuns, kittens …
If God had written the Bible, the first words would have been "It is round". - Eddie Izzard
Step 3. Fall back on established standards
Some jokes sound very funny even though we've heard them before. Think "mom" jokes, those about nagging girlfriends or messy boyfriends.
- Men look in their underwear for the same things they look for in women: a little support and a little freedom. - Jerry Seinfeld
- A grasshopper walks into a bar, and the bartender says, "Hey, we have a cocktail named after you!" The grasshopper, surprised, says: "Do you have a cocktail called Steve?"
Step 4. Add some elements to help the audience feel involved
Nobody will ever laugh unless they recognize themselves a little in the joke. If people do not identify themselves, either with you telling them or with the victim, you will only have blank stares. When people get involved with a joke in some way, they get a kind of cathartic release - that's why people like jokes, right?
Roses are red, violets are blue, I'm schizophrenic, that's what I am - Billy Connolly
Step 5. Say something stupid
Puns fall into this category, like jokes about blondes, children and the classic "knock knock, who is it?"
Method 3 of 3: Calculate the Right Moment
Step 1. Get to know your audience
The target of your jokes must be fun for your audience, otherwise you will have to face a mass of impassive faces. Don't just prepare high school girl jokes, if your audience is mostly high school girls. Proceed with caution if you target a political figure or celebrity in their city. A joke that might make one group of people laugh might cause another to throw rotten vegetables at you.
Step 2. Simplicity and brevity
If you tell a story that is too long that takes more than a minute or two, you will most likely bore your audience. Practice telling shorter jokes so you can develop the ability to tell them better before trying your hand at longer stories. Remember that the best jokes aren't always clever, full of detail; you have to hit people in their humor.
- Look at the people you are talking to. If you see their eyes start wandering, finish the story.
- You can tell more jokes in a row if the first one worked. You can continue on the comic energy wave you just aroused.
Step 3. Keep your expression impassive
If you smile up to your ears while telling a joke, people will get distracted. Plus, smiling at your own joke reveals the ending before it gets there. Instead, keep a straight face, keep eye contact, and tell the joke as if you were telling something trivial, like "I'm going to the store to buy a liter of milk." How you tell a joke is as important to the success as the content.
Step 4. Check the timing
After you've told the "body" of the joke, take a short break before the punchline. This gives the audience time to think for a moment and try to guess the ending before surprising them with your comic intuition. However, don't wait too long, or the aroused comedy will die out.
- A man goes to the doctor, and says, "I hurt my arm in several places." The doctor replies: "Well, don't go there anymore, in those places." - Tommy Cooper
- I don't care if you think I'm racist. I just want you to think I'm thin. - Sarah Silverman
Advice
- Most jokes aren't improvised in ten minutes. It may take longer to think about your joke.
- A successful joke requires a good sense of "intertextuality". The use of what the audience knows in a pun, for example.
- You will improve with practice.
- Always use tact in jokes about races, religions, nationalities, and other sensitive topics. If in doubt, ask yourself, "Would anyone object if I made a potentially offensive joke?"
Warnings
- Be prepared for failure.
- The jokes are funny the first time. Do not repeat them, even if you think someone was not listening, as this will reduce its effect. Probably someone else will tell him.
