Learning To Be Funny

My last blog post discussed the importance of healing with humor. And one of the best ways to add humor into your daily life is learning to be funny. I always thought being funny was something you were born with – either you had the gene or not. And I did not have it. As quick as I am to smile, being funny was as elusive for me as spotting a dodo bird at the neighborhood park.

Your Sense of Humor Is Not Extinct

But then I discovered that there were “rules” for learning to be funny and that once I focused on the rules, it was easier to make people laugh. My sense of humor was not extinct, just hibernating – deeply. So I want to share nine of these rules with you. Please read them over, think about them, and then start applying them in your life. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the results.

Yes/No Questions

When people ask you a yes/no question where you can tell they already anticipate your answer, give the opposite response. Then laugh and share the proper one. The humor comes when you surprise their expectations. Pause for a laugh, then move on to your story.

“How did the job interview go?”
“It was crazy…There were 15 executives in the room all peppering me with questions”.
“Were you scared?”
“No, I was bored…Yes, of course I was scared!”.

Play with Numbers

When you’re about to say a very big number, add “only” before it. Alternatively, before using a small number, lead with “it’s a huge amount”. Playing with numbers in this way is a valuable tool when learning to be funny.

“How was the wedding”?
“It ended up being a small, intimate affair. Only 150 close friends and family attended!”

Use The Rule of 3

The Rule of 3 establishes a pattern and then ends with something unexpected. This deviation from the convention created by the first two items creates surprise, resulting in laughter. Think of it as 1 normal, 2 normal, 3 funny. When talking, see if you can give an unexpected answer for 3. Here are three examples of the Rule of 3:

Normal, normal, UNEXPECTED. “Three staples in most teenagers’ diets – pasta, pizza, and procrastination.”
Normal, normal, ALARMING. “I celebrated Thanksgiving in an old-fashioned way. I invited everyone in my neighborhood to my house, we had an enormous feast, and then I killed them and took their land.” -Jon Stewart
Normal, normal, REALLY LONG. “I’m a simple guy with simple needs. My favorite meal includes just the basics – meat, potatoes, plain lettuce, and a side of prosciutto Carbonaro with marinated, sundried tomatoes encrusted with oil-infused croutons.”

Character Switch

Another excellent device for learning to be funny is the character switch. When telling a story, characters typically have distinct types (good cop/bad cop, victim/aggressor, hero/villain). For example, hobbits are vulnerable while orcs are dangerous.

To be funny, switch the roles of your characters. An orc shivering with fear is a funny image. So is a thug peeing in his pants from fear, at the mercy of a small boy threatening to punch him, or a murdering mafia killer gently helping a little old lady cross the street.

“Whatever”

When people tease, mock, and ask pestering questions, don’t fret – these moments are ripe for getting a laugh. Everyone expects you to be defensive or annoyed. Instead, turn the situation around by rolling your eyes and saying “whatever” under your breath. Then smile. The laughs will surely follow.

“How was your date with Jack?”
“It was good.”
“You’re blushing! It must have been really good.”
“Whatever.” (smile)

Real-Life Stories, Not Jokes

Another excellent method for learning to be funny is to describe amusing things that happen in your everyday life. Track the events you find humorous and then share them. Don’t worry if people fail to see the humor – it’s still a story with its own value. Laughing is a bonus, not a necessity.

“Do you ever notice how people look like their dogs? Every morning on my way to work I pass an elegantly dressed, tall man with puffed-up hair walking his standard poodle. They both keep their shoulders back, walk proudly, have the same curly white hair, and both lift their left legs by the maple tree to pee!”

Delay The Funny

When you have something funny to say, save it until the end. For example, if the punchline is about “the neighbor,” don’t say “I found my neighbor in the pool,” but rather, “In the pool, I found my neighbor.” Structuring the sentence this way lets you finish talking before people start to laugh.

“I went to a lecture on grammar the other day. The professor said, ‘A double negative forms a positive. However, in some languages, such as Russian, a double negative is still a negative. Yet, there is no language where a double positive can form a negative.’ All of a sudden a loud voice from the back of the room called out, ‘Yeah, right.'”

Callbacks

A callback is a great tool when learning to be funny. Callbacks are jokes that reference a previous joke. Many times, the reference itself is not particularly funny. But it takes us back to something funny or memorable, so it becomes funny by association. It’s basically an inside joke.

John makes a comment while watching The Lion King with a group of friends that he finds the female lion kind of attractive, which makes everyone laugh. Later, at the zoo, someone says, “Look, there’s John’s girlfriend,” and the people who were there for John’s comment laugh, while the others need it explained.

The callback doesn’t just remind people of John’s weird remark. It bonds everyone who heard it originally. The joke is much funnier when you have to be on the inside to get it because it’s a feeling of belonging that’s mixed in with the funny and amplifying it.