How to Be Funny - Part 3 - Study Funny
Every self-help book in the world worth its salt will tell you that if you want to become a success at anything then it pays to study the masters and model their behavior.
This definitely applies to learning how to be funny as well.
I say that if you want to "be" funny then you need to "study" funny.
Now this doesn't mean you have to go out and snap up every How-To-Be-Funny book you can get your hands on.
That won't work by itself, not to mention, its boring.
Since you have already shown the willingness to get better here are two concrete steps that you can take that will help you build a foundation towards becoming a funnier person.
Step 1: Learn how jokes are structured and delivered.
All jokes in their most basic form have 2 parts: a setup and a punch line.
One of your main tasks should be to dig a little deeper and gain a feel for all of the little nuances that go into making your friends or audience crack up.
Not all setups or punches are spoken outright, many are implied by use of your voice tone, timing and body language.
You should keep in mind that how you say, or deliver, a joke or story will have a lot to do with the number of laughs you'll get.
Something that seems small, like a pause, can make a dramatic impact on your delivery.
I would suggest picking up a book by Greg Dean, Judy Carter or Melvin Helitzer if you want to learn more about joke structure.
Step 2: Watch stand-up comedy routines both live and on TV.
There is no better place to see both joke structure and delivery techniques actually applied in-the-flesh than to watch a stand-up comic in action.
The great part about this for you is that stand-up comedy is everywhere.
All of your major late night television hosts -Leno, Letterman, Conan, and the two Jimmy's (Kimmel and Fallon) all start their shows with some sort of monologue.
This opening bit is really nothing more than a refined stand-up routine crafted by a team of talented (and well paid) writers.
If late night isn't your cup of tea then just flip the channel to Comedy Central.
You'll find a lot of study material here.
Comedy Central is great because they have shows that showcase beginning stand-up comics with a variety of styles along with the big household names.
I'd strongly suggest you either tape, Tivo, or DVR some of these shows and watch them more than once.
Long story short, you'll need to "study" funny before you can truly "be" funny.
This definitely applies to learning how to be funny as well.
I say that if you want to "be" funny then you need to "study" funny.
Now this doesn't mean you have to go out and snap up every How-To-Be-Funny book you can get your hands on.
That won't work by itself, not to mention, its boring.
Since you have already shown the willingness to get better here are two concrete steps that you can take that will help you build a foundation towards becoming a funnier person.
Step 1: Learn how jokes are structured and delivered.
All jokes in their most basic form have 2 parts: a setup and a punch line.
One of your main tasks should be to dig a little deeper and gain a feel for all of the little nuances that go into making your friends or audience crack up.
Not all setups or punches are spoken outright, many are implied by use of your voice tone, timing and body language.
You should keep in mind that how you say, or deliver, a joke or story will have a lot to do with the number of laughs you'll get.
Something that seems small, like a pause, can make a dramatic impact on your delivery.
I would suggest picking up a book by Greg Dean, Judy Carter or Melvin Helitzer if you want to learn more about joke structure.
Step 2: Watch stand-up comedy routines both live and on TV.
There is no better place to see both joke structure and delivery techniques actually applied in-the-flesh than to watch a stand-up comic in action.
The great part about this for you is that stand-up comedy is everywhere.
All of your major late night television hosts -Leno, Letterman, Conan, and the two Jimmy's (Kimmel and Fallon) all start their shows with some sort of monologue.
This opening bit is really nothing more than a refined stand-up routine crafted by a team of talented (and well paid) writers.
If late night isn't your cup of tea then just flip the channel to Comedy Central.
You'll find a lot of study material here.
Comedy Central is great because they have shows that showcase beginning stand-up comics with a variety of styles along with the big household names.
I'd strongly suggest you either tape, Tivo, or DVR some of these shows and watch them more than once.
Long story short, you'll need to "study" funny before you can truly "be" funny.