Finding the Funny
Where can you find humor to put into your presentations? You can write your own material as you compose your speech. It’s important to be an expert on your speech subject because finding a humorous perspective becomes simple when you thoroughly know your subject.
There are many different resources for finding humor. Joke books, quotation books, the newspaper, comics, funny headlines (like Jay Leno does), personal stories, anecdotes, etc.
I believe personal stories and anecdotes are the best for speeches. These are true stories that have humor and make the point you are trying to get across in your speech. The personal story can be better and more powerful because it is your story.
The use of humorous quotes makes a point and adds to your credibility because you are quoting someone. Even if it doesn’t get a laugh you are still quoting someone to make a point.
Collect quotes, jokes, anecdotes, humorous stories, funny headlines, funny bumper stickers, and anything that you find humorous so that you can organize and call upon them when needed.
You can organize these by subject, type of humor, or any way you want. It can be several files or on a computer, whatever works for you. The point is to have this material set up in a way that you an find what you want easily. |
It Lost Something in the Translation
When looking for jokes in a joke book it is important not to read too many jokes at one time. Quite often after ten to fifteen minutes of reading jokes they start to become unfunny. Also many jokes that are f8unny in a routine do not read funny. Have you ever heard of that old saying “it lost something in the translation”? Without the delivery the joke can seem unfunny when read from a piece of paper. However, when the comedian performed the joke he/she had the proper inflection in the words, the timing, and other intangible qualities that may be lost when it is typed in black and white.
If you’re not sure about a joke, try telling it to family and/or friends to get their reaction. Something you might not have thought was that funny when you read it may turn out to be just what you’re looking for.
Everything Old is New Again
Jokes in a joke book are meant tobe rewritten into a form that fits your speech. Don’t just take a joke as it’s written and plop it into your speech. You need to personalize it so it makes sense to the audience why it’s there.
On one of his shows Dr. Phil worked a joke into a presentation as if he was telling an anecdote. He got a good laugh but then continued with the joke trying to get in a second punch line. At that point it became obvious to the audience that he was only telling a joke and that the story didn’t actually happen. He lost credibility with his audience. He should have just stopped with the first laugh.
If a singer sings an old familiar song the audience applauds because it’s a song that brings back memories. If a comedian tells an old joke especially if he/she didn’t write it, the audience groans. However, by personalizing a joke or humorous story you can put a new spin on an old yarn and make it your own.
“Humor, like history, repeats itself.” Henny Youngman
Common Types of Jokes
* Power of three
* Puns
* Play on words
* Unexpected Twist
* Stating the Obvious
* Literal Joke
* Theme Joke
* Humorous Simile
“A joke is a form of humor enjoyed by some and misunderstood by most.” Henny Youngman
The Power Of Three
The audience expects order. The laugh comes when something is unexpectedly out of order. The power of three gets a laugh when the third is out of context with the first two.
For example Smile, Eyes, Assets
My wife says there were three things that made her fall in love with me. My smile, my eyes, and my assets.
Why Three? People tend to remember three things. If you give a fourth they forget the first. If you give a fifth they forget the second.
Puns
A pun is a classic play on words using two words (or phrases) that sound alike but have different meanings.
Examples:
What do you have if you have 20 rabbits all in a row and they all back up one step? A receding hare line.
What do you get if you divide the circumference of a pumpkin by its diameter? Pumpkin pi.
Did you hear about the Buddhist who refused his dentist’s Novocain during root canal work? He wanted to transcend dental medication.
Play on Words
Another form of pun is the Play on Words. This type of joke uses one word (or phrase) that has two meanings. You use the word as if you are using the first definition of the word and then the punch line uses the second definition.
Example:
"My wife made me join a bridge club. I jump off next Tuesday." – Rodney Dangerfield
“A three legged dog walked into a bar and said, “I’m looking for the man who shot my paw.” – Unknown
“Time flies like an arrow, but fruit flies like a banana.” – Groucho Marks
The Unexpected Twist
This type of joke has the audience thinking you’re going in one direction and the for the punch line you take a detour and fo off in an unexpected direction.
Example:
“I’ve got two wonderful children – and two out of five isn’t bad.” Henny Youngman
“When I was a kid, I had two imaginary friends. They would only ply with each other.” Rita Rudner
“Misers are no fun to live with, but they make great ancestors.” Tom Snyder
Stating the Obvious
Life is funny. The humor is plain to see as long as you look for it. The funniest things are often those that are so obvious the audience catches on to the punch line before you even say it or they say, “Why didn’t I think of that?” after you do.
Examples:
“Nepostism is all right, as long as you keep it in the family.” George Gilbert
“I stepped out for a walk. My girlfriend asked how long I would be out. I said, “The whole time’.” Steven Wright
“Whenever I think about the past, it brings back such memories.” Steven Wright
Literal Joke
This type of joke involves taking a word or phrase literally.
Examples:
Before getting on his first plane journey, a man was told that chewing gum would stop his ears popping during the flight. As they landed, the man turned to his friend and said: “The chewing gum works fine, but how do I get it out of my ears?”
A young woman went to cash a check from her husband. The bank cashier asked her to endorse it. So she wrote on the back: “my husband is a wonderful man.”
A man went into a bank and said to the cashier: “Will you check my balance?” So she pushed him.
Theme Jokes
These jokes are all on the same subject and formatted similarly (like Jeff Foxworthy’s “You might be a redneck if. . .”) Another form of a theme joke is to use exaggeration (you’re so fat. . . , It’s so cold. . ., I’m so dumb. . . ).
Examples:
You’re getting old when… Sowing your wild oats means eating your oat bran for breakfast.
You’re getting old when…You don’t work anymore and neither does the gold watch they gave you when you retired.
You’re getting old when…You stop lying about your age because you can’t remember what your age really is.
Humorous Simile
These jokes make humorous comparisons usually using the words. “like” or “as”.
Examples:
“She was so bowlegged she looked like two giraffes kissing!” – Milton Berle
“With her, truth is like a girdle – she stretches it!” -Milton Berle
“A mother-in-law is like a shirt button – always popping off.” – Henny Youngman
