When I was teaching stand-up at UCLA, people often said, “You can’t teach someone to be funny.” I understand the argument. Many comedians seem born that way. Their outsider status, fearless silliness, or even the sound of their voice makes us laugh more consistently than most. Think Gilda Radner, Lucille Ball, Jack Black, Abbott & Costello, Chris Rock, Atsuko Okatuka, Wanda Sykes, Maria Bamford - the list is long.
But that doesn’t mean non-pro’s don’t also have the potential to make us laugh!
In thirty years of teaching and performing, I’ve given this serious thought. One epiphany: almost nothing is less funny than analyzing what makes something funny. Nothing sucks the giggles out of the room faster than breaking humor into “four styles,” as laughter scholars are prone to do.
That said, there are a few tools that can help you access your inner Groucho Marx, or at least get someone to crack a smile.
1. Call it as you see it.
Have the courage to tell the truth in the moment, as long as you know your audience and your intent isn’t to wound. Saying what everyone is thinking but no one wants to articulate often delivers exactly the comic relief the room needs.
2. Be present.
This isn’t a comedy tool so much as a prerequisite. If you’re not fully present, catching the details in a room or conversation, you won’t respond quickly or accurately. And timing is everything. Active listening is the foundation for the above, “calling it as you see it.” You can’t find the humor if you don’t notice what’s happening.
3. Be authentic.
Authenticity is a buzzword right now, and it definitely matters with humor. The textbook definition is “of undisputed origin; genuine.” In humor, authenticity creates two powerful opportunities:
First, your genuine reaction often lands in the classic “it’s funny because it’s true” way. People laugh because they recognize themselves in it.
Second, authenticity sets up surprise. The “element of surprise,” is one of comedy’s most reliable tools, when it’s not mean-spirited. We don’t build connection by surprising people with sarcasm or insults, in fact quite the opposite. But by introducing something unexpected, or even better, revealing something unexpected about yourself, some honest and well-timed detail, can work like magic. It lowers shoulders, loosens the room. It reminds us we’re human. And that shared humanity? That’s the real comedy gold.
