Can Anyone Learn to Be Funny? Humor Skills and Public Speaking
Learning humor is like learning to play the piano. Nearly anyone can learn to make music on the keyboard. Few will be invited to play Carnegie Hall. And likewise, your average person has the ability to sharpen his or her sense of humor through applied study and practice. That’s not to say they’ll ever take the stage as a professional performer of humor.
These conclusions are based on my own experience. I’m a quiet kind of guy, a North Dakota Norwegian who was never the one to crack a joke, make his friends laugh or wear the lamp shade at a party. At the age of 29, with virtually no significant humor skills in my repertoire, I began a dedicated study of the art of humor, how to create it and how to deliver it: Comedy writing seminars, acting classes, dance lessons, magic conventions, improv training, singing coaching, stand-up comedy workshops, and more. And 31 years later I became an overnight success. Even my mother can’t believe it. The chronological numbers mentioned above are not intended as an exercise in addition.
Some humor experts say that not everyone can learn to be funny. Here’s what I think they are saying. First, their point might be that not everyone can become a humor professional. Just as a piano student may never play Carnegie Hall. I agree. Second, their point could be that some people are humor-challenged, as some people are musically tone deaf and would have a hard time learning to master something musical. I’d agree with that too. But I also believe that those who are terminally-humor-challenged are in a VERY small minority and that nearly everyone can become better at using humor than they already are. Therefore, my conclusion: Almost everyone can learn to use humor more effectively.
Sharpening humor skills is like learning anything else. The skill develops gradually. In my humor workshops I encourage people to develop the talent of observational humor. This happens when you decide to focus on your observational skills and put on your “humor hat” at meetings, pen and paper at the ready. As other people speak, you look for connections with other parts of the meeting, the workplace, your own life. I was attending a meeting where two people were announced as recipients of Perfect Attendance Awards…and they weren’t attending the meeting. Nobody saw the humor until I focused the attention on the funny connection. Also, at meetings, you look around the room for possible humorous observations. For example, in a large meeting hall I noticed two signs over an exit door, one above the other. “Restrooms. Capacity 475.” I guess that means there is no waiting. The signs weren’t meant to have that link, but the humorous connection was just waiting for the right set of eyes. The more you look for the humor the more you’ll see it. Can anyone learn to see those humorous connections? I think so. As with most skills, “The better you are…the faster you get better!”
Here’s something to try. The next time you’re at a meeting, challenge yourself to find at least one piece of observational humor by the end of the meeting. In the beginning, you do it just for you. You have no need to present the humor to the group. But eventually, you can look for opportunities to test your humor discoveries by beginning your closing remarks at end of the meeting with a humorous observation. I’ve been regularly doing that since 1979. And now, at the end of a one-hour meeting, I normally come up with a dozen humorous observations. But I started at square one, just like everyone else. I had no magical gift or skill. I learned the skills from scratch. And if I can do it…anyone can.
January 26th, 2007 at 10:06 am
It is also important to realize that humor takes more than one form. Some speakers equate humor with telling a joke. Since most of us are terrible at delivering punch lines, we risk our presentations falling flat if we try. But situational humor or, as you note above, observational humor, can work for many more people.
February 1st, 2007 at 4:44 am
As a magician, and one with little natural humor, I have often struggled with how to introduce a bit of lightness into my act. Of course, there are “humorous” magic tricks but they are a bit like jokes, it is not knowing the joke that makes it funny, it is how it is told - the pace, the timing, etc.
I have also noticed that there are comments from the audience that are very timely and funny. After reading your article, I am going to spend time thinking about how I capture those naturally funny lines. Do I immediately react, repeat them? Do I find a way to remember them and incorporate them into future shows?
I don’t know the answer to those questions but I am looking for answers. Thanks for sharing a very thought-provoking article with me. I’ll take my pencil and pad to all future meetings that I have to attend and look for “connections.”
February 1st, 2007 at 4:57 am
Hi Paul,
Your thinking is right on target.
A great way to capture humor gems from the audience is to have a program evaluation form which you fill out after the event to critique what happened. One of the items on the form is: Things Which The Audience Said That Got A Laugh. My program confirmation data sheet is printed on one side and the other side of the sheet is the program evaluation form. When it’s filed, after the event, I have all the program data and evaluation stored on one sheet.
A terrific way to sharpen your observational humor is to join a Toastmasters Club. Very highly recommended. The best bargain in self improvement. Shop around for a club that feels good to you. http://www.Toastmasters.org
February 1st, 2007 at 5:37 am
It has also been my observation that when you get a group laughing there seems to be a momentary “closeness” because of the shared laughter or experience. However, that is sometimes a tricky thing to do. I am one that also struggles with humor, it just doesn’t come natural to me. I will practice though. Thank you for the tips.
February 1st, 2007 at 11:26 am
Your’re absolutely right, Vickie. Laughter builds a bond between audience members. It happens automatically because of the shared experience and is not something we design.
February 1st, 2007 at 8:18 pm
Let’s face it. Being humorous is no laughing matter! Jokes aside, if, for a moment we pause to define humour, we realize the seriousness of it.
Dissecting a joke word by word in order to find out where the humour lies will be like breaking down a symphony, note by note to see where its splendour lies. Or, for that matter, trying to analyse Beauty by looking separately at the eyes, the nose, the cheeks, etc., in detail, to find out where it lies. Perspective complicates things further because the very essence of humour depends on wherefrom one is looking at it.
As rightly pointed out, humor exists not exclusively in the punch-lines. Humor is looking at the same scenario in a totally different perspective that the audience would not even think of, and springing it on them, catching them unawares. Like, “How do you lift an elephant with one hand?” Stumped? The answer? “There are no elephants with one hand and so the question is hypothetical!”
Always be on the lookout for humorous situations and slowly start to work these in into your routine.
One word of caution, however: if your public speaking assignment is not in a lighter vein, ensure that the humor content does not dominate: the audience could miss the bigger picture and use only the humorous parts as take-away. Offset each humorous delivery by following up with some thought-provoking serious material.
But what counts, is the fact that humour has been medically proved to have therapeutic qualities (he who laughs, lasts) and that God created Man, and Man alone, with a sense of humour. Sorry, hyenas, you are not included, though you ‘laugh’!
February 3rd, 2007 at 8:18 am
Dear John: Thank you SO MUCH for sharing this article. I am “too serious” and I truly don’t want to be. I am not a performer - just an average person. Regretfully, people form opinions about a serious person automatically, which is sad. I have always accepted that nothing can be done about being serious, but I am relieved to learn that almost anyone can have humor. Your illustration about practicing piano is awesome. I do belive this article will be life changing for me. Humor and laughter relieve stress and and brings people together. I look forward to experiencing that for myself and those around me. You’ve made a difference - please keep writing your fantastic articles.
February 3rd, 2007 at 2:07 pm
Hi John. I was thinking about “humour challenged” people and in some ways they have an advantage. I have seen people in the audience who can sit there stony faced even when I have the audience rolling in the aisles. I came across a post by Bug the other day called The Joys of Boys - a list of observations from life resulting from bringing up sons. This list is so funny (to me) that I literally hurt reading it. The problem with it from my perspective as a speaker is that I could not use this material in a speech because it is too funny. There is no way I could deliver this material and not laugh uncontrollably, whereas I have seen some brilliant humorists who are able to deliver lethally funny material without the slightest glimmer of reaction which makes the material even funnier. We each have to find our own humour style and that applies as much to the apparently humour challenged.
Regards
Rikki