Comments on: Observational Humor — Case Study #11

By: John Kinde

John Kinde — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 13:47:12 +0000

We specifically place our Observational Humor segment at the end of the General Evaluators report. If any of the humor is questionnable in taste, the General Evaluator is able to comment on it. We almost never have a problem. Sometimes it’s easy to go a bit too far, but we learn by making mistakes. And what better place to make a mistake than at a Toastmasters meeting?
John

By: sol morrison

sol morrison — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 05:33:41 +0000

Thanks — Very Helpful ! You’ve got a Special Talent, there, John.

Some TM Clubs, as you know, I’m sure — do Not Even Have
A “Joke Of The Day.” (Very “skittish” and fearful of denigrating anyone.) So that shows a lot of “TRUST ” that group
must have in you — And ,obviously, you earn this trust by
Not going for “bad / Questionable” comments or “embarrasing laughter” or Negative Put-Downs.
Congratulations ! Sol M –

By: John Kinde

John Kinde — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 05:18:03 +0000

Excellent questions Sol.
My observational humor monologues at Toastmasters meetings are all written during the meeting. I bring nothing prepared to the meeting, but do commit myself to focus on the process of looking for humor during the meeting. This focus sometimes does pull my attention away from things I might be watching or thinking about during the meeting if I wasn’t focused on humor. The observational humor, for me, doesn’t just “happen”…it’s very deliberate. I work on it. I do it as an exercise to improve my observational skills. I’d estimate that 98 percent of my line are first-time and one-time use. The other two percent I might involve recycling an old joke that might fit the circumstances. In our club, observational humor is a pre-planned part of the meeting, always at the end of the night. I’ve been doing this for 20 years. It keeps getting easier and at a typical meeting I can usually come up with a dozen observational comments. And I actually use about eight of them in my monologue.

By: sol morrison

sol morrison — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 00:31:55 +0000

Questions : Did you write All of this right DURING the Meeting ?
( i.e. , Any jokes/ ideas / “ruffs” done BEFOREHAND ? )
(OR : Had you HEARD any of the speeches BEFOREHAND ? )

What Had you Planned to talk about — before the Meeting STARTED ? Or had you Been Planning to Speak ? “Expected
to Speak ” ? On the Agenda — or an Extemporaneous situation ? These elements All impact setting / situation .
And– did You have “time” to Enjoy the Speeches ?