Humor Power

If you’re mainly looking for a bunch of jokes, skip this post.  However, if you’re interested in a deeper look at the principles and psychology of creating humor, read on. 

What’s the difference between Observational Humor and Customized Humor? 

Observational Humor, by my definition, is humor that springs from or is inspired by something that you’ve just seen or heard.  True Observational Humor lines are not jokes that you prepare in advance and bring to the event with the intention of using them. 

Customized humor may be funny lines that are written or adapted to fit a certain speech, event and audience.  For example, you might take a favorite golf joke and be prepared to tell it about the CEO of a company.  That’s a type of customized humor.  It’s not observational humor.  Sometimes I’ll round-out or fill-in an Observational Humor monologue with some of the lines I usually use in the opening of my keynote speech.  Those lines are not Observational Humor, they’re just an attempt to put a garnish on a monologue that might need some help.  Customized, pre-planned humor can have it’s place in a monologue, although I prefer to use it very sparingly.

My definition of Observational Humor does not exclude recycling previously used Observational Humor lines.  Nor does it mean you can’t use old jokes that are adapted to the present moment.  What makes Observational Humor special that it is inspired in the moment, not pre-meditated…although some pre-planned humor can certainly create the illusion of spontaneity.  Our goal is to become more skilled at in-the-moment humor and not solely relying on prepared lines.  Although a good monologue may contain some of both elements.

The focus of this article is about reusing old lines in a way that meets the intent and freshness of Observational Humor. 
What makes these “old” lines fresh is that you had no intent of using them until something at the event stimulated your recall of those lines.  Maybe five-percent of the time the lines I create for a monologue are lines I’ve used before or heard before, but I don’t bring them to the event with the intent of using them.  Here are some thoughts on the process of recycling lines in a fresh way.

I have, on many occasions, heard Patricia Fripp speak and have presented Observational Humor monologues on about eight of those occasions.  I attended a Lady and The Champs workshop in Las Vegas, presented by World Champion Speakers.  Most of he audience was hearing Fripp speak for the first time.  And the audience was mostly not familiar with my past Fripp-event monologues.

When I recycle an Observational Humor line (which happens most frequently at Toastmasters meetings), I often try to present the line with a different twist.  When you’re recycling a previous Observational Humor line, there are at least two reasons to change it.  First, you’re making an attempt to improve it.  Second, you’re challenging yourself to find a different angle for the joke.  That stretches your creative skills and helps you become a better creator of humor.  Sometimes the second time you tell the joke is not as strong as the first and that gives you the opportunity to analyze the process, to learn and to grow.

RECYCLE EXAMPLE NUMBER ONE

Here’s an abbreviated segment from a Fripp story which provided me a seed for Observational Humor:   She told about being in a Ladies Room and being approached by a woman who asked, “Are you British.”  And then added, “Aren’t you Patricia Fripp?”  The stranger had been in one of Fripp’s audiences in the past.

The first time I heard this story, here’s the monologue line I created.

I was in the Men’s Room during the lunch hour combing my hair.  A stranger came up behind me and said: “Are you British?”  I said, “No I’m not.”  And he replied, “For a second there I thought you were Patricia Fripp.”

This line was based on a reversal, placing me as the receiver in the men’s room, and got a very good laugh.  The second line was a topper.  And the absurdity of being mistaken for Fripp activated the joke.  I’m not British.  I’m not a woman.  I’m about a foot taller than Fripp.

About a year later, I was at another Fripp presentation and heard the same story.  I asked myself, “What can I do with this that would be different than the line I created the first time I heard the story?”

Here’s the approach I took:  During the lunch break, Fripp was in the restroom when a voice from behind asked, “Are you British?”  And then I realized I was in the Ladies Room.

In this joke, instead of reversing it to have me receiving the “are you British” line in the men’s room, I changed it to having it be ME as the person who said the line while accidentally in the ladies room.  The line received a strong response equal to the first line.

RECYCLE EXAMPLE NUMBER TWO

Here’s an example of a recycled joke where I didn’t change anything and which received a much weaker response the second time I used it, much to my surprise.  It’s also from a Patricia Fripp program:   Fripp is a successful speaker coach and often does her one-on-one coaching in a hotel room.  Some of the students had jokingly referred to meeting Fripp in their hotel room.  It became a running gag which came up at least three times during the day of the program. 

Here’s the line I created as a result of that seed:  I met Fripp 24 years ago when I joined NSA.  But I feel cheated.  Back then she wasn’t meeting men in their hotel room.

The line received a very strong response.

At a later program, another Fripp coaching client mentioned to the group that he had received coaching in his hotel room. It was a very specific reference, mentioning the hotel and room number.  I recycled the same line that I had used previously, since it had been such a strong line the first time.  It received a very weak response, just a titter. 

Here are some reasons for that luke-warm response to a line that previously received such a huge laugh.

Reason One:  It reminds me of the Curse-Of-Knowledge principle discussed in Made To Stick by Dan and Chip Heath.  (A highly recommended book.)  The principle refers to how we forget what it’s like not to know something.  Our knowledge blinds us. In this case, I was armed with the knowledge that “this joke is funny.”  The truth is that it was funny for the FIRST audience.  The second audience was a totally different event.  And surprise!  It wasn’t funny.  Every time you present a tested piece of humor, you still need to examine the circumstances, the set-up and the audience to evaluate whether the joke is structured right for THIS audience.  Don’t be fooled into KNOWING that a joke, which was funny once, will be funny again.

Reason Two:  The set-up seed at the second event had not become a running gag and had not been repeated three times during the day, as it was at the first event.  The group only heard the “met me in my hotel room” one time. 

Reason Three:  The relationship of Fripp to the two audiences was considerably different.  At the first event, it was HER speaker school.  She was on the platform the whole day, building a rapport with the audience and, in fact, was herself joking about meeting students in their hotel room.  She was the sole star of the day.  At the second event, she shared the platform with three other star presenters (Darren LeCroix, Ed Tate and Craig Valentine).  Many of the attendees had not heard her speak before and hence the relationship between Fripp and the audience was different from the first event.

Reason Four:  The audience perception of my relationship to Fripp was different from the first event to the second.  At the first event, I coordinated the registration desk for Fripp.  It was obvious we were friends.  At the second event, my connection to Fripp was not as obvious. 

When you combine Reason Three and Four, you have the issue of “permission” come into play.  Without the stronger relationship established between Fripp and the audience, and between Fripp and me (comparing the first event to the second), when the audience heard the line about Fripp “meeting men in their hotel room” they weren’t sure if they should laugh.  What’s Kinde implying here?  Will Fripp think it’s funny?  The laugh gets censored in the mind of the audience.  I hadn’t created the permission necessary for me to do the joke.

Here’s what I might have done differently. 

First, I needed to repeat the set-up since it had not been as strongly set-up during the day.  Since it had not been the subject of a running gag during the day, and only mentioned once, I could have opened the joke with, “Unlike the first speaker, I may not have met Fripp at the Suncoast Hotel, room 437.  But I did meet her 24 years ago…which was really a bummer, because back then she hadn’t started meeting men in their hotel rooms.”  This structure emphasizes the set-up necessary to give the joke a chance. 

Second, a set-up to establish that Fripp was in on the joke, an giving some clue that I’ve previously known her, would have been helpful.  Perhaps something like this:  “I’ve known Fripp for a long time.  I may not have met her at the Suncoast Hotel, room 437.  But I did meet her 24 years ago…which was really a bummer, because back then she hadn’t started meeting men in their hotel rooms.”  It makes the joke longer and a bit wordy (I like to say clunky), but sometimes a joke needs a more extensive set-up to work.  At the second event, the shorter version of the joke just didn’t work.

LESSONS LEARNED

Recycling previously used humor lines is a reasonable, and in fact a good thing to do.  I normally recommend trying to change the approach you use for the line to either improve it or at least give you the challenge just to do something different and make it a learning experience.  If you think a tested line is really strong, think twice and examine it within the context of THIS audience on THIS day.  Don’t be fooled into thinking that just because something was funny before, that it will be funny again.  Probability theory tells us that each repeat of a joke is a separate and independent event!

When I collect humorous observations, I am both eager to try them out with an audience and at the same time wanting to limit how many observations I use.  Let me share an example.

I had prepared my Observational Humor monologue, nine items, and was standing in the back of the room waiting to be introduced.  In our club, the person who introduces the Observational Humor Master is the General Evaluator.  The introduction comes at the end of the General Evaluator’s review of the meeting as a whole.  That evening, during his evaluation of the meeting, he noted that the club President announced an upcoming TLI event, but didn’t define TLI (Toastmaster Leadership Institute).

Normally, when I’m introduced as the Observational Humor Master, the first thing I do is ask “Does anyone have any Observational Humor to share?”  I decided to make a last second change, and instead I asked, “Does anyone have any TLI to share?”  It got a big laugh.

Sometimes I use my humorous observations…sometimes I choose not to.  Here are some thoughts on the process of adding the TLI opening to the monologue:

1.  A monologue or a speech is never set in concrete.  I’m always willing to add a new line at the last second.

2.  Adding an observation of something that just happened, strengthens the power of the humor.  An audience appreciates the quick wit, being in-the-moment.  It made a great opener.

3.  As part of my collection of observations, I came up with a creative definition for the acronym TLI.  However, I chose not to give the “definition of TLI” unless I was asked for it, because Less is More.  The power of not offering a definition was funnier than volunteering one.  The absence of a definition increased tension which magnified the humor.

4.  I had to prepare a definition, just in case I was asked.  I needed a definition that was relevant to Observational Humor.  So I came up with a line and a topper.  If someone had asked, my response would have been:  “TLI is Timely Laughter Insights…but I assumed you already knew that.”

5.  No one asked for a definition, so I never used the lines.  Humor is often best when used in moderation.  Forcing everything you have on an audience can work against you.  Leave them wanting more.

6.  Not providing a definition also plays with the principle of the implied punchline, letting them “fill in the blank.”  This is also linked to the laughter trigger of Audience Superiority…letting them “get the joke.”  Serving them everything is not always the funniest way to go.

Almost every time I prepare a monologue, I work at blending my observations together, while avoiding the temptation to use every observation on my list.  By doing that, the final piece will be stronger.

The following was sent to me by Linda Evans, a very talented humor speaker, after she won her district’s Tall Tales contest.

Linda writes:

I’m still a little fearful of creating observational humor, but as John Kinde says, it just takes practice.  So, on May 8, 2010, I made a conscious decision to give it a whirl.  At the District 33 (California and Nevada) conference, I was honored to represent Division D in the Tall Tales contest.  Here’s the set-up:

1. There were nearly 200 people in the banquet room.  District 33 Governor Sherrie Parker wanted to recognize each of the Area Governors by name; numbering more than thirty.  In order to make enough time to recognize each one, she asked the audience to join her with one single clap of applause after each name.  We obliged.
(John’s note:  The large size of the audience is a plus.  The response, compared to a club meeting with 15 people, will be magnified.  Also, the set-up was strong.  Because of the repetitive nature of the single clap, it was something everyone noticed.)

2.  Looking at my speech, the 9th line was “All the other vegetables were applauding and smiling.”  A bolt of Observational Humor lightning struck!  I immediately changed that line to “All the other vegetables were smiling and gave me an applaud” and I clapped my hands once and waited.  A wave of laughter went through the audience.  I turned my head and stared at Sherrie Parker, and another wave of laughter went through the audience. 
(John’s note: Notice that not only did she switch in the word APPLAUD, she changed the order of the words to make APPLAUD the punch word.  Then she followed it with two toppers, both physical. The first one, she clapped once.  The second one she looked at Sherrie Parker.)

That was a great relief and I’m pleased to say that I won first place!  There was some great competition, but I really believe that the strength of the call-back to the one-clap applause made all the difference.  Thanks John Kinde.  You rock!  Linda Evans
(John’s note:  This is what Observational Humor is all about.  It’s not about monologues.  The true power comes when you add that gem to one of your speeches. Adding Observational Humor to a talk, especially early in the speech, can add a feeling of freshness to the entire talk.  I was not present at the contest, which is why I heard from several people telling me that her line was the funniest of the weekend.  Go Linda!)

The contestants were ready to evaluate the target speaker in the District 33, Division C Speech Evaluation Contest.  As I was being introduced to present my evaluation, someone opened a door in the back of the meeting room.  The door was next to a parking lot and we were distracted by something that sounded like a loud warning beeper from a truck which was backing up.  Beep.  Beep.  Beep.  We couldn’t see what was causing the beeping because a temporary room-divider curtain blocked our view of the door.  This happened exactly as the Toastmaster said, “And our next evaluator contestant is John Kinde.”  By the time I reached the speaking platform, someone had closed the door in the back of the room.

When there is a distraction in the room which everyone notices, my approach is to address it with humor.  It takes some practice and some quick thinking.  My first words after taking the platform:  “Pardon me while the fork-lift brings in my notes.”  I was instantly connected to the audience and on my way to an effective evaluation.

Observational Humor adds power to a speech or a club meeting.

  – “Observational Humor stretches our imaginations and makes us better listeners.  It’s the icing on the cake!”  Linda Bown

  – “The opportunity to recall someone’s earlier statement, with humor, is priceless.  It’s the height of wit and active listening.”  L. Eric Culverson

  – “The Observational Humor segment of our Toastmasters Club is always the highlight of the meeting.  People love it!”  Judy Moreo

Observational humor, as discussed in this article, is that fresh, customized humor created shortly before you deliver it.  It is humor that is stimulated by what you hear or see before you are introduced to speak.  It’s normally a piece of humor which you didn’t bring to the event but which is inspired by your observations after you arrived. Observational Humor is powerful.  Here are a few reasons why:

Common experience.  The forklift example was effective because it recognized something that everyone noticed.  The foundation of a good joke is common experience.  It’s part of the you-had-to-be-there factor.   This explains why a funny spontaneous line, when you later tell it to a friend, doesn’t get the same response as it did when it first happened.  You had to be there.  With Observational Humor you ARE there.  Freshness gives the humor power as you share a common experience.

The power of tension.  One of the functions of humor is that it relieves tension.  A distraction during a meeting creates a bit of tension which begs for relief.  A well-placed observational joke lets people laugh and release the tension caused by the interruption.

The element of surprise.  The immediate nature of the forklift line also added power to the humor.  There is great value being in the moment.  The line is so unexpected but at the same time the audience is also thinking “yeah, I noticed that beeping sound too.”  They love being surprised with a totally unexpected observation.

Making connections.  In a speech evaluation contest, the more positive points and suggestions that you make, the more competitive you normally will be.  Someone who makes one good suggestion may be at a disadvantage to someone who makes three good suggestions.  What about someone who made so many points that they needed a forklift to bring in their notes?  Making the connection between the notes and the forklift was the key to making the humor tick.

The illusion of freshness.  A great opening line can make the audience feel that your entire speech is fresh and prepared just for them.  Compare that to opening with a time-worn joke that everyone has heard and you can see how Observational Humor has so much more impact.  One of the key reasons to practice Observational Humor is to add a fresh touch to your talks.

Audience bonding.  When you can be in-the-moment, it connects you to the audience.  They know that you are really present and that you are there just for them.

Saranne Rothberg, The ComedyCures Foundation, hones her expert Observational Humor skills presenting a live weekly radio broadcast and 50 events a year

connecting and helping people with therapeutic humor.  She confirms the value and magic of Observational humor:  “It’s powerful because Observational Humor lets me be incredibly playful and intimate on stage.  It goes beyond the joke-joke-joke format.  The audience immediately trusts that I am listening and care about their interests.  They understand that they are not getting a cookie-cutter presentation.  By integrating Observational Humor with their content, you earn their full attention! Then, anything is possible.”

Here are a few more examples of Observational Humor and triggers to creativity.

WORD PLAY

A great way to uncover humor is to watch for alternate or double word meanings.  At one of our club meetings, the theme for the meeting was Presidential Trivia.  Also, Darren LaCroix shared his mantra:  Stage time.  Stage time.  Stage time!  Later in the meeting I shared this observation:  “Here’s a piece of Presidential trivia.  Zachary Taylor logged more miles campaigning by stage coach than any other President.  His campaign advisor told him the key to success was…Stage time, Stage time, Stage time!”

Here’s another example using alternate word meaning.  A speaker gave a speech on fire safety, telling us what to do if we were trapped in a hotel room and the building was on fire.  My observation was:  “Let me give you a fire safety tip for the next time you check into a hotel.  Do what I do.  Ask for a non-smoking room.”

One more example.  A speaker told us that when she was in high school, hot-jock Bob Baxter (not his real name) wouldn’t give her the time of day.  My observational line later in the meeting:  “I ran intoBob Baxter last week.  I asked him, ‘What time is it?’  And he gave me the time of day.”

SELF-DEPRECATION

Poking fun at yourself is usually a safe way to get a laugh.  At a club meeting a speaker referred to a celebrity speaker who talked fast and delivered high-content.  This frustrated audiences because they couldn’t take notes fast enough.  My observation later in the meeting: “If you haven’t seen me before, I’m a slow speaker.  Which I know will frustrate many of you.  Because I won’t say anything you’ll want to write down.”

BOOK-ENDING

When I’m doing a longer Observational Monologue I like to put matching Book Ends at the open and close of the monologue.  Here’s an example.  First, here’s what happened at the meeting.  A speaker said that the military gave him a career and a wife.  Also, our club membership had been growing and several women had recently joined the club.  Six months earlier, Vicki was the only woman attending meetings.  Here’s the line that opened my monologue:  “I found it interesting that Bill’s time in the military gave him a career and a wife.  The military also gave me a career.  But I was home sick the day they issued wives.” 

And here’s the line I used to close the monologue:  “Attendance at our meeting has been growing.  Our club used to be known as Vicki And The Guys.  I arrived a little late this evening and noticed that we had several women in the group.  And I thought, ‘Maybe they’re issuing wives tonight!’”

SOMETHING FUNNY

If you hear someone say something that gets a laugh, you might be able to piggyback on their joke to get a laugh of your own.  At a club meeting, a speaker told an old joke about a fence around a cemetery.  The fence was there because people were dying to get in.  Later in the meeting I delivered an Observational Humor line:  “There must be something wrong with me. Today I passed by a cemetery with no fence around it…and I had no urge to get in.”

LOOK AROUND THE ROOM

Always keep watch for anything unusual which could lead to a humor connection.  At a meeting at The White House (a meeting venue in Las Vegas owned by the American Payroll Association), I noticed that the lectern was made of clear Plexiglas.  You could see through it.  Later in the meeting, I delivered my observation:  “By the way, here’s some interesting trivia.  The lectern here at The White House was bought at an estate sale…at a nudist colony!”

COMBINING YOUR OBSERVATIONS

At a meeting someone commented that I looked like a mortician in my black suit.  Another speaker talked about book publishing and mentioned ISBN numbers used on the back of books to track their sales.  He also encouraged us to write a book, closing with the advice:  Don’t die with a book still in you.  Later, my Observational Humor combined three observations:  “Someone mentioned that I looked like a mortician in my black suit.  Actually, I do own a mortuary.  We offer coffins with ISBN numbers on them…for speakers who die with a book still in them.”

COURAGE AND RISK

Saranne Rothberg shares a powerful Observational Humor moment:  “The key to developing on-the-spot humor is fearlessness, commitment and the skill of profound listening.  Let me give you an example.  I spent seven hours in a military van with two Marines enroute to our ComedyCures Veterans’ program.  During that ride I was like a fly on the wall, observing their vocabulary, content, tone and how they joked with each other.  The next morning at our live event, I was able to immediately draw from those observations. As I opened the show, a blind and paralyzed 83-year old Veteran with a malfunctioning hearing aid cried out that he wanted to commit suicide.  He couldn’t hear the show.  His name was Joe.  I joined Joe in his wheelchair, gently cupping his face and his hand with the broken hearing aid.  ‘Joe Sweetie, I’m not going to continue this program until we fix your hearing aid.’  Then in my best military voice I yelled:  ‘Joe! We leave no man behind, Joe!’  Joe, and his fellow injured comrades, laughed for about five minutes.  And then, Joe proposed to me!  Leveraging the military’s fierce loyalty, code of conduct and lingo helped me diffuse a live-event crisis with Observational Humor. I bonded with my audience and created a spontaneous comedy platform that permeated the rest of the show.  Observational Humor had an impact stronger than anything else I could have done.”  Notice how Saranne combined courrage with quick thinking to hit the mark with humor.

LEARNING OBSERVATIONAL HUMOR

When it comes to learning Observational Humor, there is no substitute for discipline.  Give yourself the challenge to create an Observational Humor line every time you attend a meeting.  A Toastmasters meeting is perfect, but you can do it at any kind of meeting.  Much of my early practice came at Chamber of Commerce breakfast networking meetings.

As you sit with paper and pen in hand, keep your eyes and ears open for humorous connections.  Look for other people’s comments that get a laugh.  You can often piggy-back on their good lines.  As you take notes, look for connections with a humorous twist.  Then look for a spot in the meeting where you can have a chance to speak and use just one observational line.  Perhaps you’ll be introducing a guest.  Or making an announcement.  Or giving an award.  Drop in your observational line and then segue to your official business.

With Observational Humor the principle of Less-Is-More comes into play.  If you are able to come up with three observational lines, pick your best one and use it.  If you can create ten lines, a good choice is to use just the two or three best ones.  Making a quality cut and using only your best lines can make the difference of having a reputation as someone who is always funny rather someone who is funny only 30 percent of the time. 
 
THE OBSERVATIONAL HUMOR MASTER

At my home club, PowerHouse Pros in Las Vegas, we’ve added a formal Observational Humor segment to our agenda to help all members strengthen their humor skills.  It’s the best way to learn how to create original humor.  And it’s great fun.

How to add an Observational Humor Master to your club meeting.

1.  The role of Observational Humor Master is normally a replacement for the Joke Master position included in many club agendas.  In my opinion, the Joke Master at a typical club meeting is neither very funny nor a good learning experience.  The Observational Humor segment, on the other hand, is very entertaining and a great learning experience. 

2.  The Observational Humor segment is a regular part of every meeting.  It’s on the printed agenda and one club member is assigned as the Observational Humor Master.

3.  The Observational Humor segment is scheduled near the end of the meeting so that we have a chance to observe as much of the meeting as possible before we share our humorous observations.  Specifically, we position the segment during the General Evaluator’s wrap up.  After the Observational Humor segment is complete, the General Evaluator concludes his or her remarks. This placement is designed to keep the humor in good taste and it will be critiqued by the General Evaluator if some of the humor crosses the line.

4.  The position of Observational Humor Master is rotated only among the members who want the challenge.  Before the Observational Humor Master presents his/her monologue, the floor is opened to all members to present their observational humor lines.  “Does anyone have any Observational Humor to Share?”  At a typical meeting of 25 members, about 7 members will have observations to share.  No one is forced to do Observational Humor.   The Observational Humor Master will close the segment with a monologue, maybe three to ten jokes. 

The entire Observational Humor part of the meeting might take 10 minutes.  We have not had a problem with members having too many observations to share.

5.  The purpose of the Observational Humor segment is to improve our general humor skills.  It helps us to see the humorous twists and to master the art of structuring and delivering humor.  It helps us tune our humor radars.  The purpose is not to make members standup comedians.  The goal is to sharpen club member Observational Humor skills to the point where they’re able to drop in one observational humor line into almost any speaking situation they find themselves.

6.  It takes time.  By experience, we’ve discovered that it takes time for a club to get the knack of Observational Humor.  The first few times you try it, it’s quite possible that you won’t have any members who want to share a humorous observation.  Give it time.  We’ve found that after a year, some of the members start to get quite good at it. After having Observational Humor as a formal part of our club’s agenda for five years, we now have about ten people who are quite skilled at it.  It has become one of the highlights of the evening and we have a reputation for great humor at our meetings.

Over the years I’ve seen great growth in the members who participate in the Observational Humor part of the meeting.  So give it a try.  It’s a learned skill.  You can practice it as a club or you can hone the skills by yourself.  It takes a little work, but I guarantee you it’s worth the effort.

Here’s a fun video.  Fredde Gredde performs a TV-Theme-Songs duet with himself with a little video-editing help.  It’s about a seven-minute clip on You Tube.

I commented to a member of my Toastmasters club that we had several people who had become very consistent participating in the Observational Humor part of the meeting.  He said, “Well I’m not consistently good.” 

Actually when thinking of consistent members, I had included him on the list.  The key to getting better is consistency of effort…not consistency of results.  Consistency of effort leads to growth which leads to consistency of results.

I would compare practicing Observational Humor to going to the gym.  At the gym I might see one of those Incredible-Hulk guys bench pressing 250 pounds.  If I’m only pressing 70 pounds I may feel like the 90 pound weakling at the beach (well, maybe a 175 pound weakling).  But if the Hulk guy only shows up once a month to show off…and if I go five times a week…I’ll show more growth.  The change in my strength will be more noticeable.  The key is consistency of effort because that results in growth.

I’ve noticed that some of the funniest people in our club who rarely contribute to Observational Humor don’t show the same progress as the more humor-challenged members who make an effort to contribute every week.

A saying in the comedy world is that performers need a good place to be bad.  You learn what’s funny by guessing and testing…and not being funny.  And little by little you become a better judge of what other people will find funny.  From a performance point of view, that’s much more important than what YOU find funny.

And let’s not confuse consistency with quantity.  You can qualify for consistency of effort by coming up with one joke or five jokes.  The important thing is that the creative process engages you for the entire meeting.  It forces you to put on your humor hat and to be an active listener for the whole program.  It’s the journey and not the destination.

Be committed to effort and growth will follow.

We are reminded of the power of humor when we watch the Oscars program.  Or when we watch the Super Bowl.  Typically, 85% of Super Bowl commercials are based on humor.

The Oscars are almost always hosted by a stand-up comic.  The program last night opened with Neil Patrick Harris presenting a comedy song-and-dance routine.  The hosts of the program, Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin opened with a comedy monologue customized with references to the top films and the celebrities in the audience.  They used self-deprecating humor poking fun at themselves and each other.  Baldwin said to Martin, “They don’t just give Oscars to stand-up comedians…like anyone needs to tell you that!”

And of course there were examples of Observational Humor.  After Geoffrey Fletcher’s emotional acceptance speech, with comments about not knowing what to say, Steve Martin quipped, “I wrote that speech for him.”

Since the pros in the advertising and entertainment business keep reminding us of the value of humor, they are giving us a not-so-subtle hint that humor is of great value to us when we speak.  Not that we need to be a stand-up comic, but that we need to sharpen our humor skills to the point where we can at least season our talks with just a sprinkle of humor. 

Look at your humor skill level and ask:  How can I get to the next level?  How can I be just a little funnier?  Fresh humor skills will give you a new platform from which you can jump to even higher levels of mastery.

Our Quirky Medications contest featured many great lines from our readers.  Let’s look at a few of the techniques that people used for coming up with humorous twists.

Similar Sounds:  Aussiecotton – Softens and protects any condition “Down Under”

Add A Letter:  Frolic acid – Makes you feel young again

Keeping The Cadence:  Suethefed – Legal relief for people fed up with the Federal Reserve Bank

Looking For Common Qualities:  Lyrica-Allegro-Concerto with Cymbalta – Taken by orchestra members before a performance to keep them upbeat

Playing With Names:  Gerrytol – Mr Fleischmann’s medicine (another one of our frequent submitters and winners, Gerald Fleischmann)

Linking Phrases:  Halls of Montezuma – Marines use this for sore throat

Using Stereotypical Patterns:  Blowtox PM – Eliminates the urge to be a late-night wind-bag

Marty Bernstein is a name you might recognize.  He is a frequent contributor to our contests and is often recognized in the top three. 

His submissions for the February contest, Quirky Medications, were either lost in the shuffle, lost when our site was down for maintenance, or lost in the Bermuda Triangle.

Marty is one of the contributors who rarely submits just three entries.  He ususally submits dozens.  That’s one of the keys to creativity.  Part of success is a numbers game.  The more you write, the more likely one of your creations will be a gem.  Your best line is rarely the first line you write.  In fact it probably isn’t in the first ten lines you write.  Just when you think you can’t come up with anything else…write ten more lines.

Let’s look into the sharp and prolific mind of one of our creative writers, Marty Bernstein.  Look at how he came up with multiple lines for Rolaids and Tylenol.  Here are the lines he submitted, or tried to submit, for the February contest:

  – Suethefed  – Legal relief for people fed up with the Federal Reserve Bank
  – Vicks Capo Rub – For your next dispute with a rival boss 
  – Nia-C-span  -  Vitamin that helps you understand politics
  – Avotart  -  Relieves the blues
  – Heevadart  -  Used as a complement to acupuncture
  – Brotox  -  Wrinkle cream for men
  – Spinderal  -  Relieves vertigo
  – Lyrica-Allegro-Concerto with Cymbalta  -  Taken by orchestra members before a performance to keep them upbeat
  – Premarrian  -  Relieves wedding day stress
  – Mercedes Benztyl  -  Soothes muscles sore from waxing your car
  – Nystatins  -  East coast heart disease treatment
  – Aspen-icillin  -  Antibiotic for ski injuries
  – Stroke-a-cola  -  Stops bleeding in the brain
  – Gaspirin  -  Take when out of breath
  – Drollaids  -  Improves your sense of humor
  – Bowlaids  – Two tablets and you throw nothing but strikes
  – Cadvil – Removes scoundrels and rogues from your love life
  – Abracadabravir – Removes your fear of magic
  – Cleptobismol  -  Stops thieves and upset stomach
  – Gerrytol  -  Mr Fleschmann’s medicine
  – Proxycontin  -  Ease the pain of voting for corporate officers
  – Stairoids – Helps arthritics up and down steps
  – Bonivaschmoniva  -  Placebo for women without osteoporosis
  – Norcolepsaway  -  Cures Scandinavian sleep disorders
  – Adderalup  -  A favorite to help CPAs concentrate.
  – Spinactin  -  Used in Hollywood by actors with an itch for an Oscar
  – Waldomet  – Take this and you’ll not only find Waldo, you’ll meet him
  – Oilbutterol  -  Reduces cholesterol (but we don’t know how)
  – Addedpex  -  For bigger chest muscles
  – AdapAbiline  -  Helps you accustom to your new home town in Texas
  – Essence of alphabet soup  -  Cures irritable vowel syndrome (irritable vowel syndrome: winner of September 2009 joke contest)
  – Scoldeeze  – Relieves discomfort after your boss chews you out
  – Mr Beano  -  Relieves discomfort after watching English comedians
  – Dr Schoolls  -  Foot care products that help you through podiatry college
  – Theraflute  -  Taken for sore lips after playing wind instruments
  – Halls of Montezuma  -  Marines use this for sore throat
  – Little vitamins A,B,C,D,E,F,G,H,I,J,K,L,M,N,O,P,Q,R,S,T,U,V,W,X,Y,Z.   -  Take after reading too many Dr. Seuss books
  – And, the Tylenol jokes:
  – Crylenol  -  dries tears
  – Dielenol  -  eases the pain, but…
  – Guylenol  -  Relieves the pain of softball, football and basketball injuries
  – Frylenol  -  Relieves burns
  – Maitailenol  -  Hangover cure
  – Prylenol  -  Cures nosy people
  – Rilelenol  -  Cures road rage
  – Vielenol  -  Ease the stress of competition
  – Whylenol  -  Helps you solve life’s mysteries

Thanks to Marty for a lesson in creativity.  Remember that the value is in the process.  It’s not about winning a contest.

We often have beliefs that lead us down the wrong path when deciding whether or not to use original humor.

1.  We often want to be funny so badly that we think it’s a good  choice to use every humor idea we can think of.  The logic is that   “it’s a numbers game” and the more times we swing at the ball, the  more likely that one of the lines will connect and get laughs.  A   preferable  approach is to become a better judge of what is very funny and what is only slightly funny.  Then you become a better censor of what to use and what to throw out.

2.  We sometimes think that bigger is better.  Sometimes it is.  More energy is often funnier.  Bigger gestures are often funnier.  More vocal techniques are often funnier.  But it depends on your natural style.  For you, maybe less-is-more.  That’s the case for me.  Yet even if over-the-top is generally your best choice, you will be served well by exploring minimization occasionally, for variety if nothing else.

3.  We sometimes forget that most humor requires “permission” from the audience to use it.  Without permission, your humor can work against the less-is-more principle.  If you persist in using humor without permission, the audience may be thinking:  “There he/she goes again.  Begging for laughs!”

Let me share an example from a Toastmasters Contest awards presentation.  I competed in 2008 at a Humorous Speech Contest  and a Speech Evaluation Contest at the Division level.  I was competing in both contests.  During the contestant interviews, one of the other contestants poked fun at my low-energy style.  She said: “When John Kinde is on the platform I’m amazed at how much he emotes.  He really emotes!”  Her style is the opposite of mine, very high energy.  So the contrast was funny.  And the humor trigger, Something-Funny, told me that this might be something I could use later for Observational Humor.

In my head, I wrote three humor lines based on her remarks about my style.  I had written a fourth line contrasting her style and mine, but threw it out thinking it might appear to be attacking her style.  The three lines I wanted to use were:  A quick, one-word line (which I almost consider a throw-away line, not a serious joke).  And a joke with a topper.

I felt comfortable using the quickie line in almost any situation, but felt that the two more substantial humor lines should be used only if I won the first-place trophy in at least one of the two contests.  Without being the winner, I felt I wouldn’t have had “permission” to take the microphone during the awards ceremony and do two humor lines.  Without being the winner, it could have looked like:  “There goes Kinde again, forcing another humor line into the program.”  On the other hand, it appears normal for the first-place recipient to make some remarks.

The Speech Evaluation Contest results were announced first.  I was awarded Third Place.  I chose to use my quickie line.  I received the trophy, waited for the applause to die down, and stepped forward and said in a low-energy way, “Wow.”  It received a big laugh since it was a callback to the other speaker’s remarks.

And then I waited for the results for the Humorous Speech Contest.  I made the decision that I would only use the two prepared joke lines if I was the winner.  The good news is that I did win first place.  I received the trophy and said:  “Right after the contest I’m going to Wal-Mart.  They’re having a Two-For-One Sale on emotions.  And I want to thank my Emoting Coach…Stephen Wright.”

Less-Is-More.  Being selective adds power to your humor lines.  Use only your best lines and remember to ensure that you have permission to use them.

I attended the District 33 Humorous Speech Contest this past weekend.   I wasn’t speaking.  I wasn’t judging.  I was a spectator.  What a great way to enjoy a contest!

A conversation with a friend led to the subject of “how soon should we expect a laugh in a humorous speech?”  A lot of people believe that you should get your first laugh as soon as possible.  I take a different approach.

When you’re preparing a humorous speech, it’s your opening that will lay the foundation for the humor which follows.  Don’t be in a hurry to put in your first punchline.  The foundation comes before the funny.

Your opening establishes your premise.  It tells your audience what speech will be about.  Without a solid foundation in your opening, a speech becomes nothing but jokes.

I competed in the Toastmasters Tall Tales Contest last year.  In the five-minute speech, a punchline came every 41 words (on the average).  But the first punchline came 83 words into the speech. Although punchlines came about once every 12 seconds, in my opening I spent 30 seconds laying the foundation before the first punchline was introduced.  Sometimes in a seven-minute humorous speech contest, it’s not unusual for me to spend 60 to 90 seconds laying the premise of the speech, with no laugh lines. 

I like to think of the opening of my speech as creating the “vehicle” which will carry my humor.  It often creates the structure or the reason for the humor that follows.  Examples of comedy vehicles are Top-Ten Lists and Roast formats.  A typical speech introduction will usually give an organization to what follows, giving the humor proper context. 

In my Tall Tales speech, my opening provided the PLATFORM.  I established that I was a retired research scientist from Area 51.  That laid the foundation to speak about space aliens for the next five minutes. I left the platform (my opening foundation) with my first funny line, the TILT, and I was off and running.  The platform says “this is what the speech is about” and the tilt says “it’s going to be fun or interesting.”

The opening to my humor speech is rarely the first thing I write, but I never skimp on spending time to develop the introduction of the speech.  Even though it usually contains no humor lines, it’s just as important as the jokes to the overall success of the humorous speech.