Although it varies from person to person, it’s most often what the speaker says, more than what he or she does, that triggers the joke.  Most jokes depend on the content, the words, to establish the humorous connection that results in laughter.  But occasionally, it’s the physical action or delivery that makes the joke funny.

At a recent club meeting, we presented our regular Observational Humor segment at the end of the meeting.  Every member is given the opportunity to share their humorous observations.

Here are some things that happened during the meeting which set-up some of the funny lines:

1.  Ryan evaluated a speech and suggested that the speaker, when pointing at someone, not use his finger but rather point with his entire hand, palm up.  He suggested that pointing with the index finger might be interpreted as rude.

2.  At the end of the meeting, we opened the floor to Observational Humor comments.  Ryan, one of our consistently funny members, presented several excellent Observational Humor Lines. 

When it came time for my monologue, I opened with:  “Ryan…Great Observational Humor!”  And I pointed at him with my index finger.  It got a very small reaction.  Not counting the possibility that the joke just wasn’t funny…what happened?

1.  Was the audience so focused on what I was SAYING that they were not paying any attention to what I was DOING?  It’s normal for an audience to focus on the meaning of the words and to make interpretations and connections.  In the process of doing that, it’s not surprising that they might miss a nuance in the physical presentation.

2.  Was the audience confused because it looked like I was singling out Ryan for excellent Observational Humor and not others who also presented good lines?  Confusion is normally not a good trigger for humor.  It draws people away from what was supposed to trigger the laughs.

3.  Was the audience wondering why I was recognizing Ryan for excellent Observational Humor lines, when that’s what he consistently does anyway?  Again, the confusion factor comes into play.

I made the immediate judgment that the pointing was a good humor trigger and that the audience just didn’t notice the gesture. 

So after a beat or two with little laughter, without saying a word, I pointed again in a very exaggerated gesture.  Big laugh.  I had faith in the joke and gave it a second chance.  I gave it the time needed to be recognized and processed by the audience.  And it worked.

Keep in mind, the success of a humor line may sometimes depend on your physical delivery moreso than the content or the words.

1.  This might require that you stop talking to allow the audience to focus on the physical.  It might be pointing.  It could be a flirty glance at someone.  Or it could be a nervous smile.  The physical element could be one of a thousand things.  The presentation might demand a pause in the talking for the visual to register.  By repeating the gesture without talking, I gave it that chance. 

And the audience realized, “Oh, I get it.  He’s pointing.”  They were then able to make the connection with, “Ryan said not to point.”

2.  The more physical and high-energy the speaker is, the more the elements of physical delivery take center stage.  The style of the speaker affects the need to focus on the content versus the physical.  My humor is largely content dependent and I sometimes have to take special effort to draw attention to the physical.  It’s an opposite consideration for a very physical-style speaker.  Are you a content or a physical speaker?  Your strength takes care of itself.  Your weakness needs the attention.

3.  The physical element of the joke can be accentuated by enlarging the delivery, making it bigger.  Or you could draw attention to it by isolation, delivering the gesture in a window of silence.

Through experience, you’ll develop an awareness of all aspects of presentation and automatically develop the proper balance in your presentation to make your humor work.

Last night Ricky Gervais hosted the Golden Globe Awards for the third year.  Some people were surprised he was chosen as this year’s emcee because many thought he was over-the-top offensive last year.  But in his pre-show appearances, he made it clear that he was going to do some sharply-pointed humor this year, too.  The anticipation of what he was going to say helped build the tension, which is an important trigger for humor.

Here are some bits from his monologue (not the whole monologue) and some observations:

So where was I?
(A transition from last year’s performance to this year’s.  Sets the stage for “more of the same.”)

Nervous? Don’t be. This isn’t about you.
(He will start primarily with jokes about the sponsor of the event and himself.)

Hello, I’m Ricky Gervais and welcome to the 69th annual Golden Globe Awards live from the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles.  Voted for by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.
(His formal opening lines establish the fact that the Hollywood Foreign Press Association was an authority figure, a fact which may not have been well-known to the television viewing audience.)

Tonight you get Britain’s biggest comedian, hosting the world’s second biggest awards show on America’s third biggest network.
(Uses the rule of three.  Pokes fun at the host network.)

Sorry, is it? Fourth. It’s fourth.
(A topper.  And another joke poking fun at the host network, an authority figure.)

For any of you who don’t know, the Golden Globes are just like the Oscars, but without all that esteem.
(Uses humor to compare the Golden Globes to the Oscars.  Again poking fun at the “boss.”)

The Golden Globes are to the Oscars what Kim Kardashian is to Kate Middleton.
(Uses pop culture to make a comparison.)

Now the Hollywood Foreign Press have warned me that if I insult any of you or any of them or offend any viewers or cause any controversy whatsoever, they’ll definitely invite me back next year as well.
(The technique of extrapolation.  Was offensive last year.  Will be offensive again this year.  Will be back next year for more of the same.)

They actually gave me a list of rules. I’m going to ignore them, but I thought it would be good to read them out.
(Using a list is a good way to say something funny while pretending they’re not your words.)

No profanity. That’s fine. I’ve got a huge vocabulary. No nudity. See, that’s a shame. Because I’ve got a huge…vocabulary. But a tiny….
(Self deprecation.)

Homeland…It’s about a load of immigrants who came to America about 100 years ago and they got involved in bribing and corruption and they worked their way up into high society. But enough about the Hollywood Foreign Press.
(More humor at the expense of the “boss.”)

I’m joking. I love them and they’re good sports for inviting me back. What I didn’t know is they do an awful lot for charity and their non-profit organization. Just like NBC.
(A softener, which is the equivalent to saying, “I’m just joking.”  Which he then follows up with another jab at the authority figures.)

(Gervais has poked fun at NBC, the Hollywood Foreign Press, and himself.  He’s ready to start the show.)
Should we get on with it?

1.  The Obama Technique.  Don’t waste your time creating “second term” jokes.

2.  The Gingrich Technique.  Start by preparing a humorous concession speech.

3.  The Mitt Romney Technique.  Look for ways to make fun of other people’s first names.

4.  The Cheney Technique.  If someone fails to laugh at your jokes, claim you shot him by accident.

5.  The Rick Perry Technique.  Just speak and you’ll naturally say something funny.

6.  The Bill Clinton Technique.  Insist that, “I did not laugh with that woman.”

7.  The Hillary Clinton Technique.  When it comes to humor in your house, wear the pants.

8.  The Ron Paul Technique.  Laugh at your own jokes.

9.  The Herman Cain Technique.  When a joke fails, say with a straight face, “I have never told a joke.”

10.  The Jon Huntsman Technique.  Only one percent will realize you told a joke.

11.  The Nancy Pelosi Technique.  Drive home your jokes with the power of facial expression.

12.  The Joe Biden Technique.  Learn to tell jokes with your foot in your mouth.

13.  The John Boehner Technique.  If you write a joke which you love, but the President likes it too, never use it.

14.  The Michele Bachmann Technique.  In a marriage, the woman should deliver the punch lines…the husband should be the straight man.

15.  The Reagan Technique:  Say “Well,” and pause until you think of something funny.

16.  The Bush Technique.  Remember that neither 41 nor 43 are especially funny numbers.

17.  The Nixon Technique.  If people don’t laugh at your jokes, say “I am not a comedian.”

18.  The Ford Technique.  If all else fails, fall flat on your face.

19.  The Jimmy Carter Technique.  Realize that although people will not immediately laugh at your jokes…Years later they will appreciate you.

20.  The Kennedy Technique.  Use clever similes, like:  “I am a jelly roll.”

21.  The Johnson Technique.  Marry someone with a fun-sounding name.

22.  The Eisenhower Technique.  Effective only with people in their 80s and older.

An example of a non-sequitur:  I am Norwegian and I am Scandinavian.  Bob is not Norwegian therefore Bob is not Scandinavian.  There is a dis-connect in the logic and the conclusion does not ring true.

Another example:  The news stand was out of Sports Illustrated…I should have worn clean underwear.  Second part does not flow logically from the first part of the statement.

About a month ago, the Word Of The Day at our Toastmasters meeting was non-sequitur.  A week later I decided to try a non-sequitur joke in my Observational Humor monologue. 

The set-up for the joke was a Television commercial which I had recently seen on a couple of the local TV stations.  It was a bunion commercial.  It featured segments of ordinary people going about their daily activities:  “I love jogging…hate the bunions.”  “I love my job…hate the bunions.”  “I love shopping…hate the bunions.”

The commercial stood out to me because I had seen it at least a dozen times.  So I decided to close my Observational Humor monologue with a non-sequitur joke.  Here it is:

“I love humor…hate the bunions.”

I thought that was funny…since there is no logical connection between humor and the bunions.  The audience sat there and just looked at me.  Not a smile.  After about five seconds I received a sympathetic titter.  The joke didn’t work.  I normally close with a joke that I feel is a sure winner.  So the lack of response was a total surprise to me.

Back to the drawing board.  Time to learn a lesson:

1.  Ask questions.  I talked to some audience members after the meeting.  Most people had not seen the bunion commercials.  Oops.  An incorrect assumption on my part.  I felt that at least half of the people there would have seen the commercials.  I was way off base.

2.  Just like me.  Part of the problem may have been the assumption that people were similar to me.  The bunion commercial was advertising for a local foot-care center.  Most of the commercials aired in the early morning hours when the rates were cheaper.  I often get up between midnight and 4:00 am for a drink of water, and before I go back to sleep I turn on the TV and watch for five minutes.  That’s when I see the commercial.  On reflection afterward, people who attend Toastmasters meetings are probably watching less TV than your average person.  And even fewer are watching in the wee hours of the morning.  So I was using a set-up that probably no one could relate to.  They weren’t just like me, putting themselves in the place to see the commercial.

3.  A clear set-up.  The fact that I used a non-sequitur, which made no logical sense, magnified the need for a clear set-up.  A vague set-up based on an incorrect assumption just didn’t do the trick.  In hind-sight, when using a non-sequitur, a crystal-clear set-up is very important.  Forget playing with the superiority theory and letting the audience do most of the work to get the joke.  I should have referred to the previous week’s word of the day, perhaps defined it, and used a non-sequitur in my comments…before I did my closing joke.

4.  Speak clearly.  The feedback also told me that several people didn’t catch the word BUNION.  I may have been sloppy in my projection or my enunciation.  Or the problem could have been that bunion is not a commonly used word.  I don’t think I’ve used the word bunion in the last 20 years, in conversation.  That’s probably the same for other people too.  Combine the fact that it’s an un-common word with the fact that the train of logic is a total disconnect and you have a sentence which is greeted not with laughs but with “Huh? What did he just say?” Just as I should have mentioned the process of doing a joke with a non-sequitur, I also should have made a comment about bunions before I needed to use it as a punchline to a joke.  And I needed to speak the word BUNION clearly.

5.  Go to school.  You learn more when you bomb than when you get a huge laugh from a joke.  Always go to school when you have a joke that falls flat.  On the flip side, also go to school when you get a laugh where you were not expecting one.  It’s understanding the unexpected which prepares us for stronger performances in the future.

Creating jokes on a theme gives you a structure on which you can build a series of jokes.  It provides a vehicle to carry or deliver those jokes.

We recently moved our Toastmasters club meeting to a new, temporary location.  With winter approaching, and apparently lacking a working heater in the new meeting room, the temperature of the room was very cold.  The meeting last week was energized by a brisk 56 degrees Fahrenheit (13 degrees Celsius).  Everyone was bundled in warm coats.  The door was wide open for “cold” jokes.

As the meeting opened, the club President noted that it was cold in the room, but that it was a DRY cold.  That was a good opening joke to disarm the issue of how cold it was in the room.  It was a twist on the cliche often used in a desert climate, during the summer:  It’s hot, but it’s a DRY heat. Throughout the meeting, members made three or four humorous references to the cold room.

At the end of the meeting, the cold was a clear target for Observational Humor.  Here are some of the jokes from my monologue:

  – I arrived early for the meeting tonight, in fact I was the first one here.  They hadn’t even removed the sides of beef hanging from the ceiling.
(That joke set the scene for a series of cold jokes without saying “it’s cold in here.”  I let the audience “realize” the set-up on their own, which is a stronger way to present humor using the superiority theory.)

  – Since our club is well-known for it’s humor, I’d suggest that future  agendas include the request of BYOH…Bring your Observational Humor.  OR…Bring your own heat!

(A speaker quoted a statistic that 66 percent of Americans are concerned with their financial future.)
  – This just in:  66 percent of Americans are concerned with their financial future.  The other 34 percent are concerned with staying warm.
(A good call back and switching it to a COLD reference.)

  - I’m glad it’s a DRY cold in here.  If it weren’t…it would be snowing.
(Piggybacked on the President’s DRY joke at the opening of the meeting.)

(David came prepared for the meeting.  He was wearing gloves.)
  – If it had been warmer in the room, I would have been expecting David to remove one glove and break into a Michael Jackson medley.
(This was a joke made possible by the cold room and the attire worn by David.  When doing jokes on a theme, look for things said and done because of that theme.  And then look for the humorous connections.)

Your goal in most speaking situations is not to build a humor monologue, but to create one good, funny line which might be used to open your comments.  Your initial goal is to come up with several lines, and you then have the freedom to select the line you feel is the strongest.  Quality comes from quantity.

1.  Don’t go into denial.  Gov Perry made the right choice of taking ownership of the mistake.  To deny a glaring error would have been a recipe for disaster. 

2.  Act quickly.  The next morning he appeared on several TV networks to say that he “stepped in it.”  Since everyone already knew that, admitting it was the right choice.  By being honest, the issue was more likely to be put behind him sooner.

3.  Can’t Beat Them…Join Them.  Knowing that the gaffe would be a hot topic on late night TV, Gov Perry arranged an appearance on David Letterman.  Better to have them laughing WITH you than laughing AT you.

4.  Know Your Strength.  Realizing that his off-the-cuff, impromptu speaking skills had its limits, he arranged to read Letterman’s Top Ten list.  He didn’t hang around to sit on the couch and chit chat.  Good choice.  He was able to show that he had a sense of humor, could poke fun at himself,  and avoided the one-on-one risk of looking bad during an interview.

5.  We’re All Human.  It was interesting that Letterman shared, in detail, a bad speaking experience which he had the night before, feeling that he bombed as a speaker at a dinner function.  It set a tone, moving into the Perry Top Ten segment, of “we’re all human and we all make mistakes,” which helped put everything in a more positive perspective.

6.  Me Too.  I had a similar “brain freeze” experience during a professional talk.  I said, “There are three ways to do XXX.  Number one is XXX.  Number two is XXX and number three is….”  And my mind went totally blank.  I had set up a need to fill a space for number three and I couldn’t remember what my third point was.  I immediately said, “It skips my mind right now, I’ll come back to it.”  I continued my talk, and of course number three popped into the back of my head right away.  I doubled back and covered item three.  Admitting to a blank mind IMMEDIATELY is better than the awkward choice of struggling to find the missing words while standing in front of the audience.  It quickly tells the audience, “I’m human.”  As a whole, the audience will be on your side, and most of them have had the same experience in their past.  It wasn’t the first nor the last time my mind has gone blank on the platform.

7.  Don’t Feel the Need to Make Noise.  There is no need for you to keep talking.  Pause briefly.  If the words don’t come, admit to the blank mind and press on.

8.  Overall, good choices by Gov Perry.  As to the long-term impact on his campaign, the jury is still out.

1.  Theme.  Every club meeting should have a theme.  It gives a structure for building humor, even if the theme itself isn’t humorous.  Structure is a critical humor building block.

2.  Build-A-Joke Session.  This might be an exercise where members practice the Rule-Of- Three.  Or they could be assigned two random words and be asked to create a joke using the two words, looking for a funny connection.

3.  An Opening Cheer.  The Laughing Matters club in Austin TX opens its meetings with a cheer:  “Welcome to Laughing Matters, where laughing really matters!”  A cheer can be a fun way to jump-start the meeting’s energy.

4.  New Role Titles.  Many humor clubs invent new titles for people responsible for agenda items.  For example, the Toastmaster of the Meeting may be called:  The Master of Ceremonies, The Emcee, or The Ringmaster.

5.  Incubator.  Joan Miller, Wit Pleasure Toastmasters in Calgary, shares a brainstorming technique:  We’ve added a new feature called Humor Incubator.  People bring portions of speeches they are working on and we help brainstorm and add humor.  Other times, for Humor Incubator, we split into groups, are given a topic, then brainstorm it into a humorous short speech to be given by one of the group members on that day.  This is like a group table topics but with a bit more preparation.

Try adding just one of these ideas to stimulate the positive energy of your club meetings.

Innovation.  When you have a successful club going…keep building on your success.  “Don’t be predictable!  Keep it interesting,” advises Kurt Penner, Comedy Club Eh! Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.  Experiment and try new ideas which fit into the club meeting format and support the goals of your club.

A Guest Magnet.  Generate so much positive energy and laughter at a meeting that guests will spread the word that your club meeting is THE place to be.  It’s also the best way to keep current members engaged and coming back.  Randy Garcez, HumorMasters, Anaheim, CA, shares that “we commonly have a guest speaker who educates us on a variety of humor topics, such as: How to create an original joke, incorporating magic into your speech, using humor in the workplace.”  A guest speaker is a great way to add a spark to your regular meetings and help ensure that guests will want to return.

Open House.  Create a special meeting to share value and showcase your club to the community.  Special workshops on adding humor to a speech, improv skills, or observational humor are popular.  It’s a strategic way to recruit new members.  Promote the event well.  Try to have a full-house, standing room only.  Success builds on success.

Joint Meetings.  Invite another club to join your club meeting or commit your members to travel to another club’s meeting.  The larger audience energizes the laughter at the meeting and spreads the word about both clubs.  Most of the meetings of Comedy Club Eh! are joint meetings.  They call themselves the only Travelling Comedy Toastmasters Club in Canada!

Field Trips.  Take your club to a non-Toastmasters event which relates to humor. Visit a comedy club.  Perform on an Open-Mike stage.  Attend an improv workshop.  Go to a funny movie.  After the event, meet for coffee or dessert and discuss what you learned about humor.

IT STARTS WITH YOU

If your local area doesn’t have a Humor Specialty Club, and you wish it did, you’re the ideal person to start laying the foundation for a new club.  Talk it up.  Start building a list of humor-minded people.  Develop a strong structure that adds value and fun to a member’s life.  And when you get a good thing going…maintain the energy to keep it thriving.  You’ll become a more powerful speaker and you’ll enrich your life.

Pam had a great sense of humor.  She shared with me at the Toastmasters International Convention, at Bally’s Las Vegas, in August:  “I introduced myself to someone as Pam.  They asked me what my last name was.  I told them Shinkle.  They asked, ‘From the PowerHouse Pros club?  John Kinde writes about you on his website.  You’re famous!’” Pam got a kick out of that.  We both laughed.

The truth is that Pam IS famous.  She was very well-known and loved in District 33 and beyond.  She was active on our club board and had recently qualified for the District 33 Speech Evaluation Contest in Fresno this November. 

Pam was a positive person, always extending a helping hand.  And she was my go-to person whenever I had a question about Toastmasters.  Pam was a regular player in our speakers’ poker group.  She was an all-around fun person to spend time with.

Pam reminds me of a Christopher Reeve quote:  “The essence of life is our relationships.”  Pam added smiles to my life.  I’ll miss her.