Humor Power

Another year begins.  And with it comes New Years Resolutions. Here are a few you may consider adding to your list to help you tune your humor radar and exercise your sense of humor.

 1.  One of the challenges of a New Year’s Resolution is that the goal is so massive that you don’t know where to start.  As a result, you don’t!  You can solve that problem by breaking the resolution down in to smaller bites.  What is the First Step toward achieving that desired goal?

 2.  Enter one of our contests this month.  First Step:  Take just five minutes to look over the contest and write just ONE line. If you think it’s funny, submit it.  The current contest is to write a cartoon caption.

 3.  Load a funny message on your telephone answering device.  First Step: Read related article on humorous phone machine outgoing messages.   Related article.

4.  Every time you’re in a shopping mall, take a quick walk through a toy store.  It’s a good place to stimulate your funny bone.  First Step:  Ask the clerk, “What’s the most fun, new toy in the store?”

 5.  Hang around people that make you laugh.  First Step:  Select one toxic person in your life and resolve to spend a little less time with that person.  You become the people you hang out with.

6.  Start a humor journal.  Log the funny and nice things that happen to you.  You’ll start to see more fun in your life.  First Step:  Buy a notebook.  Label it Humor Journal.  Place it on the nightstand by your bed.

 7.  Smile at the first person you see in the morning and say something nice.  It gets you in the right frame of mind to enjoy the day.  First Step:  Before you leave your home, look in the mirror and smile at yourself.  Related article.

8.  Get your hands on a new humor book, tape or CD.  Spend a little time each day with it.  Do it as a morning exercise or meditation.  Play it while you are dressing for the day or driving to work.  First Step:  Spend ten minutes on www.Amazon.com with a search for Humor Books.

9.  Look for humor greeting cards, bumper stickers and T-Shirts.  Or make your own.  At past National Speakers Association conventions they featured an event called Meet the Experts.  It’s held in a room filled with over 100 tables.  With two or three rotations you sit at a table with an intimate presentation on a topic of interest.  I’ve often worn a T-Shirt designed just for that event:  “So Many Tables — So Little Time.”  First Step:  The next time you’re in a grocery or drug store, visit the humorous greeting card rack and spend three minutes browsing. 

10.  Join an improv troupe or start your own.  First Step:  Spend ten minutes in the phone book or on the internet to see where the nearest improv troupe or comedy club is located.  Related article. 

11.  Join a Toastmasters Club.  First Step:  Visit www.Toastmasters.org and find the clubs in your area.  If you already know where a club is, find an officer for that club and call that person.

12.  If you are already a Toastmaster, commit to competing in the Humorous Speech Contest next fall.  First Step:  Find a humor seed and start to collect ideas for your speech.

13.  Develop your skills in observational humor and learn from every professional performer you watch.  First Step:  At every meeting and program you attend, sit with pad and pen waiting to jot down humorous and learning connections you note.  Eventually you’ll have a chance to start using the skills in your own presentations.  Check out the dozens of Observational Humor case studies in the Humor Power Blog.

14.  First Step:  Pick at least ONE of the ideas listed above and do it in the next 24 hours!

Let’s kick off the new year with a health-care cartoon.  We feature the art of professional cartoonist Dan Rosandich.

New Cartoon Caption Contests are announced at the start of the month.

New Joke Contests are announced mid-month.

Here is the cartoon:

Write as many captions as you can.  Then select your best three lines and submit them.  Deciding which lines are your best lines is a great discipline for discovering if what you think is funny is also found to be funny to others.  You can submit more than three lines, the extra lines will be eligible for honorable mention.  Only your first three lines will be judged by our panel of judges for first, second and third place.

Submit your entries by January 15, 2010.  Send them to:  humorpowertips@humorpower.com

Visit cartoonist Dan Rosandich who has an extensive and in depth archive of categorized cartoons and cartoon pictures available for licensing at negotiable fees.

Here’s an Observational Humor monologue from a Darren LaCroix humor workshop in Las Vegas.

THE SET-UP (What was said and what happened during the workshop.)

1.  Darren mentioned that he is a very physical, high-energy speaker (which is true).

2.  Darren said that anyone contributing something to the program as an audience volunteer would receive a free CD of the program.

3.  We practiced creating a joke using the rule-of-three to set-up and deliver a punchline.  One joke was:  To motivate people you need sincerity, conviction and a gun.

4.  Darren demonstrated how the punchline tricks the mind, using the classic line:  Take my wife…please.

5.  Darren demonstrated character development in a story by giving one of his female characters the qualities of an Amazon woman.

6.  Darren mentioned that an ex-girlfriend was a teacher of the Law of Attraction.

7.  Darren presented an exercise, half and half:  I’m half French and half German…which means (punchline).

8.  I’m Norwegian heritage.

THE MONOLOGUE (Not delivered due to lack of time.  Remember that 90% of the value is in the creation of the monologue, not in the delivery.)

I know what you’re thinking…Oh no!  Another high-energy speaker.
(Self-deprecation.  I opened by immediately commenting on my contrasting, low-energy style.)

Is that enough to get my free CD?
(A topper and a quick and unexpected callback.)

I have a really funny joke to tell you.  I have a setup.  I have a punchline.  And I have a gun.
(A triple which sets up a punchline which is a callback.)

Take my wife…she’s an Amazon.
(Inserts a callback to switch a classic joke.)

Comedy secret #9.  Do what Darren does.  Surround yourself with people who are good at what they do.
  – His financial advisor is broke.
  – His fitness guru is in intensive care.
  – And his EX-girlfriend teaches the Law of Attraction.
(This is a triple that sets up a callback.  It’s based on the possible dis-connect, not the reality, between an attraction expert being an EX girlfriend.)

I’m half humorist and half Norwegian.  Which means that I’m funny…but you’d never know it.
(Self-deprecation.  I am funny, yes.  But most people would never guess it when first meeting me.)

Watch for the January 1 Ezine which will include an article on how to create “savers” (what to say when a line doesn’t work) based on Observational Humor.  We’ll examine three, original, one-time saver lines created during Darren’s workshop and analyze which is the most sure-fire one to use.  Subscribe to the ezine at www.HumorPower.com.

Check out this fun arrangement of  The Twelve Days of Christmas, Straight No Chaser, Men’s A Capella, Indiana University.  Entertaining and very professionally done.  I heard about it from Loren Ekroth, Better Conversations Ezine.

Here’s another monologue and analysis.  It was presented at the end of a Toastmasters meeting.

THE SET-UP (What happened and what was said during the meeting, before the monologue was delivered.)

1.  Our club President opened the meeting with a toast.

2.  We had two guests who appeared to be about 16 years old.

3.  Ryan and David are two members in their early 20s.

4.  Our emcee for the evening announced the meeting theme:  “Kicking Bad Habits.”

5.  A speaker opened a quote starting with:  “Einstein once said…”

6.  A speaker gave a talk on The Science of Prime Numbers.

7.  A speaker gave a speech based on the book Love Languages.

8.  In an impromptu speech Barbel mentioned watching the “adult channel” in her bedroom.

THE MONOLOGUE

I’ve been in Toastmasters for 36 years.  This is the first time I’ve seen a toast.  My life is complete.
(Irony.  One would expect that Toastmasters would always be doing toasts.  “My life is complete” is a topper.)

It’s great to see our young visitors tonight.  I’m especially happy they’re here, because Ryan and David can see what it feels like to be old men.
(This joke is a reversal.  Turning young people into old people.  Very good laugh.)

When Krista announced the theme of Kicking Bad Habits, I thought she said Kinking Bad Habits.  I thought that was strange, because that is the theme for next week.
(A joke based on a sound-alike word.  I suspected that I wasn’t the only one who heard “kinking” and I was right.  The “next week line” was a topper.)

Einstein once said:  “The person who can explain the science of prime numbers is not a nerd.  The person who can explain the science of prime numbers is a nerd squared.”
(Joke, topper, topper.  The first laugh line was “Einstein once said.”  Squaring the nerd fit the theme of the speech and was an alternate way of saying Super-Nerd.)

I’m writing a book on Love Languages.
     Flashing
     Drooling
     And heavy breathing
(A parody of the original book.  A huge laugh.)

Which reminds me to announce that after the meeting, there’s a party…at Barbel’s.  I’ll be taking notes for my book.
(A perfect closer.  The topper is a callback.)

It’s time for the results of our Blended Cities joke writing contest.  The contest theme was inspired by Sol Morrison of Santa Barbara.

New Joke Contests are announced mid-month.

New Cartoon Caption Contests are announced on the first of the month.

Here are this month’s top lines:

** FIRST PLACE **

Maryland and Tijuana — Mary-Juana:  A city Bill Clinton visited but didn’t inhaled once while he was there.
     Darin Thompson, Smithfield, Utah, USA

** SECOND PLACE **

Boulder and Landover — Boulderover: Where to impress that special lady.
     Marty Bernstein, Oak Park, Illinois, USA

** THIRD PLACE **

Omaha and Oshkosh:  Omikosh: A town of many fantastic surprises.
     Gerald Fleischmann, Fountain Valley, California, USA

HONORABLE MENTION (in random order)

  – Council Bluffs and Anchorage — Courage: The city of bold innovation.
  – Antioch and Reno — The city of Anti-No: So which one is it?
  – Woonsocket and Atomic City — SocketTomi: The home of the Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In museum.
  – Sitka and Compton — SitCom: The town that’s a laugh a minute.
  – Altoona and Birmingham — ToonaHam: The home of new improved mystery meat.
  – Cincinnati and San Fransisco — Sin Sinsisco
  – Topeka and Simi Valley — Peekasimi: Home of annual hide and go seek tournament.
  – DeSoto and Fargo — Sofartogo: A way out of the way town.
  – Lincoln’s New Salem and Winston-Salem — Lincoln’s New Winston-Salem – Honest Abe smoked here.
  – Gerlach and Boise — Boislikegerls: A town steeped in traditional values.
  – Winnemucca and Mystic — Winnamystic: The city famous for its annual guru lottery.
  – Spokane and Boron — Spokabore: Last city that still lacks a Toastmasters club.
  – Tucumcari and Altoona — Twocancarryatoon: More duets per capita than in any other town.
  – Pensacola and Pittsburgh — Burgercola: This town holds Guinness record for eating the most fast food.
  – Pahrump and Goose Bay — Gooseparump: A town where people don’t let anyone get behind them.
  – St Petersburg and St Louis: A Heavenly City
  – Honolulu and Highlands Ranch — Lulu Land: A community of rare Lulu pigeons.
  – Copenhagen and Wellington — Copewell: A tropical city that has disaster plans for blizzards as well as alien invasions.
  – Limerick and Norfolk — Limefolk: Country town where they make (and eat) green cheese.
  – Winnipeg and Wellington — Winwell: A city of good sports.
  – Milwaukee and Baltimore — Waukmore: Where public transportation is your feet.
  – Wichita, Washington DC and Wellesley — Wishingwell: Where your dreams can come true.
  – Bird-in-Hand, Fort Worth, Two Rivers, Indianapolis and Bushland — Birdinhandworthtwoindybush: Come to our town and hold on to your bird!
  – Stinking Bay and Los Banos — Stinking Banos: Avoid this town.
  – Chicago and Baltimore — Gomore: Where Ex-Lax and Feenamint are made.
  – Big Sandy and Bangkok — Big Bang: Carl Sagan’s hometown.
  – Hannibal and Montana City — Hanna Montana: Teens favorite town.
  – Santiago and Climax — Anticlimax: Where to live when it’s over.
  – Minneapolis and Vancouver — Minnevan: The place to buy a family car.
  – Fort Worth and Toronto — Fortonto: Birthplace of The Lone Ranger’s sidekick.

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.

It’s time for the results of our November Cartoon Caption Contest.  We feature the art of Dan Rosandich.

New Joke Contests are announced mid-month.

New Cartoon Caption Contests are announced on the first of the month.

Here are this month’s top captions:

** First Place **

If you turn the paper upside down the economic forecast looks a lot better.
     Tom Nee, Oak Lawn, Illinois, USA

** Second Place **

Y’know, Dad, as the news gets worse, you look more and more like Gramps!
     Gerald Fleischmann, Fountain Valley, California, USA

** Third Place **

Daddy, I don’t think your mug shot looks that bad.
     Andrew Jones, Laie, Hawaii, USA

HONORABLE MENTION (in random order)

  – Is there anything in there about those detectives who were questioning you the other day?
  – You’re pretending your reading the paper because you can’t help me with my Calculus homework, aren’t you?
  – My school prank made the front page, didn’t it?
  – Daddy, are newspapers report cards for adults?
  – If I can’t get a raise on my allowance, how about a bail out?
  – Dad, you know your blood pressure can’t handle coffee and the newspaper at the same time!
  – I’ve seen this look, Dad.  Did mom have a headache again last night?
  – Are you angry about the news, or is it really about those ants crawling all over the chair?
  – Maybe if you drank lemonade instead of lemon juice, the news would look better!
  – Daddy I promise!  I will never do anything to get me on the front page of the newspaper again!
  – You look like a man well able to handle another little set back in his child rearing agenda.
  – At least they spelled my name right in thr Police Blotter.
  – Let me guess…you bet on the Phillies didn’t you.
  – I thought your Cartoon Contest entry was a sure winner, dad.
  – Can’t you see I’m Readin’ the Noosepaper, son?
  – Hey Dad, do you remember when you asked me not to ever ask you questions while you read the paper?
  – It’s almost time for my school.  Did you finish my homework Dad?
  – Gee, strong coffee and bad news doesn’t work for you, dad.
  – I know YOU talked about this last Sunday.  You didn’t want to hear MY reply then either.
  – Is that the new model Sofa-toilet-seat ?
  – Son: Dad.  Where do babies come from?
    Dad: Don’t bother me in the morning or else I’ll send you to the place where babies come from!

Visit the web site of Dan Rosandich for information on how he can create custom cartoons for your next special project, article, book, web site, blog, newsletter, T-Shirt and more.

Here’s an Observational Humor monologue used at the end of the first day of a Fripp Speakers School.

THE SET-UP (What happened and what was said during the workshop, before the monologue was delivered.)

1.  Fripp mentioned that a speaker was tall, and had long, pretty hair.

2.  An effective phrase as part of a speech opening might be:  “In the next few minutes you’ll learn…”

3.  Someone suggested, as part of a speech opening, that you could say:   ”…information which you will take away.”

4.  Fripp pointed out that the word “stuff” is weak, non-specific and does not build credibility.

5.  Fripp said it’s best not to put your hands in your pockets, especially for men:  “Men are genetically prone to jingle.”

6.  A speaker put his hands in his pockets.  Fripp grabbed his pockets to see what was inside.

7.  Fripp shared that, “Logic makes you think.  Emotion makes you act.”

8.  A speaker opened a story about someone dying in a hospital with “I wish you could have been there.”  Fripp suggested that you only use that opening for a fun and happy event.

9.  We were told “there is not such thing as a boring subject…only boring speakers.”

THE MONOLOGUE

I know what you’re thinking.
Sure you’re tall.
But your hair isn’t long.
And it’s not pretty.
How could you possibly be funny.
(A call back to the tall/long/pretty comment.  A disconnect between those physical descriptions and being funny.  A bit of self-deprecation mentioning the thought that I don’t look funny.)

In the next few minutes you’ll laugh…or you’ll take away some techniques not to use.
(Self-deprecation suggesting that my humor might bomb.)

I’m going to share some funny stuff.
(A simple line re-visiting the word STUFF.)

It’s time for a jingle.
You heard the speaker was really hip.
So you packed your bag and took a trip.
It’s more than fluff.
Much more than stuff.
The speaking master’s name is Fripp.
(This “jingle” was just a simple limerick.  It wasn’t meant as a stand-along joke, but was used only as a set-up for the following two jokes.)

I’m a man…I’m genetically prone to jingle.
I bring that up hoping that Fripp will want to feel what’s in my pockets.
(The first line received a good laugh.  The second line, a huge laugh.)

Today I learned that:
Logic makes you think.
Emotion makes you act.
And stuff makes you laugh.
(Making STUFF a running gag.)

I wish you could have been there.  He was strapped to a gurney in the execution chamber.  It was so much fun.
(Using the opposite of a happy situation to re-visit the “wish you could have been there” line.  Big laugh after “It was so much fun.”

As a final thought:  There is no such thing as an un-funny subject.  There are only un-funny speakers.
(Not a huge laugh, but a good closer recalling a piece of advice and substituting the word FUNNY.  Simple and effective.)

The theme of this month’s contest, Blended Cities, is inspired by Sol Morrison of Santa Barbara.

New Joke Contests are announced mid-month.

New Cartoon Caption Contests are announced on the first of the month.

Your challenge is to combine two city names to create the name of a new community.  We’re not looking for anagrams (a total mixing of the letters) but challenge you to use parts of the city names for your inspiration.  Then take it one step further by adding a sub-title or descriptive punchline. 

Here are three examples:

Tampa and Grand Rapids — Grampa Raps:  Home of Hip Pop
Orlando and Seattle — Land and Sea:  An easily accessible community
Long Beach and Chicago — LongAgo:  A city of fond memories

Put on your humor hat and see what you can come up with.  Submit your three top entries for review of the judges.  You may submit additional entries for possible honorable mention.  Send your lines to HumorPowerTips@HumorPower.com by November 30, 2009.