The speaker steps to the podium and begins.
“Good Evening. It’s great to be here tonight. By here, I mean up here on this stage. I have sat where you all are sitting many times and wondered what it would like to stand up here and look out at such a crowd. Now that I’m doing it, I must say . . .you guys are ugly!”
I’ve told a joke or two in my sermons and presentations. (Never the one above. Whew!) A few hit their mark and hilarity ensues. Many get a few polite laughs. Some bomb. Awkward silence. Crickets. Clear my throat and move on.
One thing I’ve realized about some of the bad jokes I was telling was that a few of them were at my audience’s expense. Audiences usually don’t like to be the punchline of a joke. You can make fun of yourself. You can make fun of a common enemy. You can tell Aggie jokes, (as long as you’re not in College Station). But don’t make fun of your audience. Unless you’re one sneaky good comedian they’re not going to laugh. The exception to this is when you include yourself in the joke with them. “We” can be a funny pronoun. “You”–not so much.
Why am I telling you this? Because it came to me while sitting in the bathtub and I thought it would make a good blog post. I’m probably the only speaker dumb enough to try to establish rapport with audiences by making fun of them. If I’m not, and you’ve been wondering why some of your jokes are bombing, check and see if this might be one reason.
Telling Stories, Asking Questions, Learning Lessons
I think some jokes bomb because the speaker is trying too hard to be funny. Some people can crack a joke without any effort. I am not one of those people and because of that, when I try to be funny (which I have learned the hard way not to do) it usually sails like a lead balloon. And when on occasion I say something that turns out to be funny to others, I am surprised because I wasn’t planning on that to be funny.
Humor is a gift…and it’s all about timing and inflection. A dozen folks might tell the same joke but only one nails the timing and inflection. Comedy is hard work and few master it. Did you hear the one about…
Rex and Tim–thanks for jumping in.
I’ve never not laughed at one of your jokes. I may have been the only one laughing a few times.