Do you ever find it hard to interact with people? Convinced everyone hates you? Does school life make you feel dead inside?
If you can relate to any of the above you may believe your social anxiety or need of therapy are to blame. While I can neither confirm nor deny your mental state, I can assure you one thing: you’re probably not funny. As Gandhi said, “Humor is the best medicine.” You just aren’t “self-medicating” as the kids like to say. Thankfully, being funny is a notoriously simple skill that everyone can master and the ECHO just so happens to have a guide that can teach you how to be a master comedian.
Comedic timing: Comedy is all about comedic… timing. If you’ve ever made someone laugh, in all likelihood you paused for 3.48 seconds before making the punchline. If you make the mistake of going over or under 3.48 seconds, your joke will fall flat and everyone will stare at you, pitifully.
Setup: When you are teeing up a joke you need to perform what’s known as the setup, otherwise you’re just saying punchlines, like an animal. A classic setup begins with the comedian spelling out their name, then telling the audience where they were 13 days ago at 12:34 PM, then the comedian spells out their last name. You may only pause your setups for routine bathroom breaks. With all the steps complete, you can now proceed with the funny.
References: If making your own jokes sounds too hard and complicated, just make references–they’re just as funny and aren’t protected by copyright laws. References may include pop culture references, internet memes, reciting the 95 theses, other people’s jokes, any mention of Snoop Dogg, saying “bababooey,” reading out someone’s home address and the entirety of “I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson.”
The Aftercare: After you make your funny, let everyone know the joke is over by announcing in your loudest possible voice, “I’m doney with the funny.” Then, if you’re feeling up to it, explain the joke you made in excruciating detail so everyone knows why it’s funny.
And that’s all there is–with these strategies at your disposal you’ll have classes of people doubled, even tripled over in laughter. Go out there and make them laugh you rambunctious, gut-busting scamp.
