Thejendra Sreenivas asked:


It has often been said that everyone likes humor and laughter on our planet. Well maybe not everyone, but almost every person who is normal will like humor provided someone else makes them laugh. And you can always enjoy reading a funny article or book written by somebody. But have you ever considered writing a funny article yourself, or maybe even write a funny book sometime? Even if you know how to write regular articles and books the very thought of writing something funny and showing it to others can turn your blood cold or make your hair stand straight. There are plenty of writers on our planet who can write countless topics in a serious, straightforward manner. But very few know how to add one magical component into their writing to make it more palatable and enjoyable. And that magical component is humor. If you want your writing to be enjoyed by your intended audience then you must add an acceptable dose of clean humor into it. It is the lack of humor that makes most articles and books tasteless even if it contains useful stuff. Writing about any serious topic you are familiar with is perhaps easy, but adding humor to it is very difficult and sometimes even dangerous if you take too many liberties. Hence you must learn some basic rules if you want to write humor and make your stuff enjoyable. And those top secret tips are outlined below.

1. The first rule for anyone who want to write humor is to become bold. Contrary to what most people think humor writers are actually very brave people. You need to develop a thick skin, nerves of steel and become brave slowly day by day. You cannot be funny if you are scared to poke fun at things, issues, people, etc. And you can’t be funny if you’re afraid of embarrassing yourself or lampooning a famous personality. Verbally anyone can be funny, but it takes guts to put the same in writing and let the public read, and maybe the entire world see it. So humorists need a lot of courage to write and publish something funny about an issue, person or a concept.

2. A humorous person has no limit on what he or she can think or write about. You must be able to think in atrocious, ridiculous, crazy, illogical and nonsense terms. Modern management consultants call this thinking out of the box, but I call it old fashioned creativity and humor that has existed from centuries.

3. What is important is that you should make your readers think what you have written is funny. But a person who writes humor you need not look funny, act funny or make goofy antics. You should become a person that nobody would suspect of writing funny and witty stuff. You can be a serious type of person and yet have the ability to write fantastic humor. This adds more spice and an aura of mystery to your personality.

4. Most people think writing humor is simply about saying and writing jokes about other people. But this is only partially true. Top humorists mainly make fun of themselves and not about someone. The best humor is always self directed. Direct the humor towards yourself that way you will not annoy anyone. People will laugh if you make fun of yourself, but they may be outraged if you make fun of them. The most important thing about writing humor is to allow your readers to laugh at you and with you, and then optionally at themselves.

5. Unless your article is for MAD magazine or a pure humor or satire piece with no restrictions, there are various do’s and don’ts that one should follow when writing humor. Don’t use bad language. Don’t make fun of religion, caste, race, physical disabilities, gender or language of anyone. Humor in these areas can start riots on the streets or even start a war. Don’t use real names of people, friends, relatives, co-workers, etc. You will never know how they may get offended. But no one will be offended if you focus on yourself.

6. When writing humor surprise your readers. That is, don’t tell or announce upfront about your funny intention. Don’t tell the reader that they will experience something funny. Let the reader discover that for himself. Use concise, direct and uses simple words that everyone can understand.

7. It is not funny to be always funny. There is a time to be funny and there is a time NOT to be funny. And this is something you need to observe and learn. Something that is extremely funny in one place may not be understood at all in another. Something that is funny on a rowdy football stadium may sound offensive inside a religious place. And in some situations or circumstances you should not indulge in anything funny no matter how irresistible it is to write something hanky panky.

8. A piece of writing can never be final and fully funny in one go. Like a diamond it needs to trimmed, improved and polished as much as possible. You need to review it in terms of using a better sentence, a more mischievous word, rearranging the sentences, modifying to a completely different angle or deleting something that does not seem right, etc. After you think you have finished writing a humor piece revisit it after a few hours or a couple of days. Suddenly you can discover new and better ways of writing the same article that can seem vastly superior to your previous article.

9. Think wild, think crazy but at the same time be moderate so that it does not put anyone, including yourself, in trouble. Often in your enthusiasm words and sentences can flow like a mad river and you may write something horrible that you momentarily think is funny or harmless. But it could be laced with trouble when reviewed carefully. So take care to frequently pause your writing to view it from different angles and from the reader’s perspective. Then you may need to give your writing a haircut and then continue.

10. The final piece of advice is writing humor takes time. To excel in humor is a lifetime job, and is not something that you can learn in a day or two. Don’t think you can read a joke book and start writing funny stuff an hour later. You will have to teach yourself how to be funny. The process is mostly by trial and error, observing other people’s comical situations, mistakes, laughing and applying it on yourself, etc. No one can teach you exactly how to write something funny, but the possibilities of creating humor on anything and everything are limitless.

ibrahim asked:


Some keynote speaker says that they do not use humor in their speech because it does not go with their comfort. In fact any body can use humor and it is a very valuable tool in speaking. Apt humorous speech relaxes your audience and creates more comfortable feel with you as a humorous speaker. Humor could also bring attention to the point you are making; and it as well help the audience better remember your point. It actually breaks down barriers so that the audience is more open to your tips and ideas.

The best and most comfortable place to find humor is only out your own personal experience. Just think back on any embarrassing moment that you may have thought not funny at that time. Now that you are sharing the experience, you understand how funny it is. There is an old saying “Humor is simply tragedy separated by time and space.” Or just think of any incident that was funny to be shared. Here, you are not trying to be comedian; you just want to make it easy for people to pay attention and to assist them remember your actual point.

Here are some ideas on using humor to make your next speech have more impact.

Verify that the humor is funny.

If you don’t normally laugh or smile at the cartoon, funny story, pun, joke, story, or other forms of humor, then you surely cannot expect an audience to do so. A key to using humor is only using humor, which makes you laugh or smile.

Use related Humor.

Do not use humor that is merely there to make the viewers laugh. The humor needs to tie in with some facet of your speech. For example, I tell about my experience of getting braces at age 50 and how hard it was for me to get used to the wires and rubber bands in my mouth. After I tell the story I make the point that you might have not had the braces difficulty I had, but we all have facing in speaking well, and what we desire to look at today are ways of making it simple for us to be more effectual in speaking. This would in turn make no sense, so be apt and use related humor to your topic.

Start with impressive short.

A starting point may be to abridge a cartoon and give the title as your humor. A stimulating yet intelligent line about a point you are making is one more way of getting started. For example, when I talk about inspiration and getting out of your ease zone, a line I found that worked well was, “Orville Wright did not have a pilot’s license.” In your reading, look for lines, which make you smile; think how they may be used in your next coming speech. Be careful about initiation into a long humorous story–audiences are fast to forgive a single line, which might not be funny, but they do not have much patience with a huge story that isn’t worth the time. So you need to start out with smart and inspiring bits of humor.

Oh, Natey-O! asked:


For some reason I think its absolutely hilarious to watch large groups of people in panic. Like a crowd at the circus that runs from a deranged elephant. LOL. Or a bunch of people watching fireworks when all of a sudden hundreds of fireworks start launching into the audience. I think its so funny watching all the people run all over each other like the world is ending.

Muna wa Wanjiru asked:


If there is one thing that is going to lift a wedding speech from the very depths despair, it has to be some patented wedging humor. Weddings are great places to find all sorts of humor and jokes running amok and if you naturally have a funny bone in your body, you would do well to let it loose, especially if you are deep in the throes of writing a speech.

Wedding humor is also great in that, applied generously and appropriately it can breathe life to just about anything that you say. Of course, wedding humor is also a double edged sword. You will need to keep it as clean as possible to account for any children and people with easily offended sensibilities who are listening in, and who might be lurking in the audience.

If you have rowdy or bawdy jokes which are best left in the locker room, leave it for a more appropriate time, and for a group of people who would definitely appreciate those sentiments. Another thing that makes wedding humor a double edged sword is the very nature of the humor itself. Your humor and jokes might be great, but have you ever heard of such a thing as, too much of a good thing?

Yes, there are limits to humor as well, and if you are slated to give a wedding speech, using the clichéd, and non-clichéd, bits of wedding humor can be a great thing and can keep your audience awake for the entire time. But remember to only give a veritable dusting of humor, sort of like the icing on a cake.

Wedding humor can also be a great way to break the ice when you’re placed next to someone you’ve never met before, at dinner. Just remember the punch lines, remember to make it funny and most of all remember to whom it is you’re talking, and about what you’re joking.

If you’re not someone who is comfortable with using humor, and you have trouble delivering a punch line with the appropriate panache, then use it as sparingly as possible. Even wedding humor and jokes can go awry if not delivered in the manner that it needs to be.

That said, if you can bring yourself to deliver even gentle lines of wedding humor, you will find your speech taking off, your conversation skyrocketing and your outlook on life become brighter. Just remember to have a smile on your face, and pretty soon without your even realizing it, it will become genuine and you will find it easier to laugh and make jokes.

Kevin Donner asked:


Some keynote speaker says that they do not take wit in their address because it does not get with their solace. In fact any system can take wit and it is a really invaluable instrument in speaking. Apt funny address relaxes your audience and creates more comfy feeling with you as a funny speaker. Humor could too take care to the level you are making; and it as easily assist the audience best recall your level. It really breaks downward barriers then that the audience is more available to your tips and ideas.

The better and almost comfy spot to discover wit is simply away your own private experience. Just believe backwards on any awkward time that you may get thought not amusing at that moment. Now that you are sharing the experience, you realize how amusing it is. There is an older saying “Humor is simply disaster separated by moment and place. ” Or just believe of any incident that was amusing to be shared. Here, you are not trying to be comic just seek to have it simple for folk to repay care

Here are some ideas on using wit to have your next address have much influence.

Verify that the humor is funny.

If you wear’t usually laughter or grin at the sketch, amusing tale, wordplay, gag, tale, or new forms of wit, so you certainly cannot require an audience to make then. A key to using wit is simply using wit, which makes you laughter or grin.

Use related Humor.

Do not take wit that is simply there to have the viewers laughter. The wit needs to draw in with some aspect of your address. For instance, I say about my experience of getting brace at age 50 and how difficult it was for me to have used to the wires and rubber bands in my lip. After I say the tale I take the level that you might get not had the brace trouble I had, but we all have facing in speaking easily, and what we wish to seem at today are ways of making it easy for us to be more effectual in speaking. This would in move take no sense, then be inclined and take related wit to your subject.

Start with impressive short.

A starting level may be to abbreviate a sketch and offer the championship as your wit. A stimulating still smart cable about a level you are making is one much manner of getting started. For instance, when I speak about inspiration and getting out of your simplicity zone, a cable I establish that worked easily was, “Orville Wright did not get a pilot’s certify. ” In your interpretation, feel for lines, which take you smile; believe how they may be used in your next coming address. Be cautious about introduction into a lengthy funny story–audiences are tight to forgive an unmarried cable, which might not be amusing, but they do not get more patience with a big tale that isn’t worth the moment. So you need to begin away with intelligent and inspiring bits of humor.

Emma Madison asked:


Bingo callers have a much more important job than most of us realize. They need certain skills, characteristics and training. Like any other job, being a bingo caller has its advantages, rewards and challenges.

Bingo callers have to keep their audience entertained and ale…

To many players, bingo callers are just a necessary part of the bingo game. But few players understand what the job of bingo callers entail, and what characteristics candidates need to become a caller.

Bingo callers have a much more important job than most of us realize. They need certain skills, characteristics and training. Like any other job, being a bingo caller has its advantages, rewards and challenges.

Bingo callers have to keep their audience entertained and alert at all times. They should also add some humour to the game.

Bingo callers must have a certain type of personality and specific characteristics to be successful. Bingo callers should have a great sense of humour; they should be confident and lively and must have the ability to deal with mishaps. They need a natural stage presence and should be outgoing, but careful not to come across as cocky or arrogant. They have to like working with people and be happy to interact with people from different backgrounds. They should have clear pronunciation and must be able to remain calm under pressure. They need numerical skills and should be observant, reliable and responsible. It is very important that they understand all the rules and working practices relating to the game. Computer literacy is also an advantage for candidates who want to pursue this career.

It is the responsibility of the bingo caller to ensure each game runs smoothly. The bingo caller calls the numbers that are randomly generated by the computer and continuously scan the room for winners. He or she handles winning claims, and needs to be able to fill the gaps between games. The announcer calls on average 15 to 20 games an hour!

Training is very important in this line of work. Many employers have in-house training programmes. Most of the time aspirant callers learn from practical experience under the supervision of experienced bingo callers. It is also important that candidates have played bingo before in order for them to be able to understand the game from the player’s perspective.

Of course being a bingo caller also has its challenges. Sometimes the work requires that they work long hours and long shifts. One of their challenges is to continually add something new and original to their performance. They need to have new jokes handy and it is always important to keep the game as interesting and fun as possible. Bingo callers have to be happy and cheerful all the time, no matter what their personal circumstances are.

But the rewards of being a bingo caller are far better than the challenges. One of the greatest things about being a bingo caller is that they can create the atmosphere, as well as putting smiles on their players’ faces. The greatest reward of all is the salary. A caller can earn up to $10 000 if he or she is experienced!

All candidates need to become a bingo caller is a passion for bingo, a love for people and lots of confidence.

Bestman Speeches asked:


If you are asked to deliver best man speeches, odds may be against you. But, for now your name has been announced and the clapping has begun. All eyes are pointed towards you, with high expectations and hopes of best man speeches. You are the person to whom the next 5-10 minutes belong. There is pressure mounting on you and yet there is an unusual smile on your face. Has this situation happened before? Well, not to worry. These situations will never come again. Best man speeches will become almost natural for you. You will find appreciation and respect everywhere. All thanks to best man speeches websites and tools that you can imbibe while delivering best man speeches. Tackling best man speeches is never difficult. It is only when you master your mind and leave aside your fears that best man speeches will win applause. Best man speeches may not be an everyday phenomenon. However, you can make best man speeches a regular thing with some effort. Here are few tools that you must use while offering best man speeches. Begin smartly The beginning is very important as it gives an impression about you. Best man speeches always have an impressive opening. You don’t wish to embarrass the groom who has chosen you as the best man. Best man speeches are meant to be given in the best possible manner. Offer some personal information Some information on your personality, your interests, your strengths, etc can build rapport with the audience. You should be sincere and can take this opportunity to congratulate the couple. Best man speeches require some genuine enthusiasm and earnest appreciation. Be smooth and relaxed As you go about presenting yourself, be at ease. Begin mechanically and go about the speech mechanically. Best man speeches are delivered smoothly, almost like story telling. This engages the audience well. Maintain eye contact Best man speeches require the speaker to maintain eye contact with the audience. It is only then will the audience look back into your eyes and listen to you. Include Humour and appreciation Humour is the hallmark of best man speeches. Humour attracts people and sends out a message about the good sense in your personality. You must also take this opportunity to appreciate the people who have made the arrangements mentioning their names with the correct pronunciation. Keep it brief Best man speeches involve few well said sensible words. Best man speeches must be brief. The talking must be glib and natural. A genuine smile on the face is a requisite. Don’t drink too much The speaker must ensure that he is not over drunk. Best man speeches can lose their charm if the speaker arrives drunk. The mockery that the speaker will have to face will only embarrass the groom and the relatives. Best man speeches must be delivered in a conscious situation. Hence, you can get a mastery over best man speeches if you are learn how to apply these tools regularly.

Philip Yaffe asked:


by Philip Yaffe

If you can tell a joke well, you already possess many of the skills you need to write a persuasive marketing plan, sales letter, financial report, new product proposal, etc. Equally, you already possess many of the skills you need to prepare persuasive speeches and other types of oral presentations.

Really? Just think about it. A well-constructed joke perfectly fulfills two critical criteria of persuasive communication: clarity and conciseness.

To better understand this, we first need to determine the true meanings of “clarity” and “conciseness”. This can best be done by giving them objective definitions, almost like a mathematical formula.

Clarity

To achieve clarity – i.e. to ensure that virtually everyone will understand what you are saying – you must do three things.

1. Emphasize what is of key importance.

2. De-emphasize what is of secondary importance.

3. Eliminate what is of no importance.

In symbols: CL = EDE

To apply the formula, whenever you write you must first decide what really is of key importance, i.e. what are the fundamental ideas you want your audience to take away from your text or discourse?

This is not always easy to do. It is far simpler to say that everything is of key importance, so you put in everything you have. But there is a dictum that warns: If everything is important, then nothing is. In other words, unless you first do the work of defining what you really want your audience to know, they won’t do it for you. They will simply get lost in your words and either give up or come out the other end not knowing what it is you were trying to say.

What about the second element of the formula, de-emphasize what is of secondary importance? You don’t want key information and ideas to get lost in details. If you clearly emphasize what is of key importance, then whatever is left over is automatically de-emphasized.

Finally, you need to eliminate what is of no importance. Why? Because just as you don’t want your key ideas to get lost in details, you certainly don’t want them to get lost in elements that have no business being there in the first place.

Conciseness

To achieve conciseness, your text or discourse must be as:

1. Long as necessary

2. Short as possible

In symbols: CO = LS

If you have fulfilled the criteria of “clarity” correctly, you already understand “as long as necessary”. It means covering all the ideas of key importance you have identified, and all the ideas of secondary importance needed to support and/or elaborate these key ideas.

Note that nothing is said here about the number of words, because it is irrelevant. If it takes 500 words to be “as long as necessary”, then 500 words must be used. If it takes 1500 words, then this is all right too. The important point is that you actually say everything that really needs to be said.

Then what is meant by “as short as possible”? Once again, this has nothing do to with the number of words. It is useless to say at the beginning, “I must not use more than 300 words on this subject”, because 500 words may be the minimum necessary.

“As short as possible” means staying as close as you can to the minimum. But not because people prefer short texts and presentations; in the abstract the terms “long” and “short” have no meaning. The important point is, all words beyond the minimum tend to reduce clarity.

We should not be rigid about this. If being “as long as necessary” can be done in 500 words and you use 520, this is probably a question of individual style. It does no harm. However, if you use 650 words, it is almost certain that the message will not be completely clear – and your audience will become bored, confused, or lost.

In sum, conciseness means saying what needs to be said in the minimum number of words.

So how does all of this relate to jokes? If a text or oral presentation fails in its purpose, you often don’t know it until a long time later. Feedback is not instantaneous. If you fail with a joke, you know it immediately.

To see how this works in practice, here are two versions of the same joke. Version 1 shows what it would look like by ignoring the formulas for clarity and conciseness; Version 2 shows what it would look like with the formulas properly applied.

But a word of warning. Version 1 may become rather tedious, so if you are inclined to fall asleep while reading it, jump directly to Version 2.

Version 1

Arthur is taking a trip from Dublin to New York. He gets on the plane at Dublin Airport and straps himself into his seat. The plane takes off. About an hour later, the intercom clicks on. A voice is heard saying:

“Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. The weather across the Atlantic is clear and calm. But I have to report to you that there has been a malfunction in our number 1 engine and for safety reasons I will have to shut it down. However, let me assure you that there is nothing to worry about. This is a superbly designed, superbly engineered aircraft and we can easily fly on three engines. But I will need to reduce our air speed and I estimate that we will be about a 30 minutes late arriving in New York.”

After about another hour’s flying time, the sound of the intercom is heard again. Once again, it is the captain.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. The weather across the Atlantic is still clear and calm. However, I must report to you a malfunction in our number 2 engine and for safety reasons I will have to shut it down. But once again let me assure you that there is nothing to worry about. This is a superbly designed, superbly engineered aircraft and we can easily fly on two engines. But once again I will have to reduce our air speed and I estimate that we will be about one-and-a-hours late arriving in New York.”

About an hour later, it happens again. The intercom clicks on and a voice is heard.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. The weather across the Atlantic remains clear and calm. However, I must report to that we now also have a malfunction in our number 3 engine and for safety reasons I will have to shut it down. But again let me assure you that there is nothing to worry about. This is a superbly designed, superbly engineered aircraft and we can easily fly on one engine. But once again I will have to reduce our air speed and I now estimate that we will now be about three hours late arriving in New York.”

At this point, Arthur lets out a groan. “Good grief, I hope the captain doesn’t have to shut down that fourth engine. Otherwise, we could be up here all night!”

Version 2

A plane takes off from Dublin heading to New York. After about an hour, the intercom clicks on and a voice is heard.

“Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. I have to report that due to a malfunction we have lost the use of our number 1 engine. But let me assure you that there is nothing to worry about. This is a superbly designed, superbly engineered aircraft. We can easily fly on three engines. However, I will have to reduce speed and I estimate we will be about 30 minutes late arriving in New York.”

A bit later the intercom again clicks on.

“Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. I have to report that we have also lost use of our number 2 engine. But once again, let me assure you that there is nothing to worry about. This is a superbly designed, superbly engineered aircraft and we can easily fly on two engines. However, I will once again have to reduce speed and I now estimate that we will be about one-and-a-half hours late arriving in New York.”

Another bit more times goes by. Once again the intercom clicks on.

“Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. I have to report that we have now lost use of our number 3 engine. But once again, let me assure you that there is nothing to worry about. This is a superbly designed, superbly engineered aircraft and we can easily fly on one engine. However, I will again have to reduce speed and I estimate that we will now be about three hours late arriving in New York.”

At this point, Arthur lets out a groan. “Good grief, I hope we don’t lose that fourth engine. Otherwise, we could be up here all night!”

Version 1 contains 406 words, while Version 2 contains only 298. And I think you will agree that the second version is much funnier. Why? Because it fully respects the formulas for clarity and conciseness, as all good jokes do.

Here are two more well-constructed stories. They are not jokes of the “ha-ha” variety, but I am certain they will put a smile on your face.

All about Penguins

A little girl goes into a library and asks the librarian, “Do you have any books about penguins?” The librarian goes to the shelves and gives her four or five books, which she sits down to read. A few minutes later, she comes up to the librarian’s desk and returns them. “What’s the matter, honey?” the librarian asks. “Don’t you like these books about penguins?” “Oh no,” the little girl replies. “They’re great books! They’re wonderful books. But . . . well, they just tell me much more about penguins than I really want to know.”

Why Does It Rain?

A little girl (not the same one) asks, “Daddy, why does it rain?” Her father takes her on his knee and explains: “Well, it rains to give water so the grass can grow. And it rains to give water so the flowers can grow. And it rains to give water so the shrubs can grow. And it rains to give water so the trees can grow. Now do you understand why it rains?” “Oh yes, Daddy,” she replies. “But . . . why does it rain on the sidewalk?”

Philip Yaffe is a former reporter/feature writer with The Wall Street Journal and a marketing communication consultant. He currently teaches a course in good writing and good speaking in Brussels, Belgium. His recently published book In the “I” of the Storm: the Simple Secrets of Writing & Speaking (Almost) like a Professional is available from Story Publishers in Ghent, Belgium (storypublishers.be) and Amazon (amazon.com).

For further information, contact:

Philip Yaffe

61, avenue des Noisetiers

B-1170 Brussels, Belgium

Tel : 32 (0)2 660 0405

phil.yaffe@yahoo.com

calrocker asked:

See http://www.nainan.com – Indian Comedian Dan Nainan at Seattle’s Moore Theater – Stand Up Comedy Special for an audience of 1800 – if you like Russell Peters you’ll love this! Check out the Bill Clinton, George Bush, Jesse Jackson and Arnold impressions! 100% Clean Stand Up Comedy! More info about Dan at www.nainan.com

nerris121 asked:


It’s a hilarious scene for Les Miserables (When thenardier steals at the wedding)

The audience will be busting up, and it’s hard not to watch them and not laugh.

Any tips?

Think of something serious? what else?
Thanks!