Number One: Connect the Dots

This trick is a hallmark of any funny story. Connecting the dots means setting up your punch line by referencing important details earlier in the narrative.

Okay, let's say you're telling your friends a story from work. You explain how every morning at 8 o'clock you get your boss the same coffee, an Americano with two sugars. In the two years you've been working for him, you've never once forgotten to leave his coffee sitting on his desk. But this morning, you completely blanked. You see, you made a huge sale the other day, one of the biggest your company has ever seen. But you were so excited, you made a really careless mistake, and if no one catches it, that mistake could cost your company a lot of money.

So when you heard that your boss needed to see you, you were terrified. You were a hundred percent certain that you were about to get fired. So you started prepping your defense. You rehearsed a big speech, printed out stats for every sale that you've ever made. You were ready to fight for your life. So you walked into your boss's office, looked him dead in the eye, and said, "I swear I can do better, just give me another chance." But your boss looked back at you, confused, and said, "Another chance? It's a little late for coffee, don't you think?" In this story, we connected the dots using the first and last lines. The coffee is important for the punch line, so we gave it context earlier in the narrative. That way, people will understand why this story makes sense.

Imagine what it would have sounded like without those first couple of lines. It wouldn't be engaging or funny; it would just be confusing. People who are new to being funny don't realize how big of a role that stories play in comedy. They waste their time looking for some show-stopping punchline that wins over their audience all on its own. But many of the most successful comedians don't need the best punchlines on their own. Their jokes aren't always that funny. If you don't believe me, try retelling a joke from your favorite comedian to your friends. Chances are it won't get the same reaction.

That's because comedians bury their humor within a good story. They create context and connect the dots, and that way, their audience is always in on the joke. You can do the exact same thing. Whether you're talking to two people or 200, a funny story is a funny story. Just make sure you give your audience the tools to understand why.

Number Two: Read the Room

You're standing in your parent's living room. It's your nephew's sixth birthday party, so you're surrounded by family members: aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins, you name it. But you can't stop thinking about a dirty joke that your friend told you last week. You two laughed until your stomachs hurt. So now you're trying to work that joke into the conversation, and you're sure it's going to get a big laugh. But when you finally tell it, everyone just stares at you.

So what happened? Why did your joke work the first time but fall flat the second? It's got nothing to do with the actual joke; it's all about the environment and whether your joke fits in. The standard for what qualifies as funny changes depending on where you are. At work, you make casual jokes about how long the workday feels, and that usually gets a laugh. But over dinner with your friends, that kind of joke really doesn't gain much traction. Instead, you probably joke about things that would be totally inappropriate anywhere else.

So why didn't people laugh at your nephew's party? Because your joke didn't fit that specific environment. Next time, ask yourself what jokes usually get a laugh in this context. Pay attention to the boundaries, figure out what's appropriate and what's not, and that way, you know when to let a joke fly and when to keep your mouth shut.

Number Three: Pace Yourself

Countless great jokes and stories have been ruined by people who don't know how to pace them. You could have the most amazing material, but if you're rushing, well, it's all going to miss the mark. The simple fact is, you need to give your jokes time to settle in. You need to create expectations and set your listeners up for the big reveal, or else no one's going to care.

Pacing yourself means giving your story some room to breathe. Instead of speeding toward the end, just take your time. Linger on the important details, drop in some funny side comments, and don't be afraid to pause for dramatic effect. Pacing takes practice and a lot of confidence, but as you become a better storyteller, you'll learn how to get a laugh out of anyone.

Number Four: Embrace the Unexpected

Most people don't realize how important the element of surprise is in comedy. In fact, humor often comes from turning our expectations upside down. You go into a joke thinking one thing, but then there's a twist. The joke goes a completely different direction, something subverts your expectations in a clever way, and you laugh because you're pleasantly surprised.

But that isn't the only way to embrace the unexpected. Many people sit around waiting for the perfect moment to jump in with a clever line. If they go too early, they're worried it'll sound random and confusing, that people just won't get the joke because it's too off-topic. But nine times out of ten, that perfect moment never comes. But that's a good thing. Funny comments shouldn't be 100% on topic; they shouldn't make total sense. If there's nothing new or unexpected about it, then it's probably not funny; it's just a rehash of something that's already been said. So don't be afraid to go out on a limb.

Number Five: Laugh at Yourself

Professor Robert Provine, an expert on the psychology of humor, said that the most important stimulus of laughter isn't a well-crafted joke; it's the people around you. Laughter is a deeply social phenomenon. In other words, your laughter is usually related to the way other people react. Several studies have found that participants laughed more when they see or hear other people laughing.

Just think about those laugh tracks you hear in the background of most sitcoms. What's the point of hearing other people laugh during the show? Well, it turns out those laugh tracks play a vital role. Not only do they tell you when to laugh, but they also increase the chance that you find something funny. One research study put this to the test. They compared how much people enjoy the TV show with and without the usual laugh track. Sure enough, the background laughter made a huge difference. People got more of the jokes and laughed longer, all because they weren't laughing alone.

But why does social laughter change our behavior? Well, one explanation is that we use laughter as a sign of safety and relief. Let's say you're watching a show where someone slams their head into a wall. Normally, you'd wonder if they were hurt. But when you hear the laugh track, it tells you, "Hey, don't worry." It's an evolutionary sign that everything's okay, and it works the same way for every other kind of comedy. Hearing other people laugh at something pushes you in a positive direction, so use this psychological trick to your advantage. If you laugh at your own jokes, people are more likely to laugh along with you.

Number Six: Learn from the Best and the Worst

Like any skill, you can hone your sense of humor by learning from funny people. Practicing is important, but there are some things you can't understand on your own. You could spend years making the same kind of jokes without realizing what you're doing wrong. So learn from the best. Go see professional comedians in action, figure out what they're doing that you're not, pay attention to the way they hold people's attention, catch them by surprise, and bond with their audience.

After you've learned from the best, go learn from the worst. See some amateur comedians, watch them bomb onstage, and try to figure out what went wrong. Now, you don't have to be a comedian to put these tricks to good use. Anyone can use them to entertain their friends or to make waves at work. Comedy is a pretty universal talent; something funny on stage is usually just as funny off stage. So even if you never want to get behind a microphone, there's a lot you could learn from the people who do.

Number Seven: Fitting Your Style

Imagine you like making complicated and clever jokes. You point out all kinds of obscure and ironic things that most people don't understand. But when people look at you or hear you speak, something just doesn't add up. Your mouth says smarts, but the rest of you reads goofy. In other words, there's a mismatch of styles, which may be the reason that people don't find you very funny.

Comedy relies on the whole package. When you tell a joke, it should make sense coming out of your mouth. For example, if you have a deadpan sense of humor, you shouldn't deliver your jokes with a big smile on your face. You're just going to throw people off. Unless misleading people is part of your shtick, your humor should match your attitude and personality.

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