One of the most tragic lines I have ever heard a stand-up comedy teacher use with a student was “Your material is great — now all you have to do is make it funny.” I submit to you that it’s hard to learn stand-up comedy using that kind of advice.

That’s like telling someone who wants to play the piano that in order to be great at it, all they have to do is grow another finger.

It’s seems to me that comedians and speaking professionals—both new and experienced — would benefit from understanding at least some of the mechanics that they use automatically to generate laughter during casual conversations. Why?

Because the mechanics for generating laughter are EXACTLY THE SAME whether you are talking to friends, giving a lecture, performing a stand-up comedy act or writing a funny movie. Differences lie primarily in the delivery structure, not in the mechanics of how laughter is generated. Read the rest of this entry

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