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

About the Author/Founder of The Stand-up Comedy Professional

Steve Roye is the author of the Killer Stand-up Comedy System and author of the content made available in the Comedy Pro Membership Program available on this site.

Over the past decade, Steve has established himself as a leading, globally recognized expert in the field of stand-up comedy material development, delivery and entertainment business strategies for comedy entertainers as well as speaking professionals.

For more information about Steve, please check out the About The Author section on this site.