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The very best stand-up comedy tips on the planet for new comedians!
The very best stand-up comedy tips on the planet for new comedians!
This post is for archived comments that have been moved from other posts.
Last night, I performed my first ever stand up set (5 min). It was a blast. I am enrolled in the KillerStandUp course. I followed the formula outline by Steve. I was pretty scared, but the set went really well. My first joke got a great laugh, then everything else flowed nicely. Regarding timing, I listened to the audience. Practicing doesn’t tell you how long the laughter will go… so I listened. My best laugh came when I said nothing. I just let the look sell the punch line. It was very cool. Today, I listened to the audio. I noticed that I came in a little early a few times (still laughing) and learned that a few punch line left’em silent. Great content though in Killer Stand Up.
You have to be able to find the topic funny. Your unique sense of humor has to see and feel the funny. (Not forced funny; but real funny!) And the audience has to be able to relate to it! I agree wholeheartedly about strange and unusual news. At January’s Island Grind, I did stand-up about one personal issue and three news articles. (Two I didn’t even read the whole article. No need; after reading the headline I was off and running!) Come on, the owner of a Chinese restaurant gets arrested for juggling cats behind his restaurant. The writer of the article talked a lot about animal cruelty charges, but never once asks the hundred thousand dollar question. That is material served up to you on a platter! (No pun intended…platter of Chinese.)
The key is “natural body language.” My son videoed one of my last times doing stand-up and though I did get some laughs, I noticed something. I held the microphone with left hand and my right arm/hand was flaying around so much, I looked like a bird with one bad wing trying to fly! I laughed at it and said, “there’s something I need to work on.” The next time, I held the microphone with my right hand (being right handed). Unfortunately, there was no video. So I don’t know if that solved the problem. But I knew that I needed a body alignment, just like you know when your car needs a tire alignment!