How to Pick Stand-Up Comedy Topics

If you are the sort of person who likes to make people laugh, performing a stand-up comedy monologue is a great way to express yourself creatively. This article will help you to come up with topics for your monologue.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Pen
• Paper
• Newspapers
• Television
• Access to a comedy club

1. Watch stand-up comedy on television. Attend shows at a local comedy club. Pay attention to the kinds of topics other comedians talk about and which ones seem to get the best reactions.

2. Read newspapers and watch television to see what is happening in the news and in the world of popular culture and entertainment. Recent newsworthy events can spark ideas for jokes, even if the joke itself is not directly related to that event.

3. Decide what type of comedy best suits you. Are you more comfortable doing topical up-to-the-minute humor? Or are you more comfortable doing material that is more timeless? Keep in mind that the topical comedian needs to be constantly updating his monologue and writing new material.

4. Write about what you know. What is important in your life? A new parent will find that their baby can be a source of great ideas. Your job may provide ideas for jokes. In any case, try to find those topics that appeal to the widest possible audience. Jokes about how stupid your computer system is at work probably won’t play well outside of your office, unless you can find a way to relate it to a more general topic.

5. Write about things that make you laugh. If clever word plays tickle your funny bone, find a way to group several of those types of jokes together in a way that flows smoothly.

6. Keep an open mind and an open ear. You never know when something you encounter in your daily life will spark an idea for a joke or a series of jokes. If you really make the effort to look for comedic inspiration in your day, you will find that your mind naturally opens up to it.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep a pen and paper handy so you can write down funny ideas as they occur to you. Keep a pen in your pocket, purse or bag. Keep a pad of paper next to your bed, at work or in the car. Discipline yourself to write the idea down immediately whenever possible. Too often, if you wait to write things down later, you will find that you have forgotten the idea, forgotten part of the idea, or lost the special phrasing you had in your head that really made it funny to you.
• Try to link two different topics together in your monologue in a way that doesn’t appear too forced. You may find that you come up with additional jokes to make the link work.