How to Tell Narrative Jokes
Regardless of your delivery, the story has to be funny in the first place in order to get a laugh.
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Instructions
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Begin the narrative joke by establishing characters and setting, as you would with any story. (Note: In some simpler narrative jokes, setting may be omitted. A joke may begin with "Two guys are talking" as opposed to "Two guys are talking in a bar.")
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Build tension in the joke by placing the characters in absurd situations or giving them absurd dialogue.
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Resolve the tension with a punch line.
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Tips & Warnings
To create a more relaxed atmosphere, tell your narrative joke in present tense rather than past tense ("A guy walks into a bar" rather than "A guy walked into a bar").
When a teller laughs at his or her own joke, the joke loses its effectiveness. This is especially true if the teller laughs before the punch line.
If your punch line relies on a pun, or wordplay, for its humor, emphasize the word or phrase that constitutes the pun by saying it more clearly and loudly than the rest of the punch line.
Before you tell a joke, determine whether anyone present will be offended by it.
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Comments
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Dec 19, 2005
Make sure you've thought through the narrative joke before you start to tell it. Nothing kills a joke more than saying, "Oh, did I mention that the guy is carrying a penguin?" half-way into it. Although, there can be a lot of fun had (if you're the self-deprecating type) in telling a joke badly. You can then redeem yourself and prove your mettle by immediately turning around and telling another narrative joke flawlessly! -
Dec 19, 2005
Make sure you've thought through the narrative joke before you start to tell it. Nothing kills a joke more than saying, "Oh, did I mention that the guy is carrying a penguin?" half-way into it. Although, there can be a lot of fun had (if you're the self-deprecating type) in telling a joke badly. You can then redeem yourself and prove your mettle by immediately turning around and telling another narrative joke flawlessly!
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Nov 22, 2005
Make sure to personalize your jokes. it's much more interesting to hear what happens to you, than for you to tell a generic story about someone you don't know.
