Funny Speeches: Telegraphed Humor

Video Transcript

"Now, something that you don't want to do with regard to humor. I'm going to call this: Don't Telegraph Your Humor. What that means is announcing to your audience (or repeating to your audience, or going over and over again to your audience), 'Hey, I'm going to tell you a really funny story." That's setting you up for failure. You don't have to tell me you're going to tell me a funny joke. Because then that automatically makes me think, 'Well, I might not think it's funny.' Again we jump back to spontaneity. You don't have to let me know that humor is on it's way. Humor just slides right in and fills in that space. I'm talking, (and I'm talking, and I'm talking) and all of a sudden...'Hey by the way you know where spaghetti goes to dance?' 'A meat ball!' I don't have to say, (I'm talking, I'm talking) 'I've got a great joke for you.' You don't need to telegraph it."