Choosing & Structuring the Story
Choose a meaningful or transformative story with an unexpected ending. The key to a successful funny story is selecting good material to tell. Worry less about choosing something that’s naturally hysterical and pick something that’s relatable or important to you instead. Any story can be funny depending on how you tell it, so go for something compelling that excites you. For a funny story, you might pick an anecdote about a mistake you made, something that didn’t go as planned, an embarrassing moment, or a big decision you had to make. If you’re struggling to come up with a story, ask yourself questions like “What’s a moment that really sticks with me?” or “When was a time I had a breakthrough moment?”
Determine your setup. The setup establishes the premise of the story by providing your audience with the necessary background information and details. Keep it as tight and to the point as possible and focus on just one theme or idea, as you want the story to be brief, but still entertaining and easy to understand. Most often, you’ll start with a time or place marker. This cues the listener that they’re about to hear a story and starts to paint a picture of the people and environment in it. For example: “A few years ago…” “One time back in 2012…” “I was waiting in line for the ATM when…” Start at the “action” of the story so you don’t waste time describing extraneous details. A full setup might only be a sentence or two: “A few summers ago, I bought a vintage windbreaker with a world map pattern all over the fabric at a thrift shop.”
Expand on your setup to raise the tension or the stakes of the outcome. Heighten the details leading up to the climax of the story to keep your listeners hooked. Often, this means sharing your thoughts or feelings about what’s happening in order to connect with your listeners on a more personal level. This “rising action” is what makes people care about the outcome. Develop the story by sharing relevant details about the things that happen in chronological order, as well as how you felt about them. For example: Setup: “A few summers ago, I bought a vintage windbreaker with a world map pattern all over the fabric.” Rising action: “I told the cashier I couldn’t wait to wear it as I was checking out because I love the print so much. But then, they pointed out that there was an old stain covering up Florida and asked if I still wanted to purchase the jacket.” This rising action shows how invested the storyteller is in this jacket and sets up an obstacle to overcome. The solution to the obstacle is being set up as the punchline of the story.
Figure out your punchline. The punchline or laugh line is the heart of the story. Your setup and rising action lead the audience in one direction, but then your punchline surprises them by suddenly escalating into a more interesting climax or going off into a completely different direction than they were led to expect. Keep it brief and surprising;a twist in the story or element of surprise usually makes for a good punchline. Determining your punchline ahead of time will help you pair down any extra details and tailor the set up so it works up to a big laugh: Setup: “A few summers ago, I bought a vintage windbreaker with a world map pattern all over the fabric.” Rising action: “I told the cashier I couldn’t wait to wear it as I was checking out because I love the print so much. But then, they pointed out that there was an old stain covering up Florida and asked if I still wanted to purchase the jacket.” Punchline: “I said, ‘Of course! I’ve been looking for something to wear to raise awareness about the effects of climate change.’” The listener might expect the teller to not buy the jacket or think of a way to remove the stain. Instead, the punchline goes left and becomes a witty commentary on how rising sea levels may eventually engulf Florida.
Practicing & Revising Your Story
Write the story down and then streamline it. Read your first draft of the story out loud to determine which points are funny and which points in the set up could be tightened or edited out. Remove any extraneous words and only use adjectives when necessary. If you do use adjectives, make them interesting and attention grabbing. Don’t use “big” when you could use “hulking,” “gigantic,” or “astronomical.” When you’re revising, look for things to trim or cut like overly long expositions, details or side-stories that don’t contribute to the main story, and unnecessary words that just add bulk. Typically, you want to provide all of the necessary details to understand your story in as few words as possible.
Practice telling the story in the mirror. Watch your body language as you tell the story and try to appear relaxed, friendly, and confident; it will help ease your listeners and encourage them to laugh! If you are telling a story with different characters, alter and vary your voice to match a character as they talk. Avoid being monotone or mumbling in a low voice. Tell the story like you’re telling it to a good friend and try not to be formal or stiff. Avoid memorizing each word verbatim, as this can come off too rehearsed or canned. It’s important to appear like you believe in the story you are telling. Make it your own and make it believable to your listener. Consider pausing before the punchline to signal to the listener that they should pay attention. This will ensure they hear the punchline and hopefully, be ready for a big laugh.
Consider adding tags to the punchline. Once you have practiced the story a few times, you may start to get comfortable with the material and start to add tags, or additional short punchlines to keep the laughs going. Your tags may build on the original punchline, or they may twist the punchline further into a new, funnier direction. Tags will help you capitalize on the momentum of the original punchline and extend the laugh or create an even bigger laugh, so don’t be afraid to use them. For example: Story: “A few summers ago, I bought a vintage windbreaker with a world map pattern all over the fabric. I told the cashier I couldn’t wait to wear it as I was checking out because I love the print so much. But then, they pointed out that there was an old stain covering up Florida and asked if I still wanted to purchase the jacket. I said, ‘Of course! I’ve been looking for something to wear to raise awareness about the effects of climate change.’” Potential tag: “Unlike Florida, the jacket is waterproof.” Potential tag: “Just wait until you see what I bought to represent the ozone hole!”
Telling the Story
Segue into the story in a natural way. If you are trying to introduce it into an existing conversation among friends, use a short introductory phrase to begin the story, such as “You know, that reminds me of a story…” or “It’s funny you should mention that, just the other day, I was…” Saying “I have a story to tell” may seem forced or make people think you’re about to embark on a long and potentially dry tale.
Be brief. It’s important to get the first laugh as quickly as possible, ideally in the first 30 seconds or less. Otherwise, your listeners may start to tune out. Don’t worry about setting up an elaborate, detailed scene or mentioning what happened the night before unless it’s full of funny details that get to the point. If you can’t tell the story in less than thirty seconds, make sure the first thirty seconds are compelling and entertaining. Remember that stories are about connecting with others, not stealing the spotlight for a minute or two. Keeping the story short and tight helps you connect more effectively.
Be confident. Try not to trail off, look away from people, or stutter. Just relax and tell the story in a casual tone, like you’re telling it to a good friend. To appear more confident, keep your posture open with your arms down, get rid of filler words like “um” or “uh,” and don’t be afraid to pace yourself or pause occasionally instead of rushing through your story. Because you have practiced the story beforehand and gotten used to telling the material well, it should be easy to act like a confident storyteller.
Remember to use your hands and face. Well-timed hand movements and facial expressions can really liven up the details of the story and keep your listener engaged. Use hand gestures to emphasize important details and reflect your feelings towards the story. For example, if you’re exasperated in the story, you might throw your hands up or clap them down at your sides to show irritation. Don’t forget to also vary your voice and pause before the punchline. As in all comedy, timing is very important and will contribute to a good telling.
Make eye contact. Don’t be afraid to look your audience in the eye as you delve into the details of the story. It helps build trust and connection with your listeners while potentially hiding discomfort from your facial expressions. Eye contact also indicates you are confident and comfortable in front of your audience.
Try to end on the biggest laugh. Most listeners will only remember the last part or punchline of a story. If the ending is flat, it will likely ruin the funnier details in the set up. Remember not to laugh too much at yourself, since this can seem forced or awkward. Ideally, you want to leave the audience laughing and wanting more.
Move on if your audience doesn't laugh. Desperation or discomfort, no matter how smoothly it’s presented, is never funny. If your story doesn’t get the big laugh you were hoping for, shrug it off. Wrap up the story with a smile and say something like, “Well, I guess you had to be there” or “I guess it really can't be translated from the original German.” Don’t focus on the story if it doesn’t go over as well as you had hoped. The best way to recover is to laugh at yourself (even if no one else did) and move on to another topic or subject. Don’t feel bad if your story falls flat! Think of it as a learning opportunity to help you tell a good story next time (this is how professional comedians hone their joke and storytelling skills, too).
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