If you can’t find any improv classes in your area, you may be able to take improv clinics online. Improv can also help you get better at listening and working with peers.
If you want to try one-liner jokes, listen to comedians like Mitch Hedberg, Demetri Martin, or Steven Wright. If you want to tell jokes that are more like a story, try listening to Mike Birbiglia, Aziz Ansari, Brian Regan, or John Mulaney. Get inspired by their joke-telling styles—but never copy their actual jokes!
Remember that your goal is to get ideas and inspiration, not to try to copy someone else’s unique style. Richard Pryor might be your favorite comedian of all time, for instance, but that doesn’t mean you should try to be Richard Pryor. Instead, take cues from his style that you can mesh with your own unique comedic voice and stage presence.
Here’s an added bonus: getting in touch with your funny side can have health benefits! Having a good sense of humor can help you deal with feelings of tension, sadness, and frustration.
Don’t discount another key way to reduce anxiety: prepare and practice a lot so you know your material backward and forwards. While some comedians use their apparent (or even real) discomfort onstage as part of their persona, it’s typically much easier to get people to laugh when you look and act at ease on stage.
For example, say you tell a joke that you’re sure is a winner and yet it gets zero laughs during your set. Instead of tossing the joke aside, think about ways you can rework it. Sometimes just a little bit of rephrasing or adjustment in your delivery can make a big difference. So how do you know when you’ve experienced so much failure and rejection that it really is a sign that you aren’t cut out for comedy? That’s all up to you. As long as you still feel the drive to keep at it, you should keep at it!
For example, if you tend to get easily agitated, you might ramp this up and be an “angry” comic in the vein of Lewis Black. Or, if you’re naturally energetic and excitable, you might channel this into your stage presence and delivery style like Eddie Murphy in his younger days.
If you want to do topical humor, watch the news to stay up to date with current events. Don’t consider anything “off-limits” at this point. Once you move from brainstorming joke topics to creating structured jokes, you may decide that some of the material doesn’t suit your comedy persona or goals.
For example, if your topic is about going on a date, you might write down one of your own awkward dating experiences in the style of a joke.
Write multiple punchlines for each joke, then decide which one works best. One-liners have the set-up and punchline in rapid succession, but they can be more difficult to write. For example, take this famous one-liner from Mitch Hedberg: “I like rice. Rice is great when you’re hungry and you want 2,000 of something. ” Sometimes you might find it easier to write the punchline before figuring out the setup.
For example, if your topic is about online dating, this might be your setup: “I downloaded a dating app to give it a try and I didn’t get a single match for 2 months. ” From there, you might tell a joke about making a profile, followed by one about getting your first match, and finish off with one about going on a date with your match.
For example, your first chunk might start with a bit about your frustrations with online dating, move on to a bit about how it was easier to date before cell phones, and finish with a bit on how you ended up in your current relationship. Your subsequent bits might continue on related themes or transition into different territory. If you’re having difficulty creating smooth transitions between your bits and/or chunks, try throwing in a few unrelated one-liners as transition markers. Over time, assemble multiple 5-minute sets that you can put together if you get a 10, 30, or even 60-minute time slot.
If your jokes don’t land while you’re practicing, try revising your word choice to see if your jokes flow better. [15] X Research source If you don’t feel comfortable performing in front of a group of people right away, record yourself as you perform your set in front of a mirror. That way, you can watch the video to see your mannerisms and delivery.
Record your performances so you can look back at your sets to see how they went. You may also be able to upload clips from your set to share with others. Keep telling jokes even if your set isn’t going as well as you’d like. You’ll learn as much from the nights you bomb as from the nights you nail it! Find a comedy club that has a good crowd and that you enjoy performing at to set as a “home base” to try new material. You may need to try multiple clubs before finding one you like.
If you’re performing before a headliner or a comedian with more notoriety than you, ask them about their “home base” clubs and what the submission process is like. They may be able to put in a good word for you if they think you’d be able to perform well there. Don’t arrive just before your set and leave right after—watch, listen, learn, and share with the other comedians.
Reply to other comedians and verified accounts so their followers can see your posts as well.
