How to develop your sense of humor to be a good stand-up comedian

All great comedians do one thing well. They tell stories. It doesn’t matter if the stories are true or not. We listen because they make us laugh. If you want to improve at standup comedy, you have to be a good storyteller.

Many times, comedians make up a story just to get to a well-timed punchline. But the real stories are the ones that hit home the best and make people laugh the hardest. Where can you find stories to tell? Take stories from your own life. If something absurd happens to you, make sure to tell it on stage. Or take a story from a friend or relative. At other times, you can take a story from an audience member. Even if something really funny does not happen to you very often, learn how to dress up a real story with a few exaggerated points to make it funny.

If you are trying your hand at standup comedy, no doubt you already have a great sense of humor. How can you develop that skill to become successful in this art form? There are many styles and approaches to standup comedy. Here are five tips to help you keep getting funnier:

Do more stand up
Watch other comics
Try new material
Write a lot
Tell the truth

Getting started as a stand-up comedian is one of the hardest things to do. There is no easy way to get into the business. The only requirement is to be funny. Really funny. Every single time you go out. The more an audience laughs, the more popular you will get as a standup comedian.

Unfortunately, that is a challenge you can’t fully prepare for until you’re on stage. Just because all your friends and family think you’re funny, it doesn’t mean you can do stand-up. But that also doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try. With some natural ability, you can hone your craft and be a good standup comedian.

Five Tips for being a funny stand-up comedian

Do more stand-up

Of course, there are many things you can do to prepare yourself as much as possible to go on stage. One of them is to practice, practice, practice. Many people can make jokes in a small group but freeze up on a stage. Do not let stage-freight steal your charisma. Practice your comedy routine all the time to get to know it well. Also, try practicing in front of a mirror. Practice your hand gestures and body movements to match your material.

We all know that practice makes perfect. With this gig, practicing in the mirror will help but won’t cut it. You actually have to go on stage and try to make people laugh until you get good at it. You’ll probably suck at first, and that’s okay. We all do at the beginning. Getting on stage helps you gauge the energy of the crowd. Which jokes belong in the trash and which ones need a little tweaking? Grab the mic and find out.

Watch other comics

Stealing jokes is bad. It’s frowned upon by both comedians and fans. But you can learn valuable lessons from other comedians about how to work the crowd, different delivery styles, and pacing. As you see more experienced, funnier comedians kill on stage, you will be inspired to work on your skills. It isn’t necessarily the jokes that are funny, but how they are executed.

Try new material

Once you’ve made adjustments to your act and find something that works, you can’t use those same jokes forever. They won’t get laughs forever. You have to stay fresh with new material. Try out new ideas on friends and family. On your next date, use your stand-up material in conversation and see if it gets any laughs. A good comedian takes risks. Try out your jokes on a variety of people before going on stage. That’ll help you get a better idea of what people actually like. Choose the jokes that most people laugh at to present on stage.

Write a lot

Writing jokes should be part of your daily routine. This sharpens your humor skills and helps you explore new territory with your storytelling. Your jokes will become stale and one-dimensional if you have a lackluster writing habit that doesn’t allow you to go beyond the surface of your funny ideas. Keep a notebook close by and write whenever you can.

Tell the truth

All good jokes contain a little bit of truth in them. The truth you decide to tell may be a little inconvenient, embarrassing, or taboo. If you have a good reason for telling it and delivering it well, people will laugh. Your audience is either already thinking the same thing or has their own opinion anyway. So don’t mince words when trying to be funny. It’s funny because it’s true.

Conclusion

Stand-up comedy is a great way to express yourself and make others laugh. You can use some basic tips to improve your natural humor to be a successful stand-up artist. Learn from the greats and practice as much as possible.