How To Tell Jokes

Why did I write this page?
After telling so many jokes, I was asked by a number of people who’d heard similar jokes in past, “Why was it so much funnier when you tell it?” I wanted to share with you all, a great set of ˜how to tell jokes guidelines that, when practiced, can really make your audience laugh large. Whats the Magic? – how to tell jokes
Anyone, even my 90 year old grandmother, can tell a joke that will have people on the floor laughing (preferably not dying laughing as there are not many left from her day)¦ So How To Tell Jokes? The process is simple¦

1) Practice the joke until its as natural as one of your own life experiences

2) Tell the joke with no hint of self-consciousness

3) Start building your skills by telling Story Jokes (the likes of which you will find on our site – look on this page to the right under “Categories of Funny Jokes” to get started)

how to tell jokes

Practice the joke until its as natural as one of your own life experiences
The key here is to tell the joke spontaneously so that people feel you were there when it happened¦ So any chance you get to tell the same joke, tell it¦ even practice it by yourself when and if the spirit moves you.

Tell the joke with no hint of self-consciousness
If you feel natural telling your joke, people listening will also feel natural¦ your audience will feed off your vibes¦ Therefore if it is a crazy joke¦ tell it like a crazy person¦ The more jokes you tell, the more relaxed you will feel, and as people come to expect YOU are the ˜joker in your crowd of friends, they will encourage you to tell jokes¦ THE GOLDEN RULE EVERYONE WANTS TO LAUGH¦ You can get a following¦

Start building your skills by telling Story Jokes

A good story is something we can all tell¦ If you disagree, remember the last time you gossipped about somebody. For example, last time some cRaZy thing happened on the way to work or school, you likely told your friends or family. During that gossip session, you may have felt the urge to embellish or exaggerate to hold their interest and give the story more character. Story jokes (or long jokes) already have character, timing and rhythm built into them, so all you have to do is become comfortable telling the story¦

Pause now and watch this guy do his magic… AMAZING on how to tell jokes

Some Helpful Tips regarding How To Tell Jokes
Try not to memorize and recite jokes word for word Understand the feeling and events of the script and tell the story as you remember it. A little broken telephone never hurt anyone.
Finding the right joke Search through our site and other sites until you find the right type of joke, along with the wording of a joke that will suit your ability to tell a story¦ Also search for a joke you think your audience (friends and family or work mates) would likely laugh at. For example, in a tech job, you find a funny technical joke¦
Pauses at the right moment You will know when¦ Story jokes are usually split into parts or scenes that build it¦ and then comes the finale¦ try pausing and making the right gesture with your face¦ see if it has any effect on the audience¦
Faces Make faces during the joke¦ if some part of the joke you are telling is about a stinky nasty pile of crap¦ then as you tell that part of the joke, bend your face as if you are actually smelling it!
Hand Gestures help create the setting Not to get too crazy with it¦ but if a joke is about Little Johnny in Class, with his teacher and two classmates, imagine them actually sitting in the class – then as your point into the air it’s as if you are actually pointing at them. It will help your audience visualize the way you see the setting. REMEMEBER you are bringing people’s imagination to life, so any prop, gesture or action you can use, will bring a frame of reference to the audience and will enhance the end result.
Timing, character and rhythm Choose a joke that has good timing. If you read it and laugh, then likely you can tell it and get others to laugh¦
Emotion = success Put emotion into the story¦ If the joke setting is about a twitchy guy on the job, then act a little twitchy when you are describing the guy¦
Get in Character If it is a joke about being in a hot air balloon, tell it while visualizing yourself in that balloon. It will really improve your ability, as you will begin to see that your audience can relate much better to you.
Use rural, city, geographical accents (If it is not going to be offensive to your audience note: that can be a fine line, but if done effectively, you can really get a laugh). Stay away from racist or offensive jokes, as they are not the real thing and will not help you progress your skills¦
Embellish, exaggerate Once you get really comfortable on how to tell jokes, then add things here and there¦ Example: exaggerate the emotion on your character by explaining what their face looked like¦ The teacher was annoyed when little Johnny said that thing can become The teacher twisted her head to look at little Johnny, gasping with annoyance.