You're with a group of people at a social gathering, or trying to open a speech or presentation, and want to tell a funny anecdote. But you're worried about telling the story so it comes across as funny and entertaining, as opposed to...

Part 1 of 2:

Preparing to Tell the Story

Determine your set up. The set up establishes the premise of the story by providing your audience with the necessary background information and details.

Your set up should be as tight and to the point as possible. It should focus on one theme or idea, as you want the story to be brief, but entertaining and easy to understand.

Figure out your punchline. The punchline or laugh line is the heart of the story. It should lead the audience in one direction and then surprise them by suddenly escalating into a more interesting climax or going off into a completely different direction than was suggested by the set up.

A twist in the story, or element of surprise, usually makes for a good punchline.

Determining your punchline will help you pair down any extra details and tailor the set up so it works up to a big laugh.

EXPERT TIP

"Sometimes it's best to get to your punchline, wait for the big laugh, then cut the lights and end the scene."

Dan Klein

Improvisation Coach Dan Klein is an improvisation expert and coach who teaches at the Stanford University Department of Theater and Performance Studies as well as at Stanford's Graduate School of Business. Dan has been teaching improvisation, creativity, and storytelling to students and organizations around the world for over 20 years. Dan received his BA from Stanford University in 1991.

Dan Klein
Improvisation Coach

Write the story down. 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'.

Practice telling the story in the mirror. Watch your body language as you tell the story. You should be relaxed, friendly, and appear confident.[1]

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.

Try to tell the story like you are telling it to a good friend. Don't be too formal or stiff. 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.

Pause 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.[2]

Add tags to the story. 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 punchlines.

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.

Part 2 of 2:

Telling the Story

Introduce the story. 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…'

Be brief. It's important to get the first laugh as quickly as possible, ideally in the first 30 seconds. 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.[3]

If you can't tell the story in less than thirty seconds, make sure the first thirty seconds and compelling and entertaining.

Be confident. Don't trail off, don't look away from people and don't stutter. Try to relax and tell the story in a casual tone, like you're telling it to a good friend.

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.

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.

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 yourself.[4]

Ideally, you want to leave the audience laughing and wanting more.

Move on if your audience doesn't laugh. Desperation, no matter how smoothly it's presented, is never funny.[5] 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.

Kareem Winters

Update 24 March 2020

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