{"id":18325,"date":"2022-01-28T21:35:55","date_gmt":"2022-01-28T21:35:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stand-upcomedy.com\/?p=18325"},"modified":"2022-01-28T21:37:39","modified_gmt":"2022-01-28T21:37:39","slug":"stand-up-comedy-classes-how-do-i-know-if-a-joke-is-funny","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.thatstudio.net\/stand-upcomedy\/stand-up-comedy-classes-how-do-i-know-if-a-joke-is-funny\/","title":{"rendered":"Stand Up Comedy Classes: How Do I Know if a Joke is Funny?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Stand Up Comedy Classes: How Do I Know if a Joke is Funny?<\/h2>\n

by Greg Dean<\/h4>\n

Every stand up comedian must eventually test new material to find out if a joke gets a laugh or the roar of silence (which can be very loud!) So here are a few things to keep in mind.<\/p>\n

\"Stand<\/p>\n

Make Sure It’s a Joke<\/strong><\/h3>\n

One of the fundamentals that I teach in my stand up comedy classes<\/a> is that a joke has a very specific structure: It must contain two interpretations of one thing at its center or\u2026 it’s not a joke<\/em>. Those aren\u2019t my rules; that’s just how the human mind works.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s amazing how many stand-up comedians don\u2019t know that. Sometimes I\u2019ll drop in and watch a stand-up comedy open mic and I\u2019m noticing, \u201cthat\u2019s not a joke\u201d \u2026 \u201cthat\u2019s not a joke\u201d \u2026 \u201cthat\u2019s a premise\u201d \u2026 \u201cOh, THAT\u2019S a joke!\u201d and sure enough, it gets a laugh.\u00a0 So, the first step in determining if a joke works: Make sure it\u2019s a joke!<\/em> And that includes tags.\u00a0 If they\u2019re not in joke structure, they\u2019re not jokes.<\/p>\n

Trust Yourself.\u00a0 <\/strong><\/h3>\n

If you think it’s funny, then put it out there. If it doesn’t get a laugh, rearrange it, play with it, and keep putting it out there. Because if it has joke structure–and you think it’s funny–there might be some adjustment that can make it work.<\/p>\n

People ask me all the time: \u201cWhat\u2019s funny?\u201d And I absolutely don\u2019t know. Nobody knows!\u00a0 They asked the creators and writer of South Park<\/em>, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, \u201cHow do you know it\u2019s funny?\u201d and they said, \u201cWe don\u2019t know what\u2019s funny. We only know what we<\/em> think<\/em> is funny\u201d. They just write what makes them laugh and a bunch of people love their show, and another bunch of people think they\u2019re Satan.<\/p>\n

So, remember you\u2019re not going to please everybody, and you will<\/em> offend some people if you write and perform jokes. That\u2019s why I never answer the question about whether a joke is funny or not. I’ll tell you whether it’s a well-structured joke, or if it’s well-written because those are the technical aspects I can help you straighten out. But \u201cfunny\u201d comes down to personal opinion. It\u2019s like asking somebody \u201cwhat’s good music?\u201d or \u201cwhat’s good food?\u201d \u2026 by what criteria?<\/p>\n

There are a lot of different answers to those questions and everything is personal.\u00a0 So, first and foremost trust yourself over anyone else.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\"live<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Test Jokes on a Real Audience.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

By \u201creal audience\u201d, I mean a group of people that is actually listening to you. When you go to a new stand-up comedy open mic, evaluate carefully whether people are listening to the stand up comedians on the stage, or if they\u2019re working on their own material or playing on their phones.<\/p>\n

If they are listening, you can get a good read on your material, but if they\u2019re not, just rant, or riff, or do something for yourself because you\u2019ll only get discouraged. When people are paying attention, you can get an honest read, and you\u2019ll know immediately whether the joke gets a laugh or the roar of silence. (If you’re not sure how to go about ranting\/riffing we teach these skills in our stand up comedy classes<\/a> too).<\/p>\n

Do Not Test Your Joke On:<\/strong><\/h3>\n