Don't Laugh. Please.

If you plan on telling a standard joke, set up and punch line, please, please, please make sure you know the joke. We've all been caught listening to someone as they fumble around trying to remember all the words or the right order of things. I'm talking to those of you who find yourselves floundering every time you try to tell a joke. You know who you are. After you're sure you know the joke, practice. Say it out loud over and over until you can do it in your sleep. Stand in front of a mirror and practice telling it to an "audience." Then try it in a controlled situation with a loved one or close friend who will let you know if it's working. Some people simply can't tell a joke. I'll never forget the evening a friend told a group of us a long, involved joke. She had all the words and didn't fumble, but then at one point she stopped talking. I was wondering whether she needed refreshments or maybe a trip to the bathroom, but she just sat there looking at us. The joke was over. She'd said the punch line and not one of us caught it. She tried again and again, but somehow she just didn't have the ability to tell a joke effectively. But what I really want to talk about is how to make a spur of the moment, off the cuff remark. The most important thing to remember is that you cannot laugh yourself. It takes away the element of surprise. You need to deliver the line as though you really mean it. In fact, the crazier the comment, the more serious you need to sound. This can cause those with an under-developed sense of humor to wonder if you're serious or not, but for everyone else, the surprise adds to the humor. This came naturally to me. I never gave it a thought until the day one of my daughters, in middle school at the time, told me that sometimes I scared her friends. Why? Because I didn't laugh when I was joking. For instance: Friend: "Can you give me a ride home? Me: "Well the car's full, but you can sit on the bumper." Friend stares at me. Me: "I'll be careful." Friend is still staring. Me: "Get in the car, Sally." That was when I started paying attention to what made my favorite comedians and sit-coms funny. Trust me. It works.