Gerry Cueto

My latest personal development project is to become funnier. The techniques you’re about to read were done in trial and error with friends, family, and even recording myself analyzing everything that was said. I then came up with techniques that can be implemented further to enhance anyone’s sense of humor.

Joke Saver

This one isn’t a personal favorite of mine but I find it very effective when the joke falls flat. Usually the saying that works for me is, “It was funny if you would have been there.” However, I’ve seen other comedians use stuff like, “Is there anybody there?” or “Does anybody here speak English?” I don’t recommend using too many of these in one session because it could show lack of comedic talent, but it’s a valuable crutch nonetheless.

Wordplay

This technique shows wit, intelligence, and creativity in your joke-telling. For example, “Get a good-reputation mentality”, is a quote I use to remind myself and others that a good reputation comes from how well you view yourself, not necessarily how others view you, but the way it is worded gets a chuckle here and there. Notice that I just used wordplay right now. A chuckle here and there is a lot funnier than just saying something was pretty funny. Work on your day to day vocabulary to get more chuckles out of people.

Paradox (True Lie)

A paradox is a statement that sounds contradictory but there lies a deeper truth within, or vice versa. It also could be the way people interpret the quote. Since a lot of paradoxes are open to the imagination, people will start to get funny images in their heads which the comic may have never intended to provide in the first place.

A couple of days ago a friend told me that if I didn’t convert to Christianity, I’d go to hell and burn for all eternity to which I replied, “No mean thing I could ever do would ever come close to what you’ve just told me,” which at first sounded untrue because he was just spouting mere words at me, but when he finally thought about eternal punishment, he realized the truth behind that paradox.

Another paradox which is open to the imagination is the saying, “Pussies are never funny.” Now you’re probably getting a bunch of different images in your head depending what kind of person you are. Some readers are probably thinking about a woman’s physical vagina while others are thinking about a wimpy male, but the fact is that this statement embodies all of these things.

I don’t really think that wimpy males are funny. Some might argue that point with me, but what makes them seem funny is that funny things like failure always seem to happen to them; life is a grand misfortune for them. They are the obstacle of the humor and are not the humorists themselves.

• Sub-paradox (Paradox of the paradox)

“A vagina never makes me laugh,” is an example of a sub-paradox to the original paradox I previously mentioned. This still leaves a lot of imagery open to the imagination. Some people are again thinking of a literal vagina while others are thinking of an actual woman. I know it’s rare but I’ve heard some strange people call women vaginas… One thing I have noticed though is that the more beautiful a woman is, the less likely she is to make me laugh. I’ve seen crazy, sexy, hot girls tell a great joke on YouTube and not one chuckle from me, yet an ugly guy telling the same joke will have me breaking out in a laughing hysteria. Is this a biological function? I’m consciously trying not to discriminate against the attractive woman, but rather I find myself wanted her to shut up and start posing for the camera. Christopher Hitchens talked about this phenomenon, and I agree with him that the funnier females are not that attractive. They’re probably fat, loud-mouthed, and obnoxious, like the Moniques and the Roseannes.

There’s also something intrinsically funny about faith healers and I think it has to do with the paradoxical rule of comedy where what looks like is being said is the divine Truth of God, but whether you question their authenticity consciously or unconsciously, the end result usually yields laughter.

Self-Analysis (Breaking down the breakdown)

Self-analysis in and of it self is pretty funny. Saying you’re going to break down the breakdown for someone who doesn’t understand the breakdown is pretty hilarious. Hearing an artist come out with a remix of the remix of the remix also leaves a few chuckles here and there. Why remix the remix when there’s already a first remix? I guess the world will never know.

Success, Pause, Failure

If you’re wondering why you’re giggling at this title, it’s probably because it applies the comedic “Rule of Three.” Had I taken out “Pause” and left it as Success vs. Failure, it wouldn’t have been funny at all.

Success, Pause, Failure has to do with getting excited over one’s success, pausing and sarcastically mentioning a failure. It could be about yourself or other people. Here’s one I just made up. “Hey I’m a professional blogger now… Not much has been made though, like 20 bucks or something.”

The Unexpected

The unexpected in general is pretty funny; it’s the core of what comedy is built around. If you don’t have a sense for the unexpected, humor might not be the thing for you… Anyway, here’s an example. Let’s say I’m digging through files thinking of another topic to talk about, “I’m going to find another topic here…” all of a sudden I see a car, freak out, and yell “CAR!” Your mind was heavily concentrated on me finding that other topic, so to introduce the car out of nowhere was pretty funny because it was unexpected. This happens a lot on dates where my girlfriend and I find ourselves laughing at quick, random conversation transitions.

Stereotypes

Stereotyping is another favorite comedic technique I use, and no I don’t mean the positive, affirmative, politically correct new stereotypes you’re supposed to say, but ones that may be a bit more taboo to discuss in public social scenarios. When it’s more taboo to criticize something or make fun of it, it gets more chuckles because it’s not expected of you to do so. Here are some examples; white people who run corporate America aren’t as funny as white folk who like to go huntin’. An African-American running for president is not funny, but picturing an extended black family ordering fried chicken, fruit punch, and cornbread in front of you at the Wendy’s line is hilarious.

Accents and Colloquialisms

When you see a comedian that’s really not supposed to have the accent s/he does but does it really well, you get more than a lot of chuckles here and there. It’s almost like every word that comes out of that person’s mouth is funny. Take Larry the Cable Guy for instance. He’s really from Nebraska yet he does that redneck accent so well that whatever comes out of his mouth is nothing but pure hilarity.

You probably also got a giggle out of “white folk who like to go huntin’,” in the stereotypes section, because goin’ huntin’ is a lot funnier than going hunting.