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One question that comes up most often when discussing humor is delivery. Delivery could be defined as the ability of the speaker to present the humorous material in the most effective way. How many times have you heard a person tell a long, labored, complicated joke, only to swallow the ending and leave everyone frustrated? You may have heard that anyone can tell a joke. Well, perhaps. But a joke is only the raw material; it must be crafted to fit smoothly into your talk, without telegraphing to your audience that a zinger is on the way. You are not there to tell jokes.
Professional Humorous speakers do not just tell jokes.
They use humor to effectively illustrate their message.
You are likely there to educate and/or entertain. If you are there to educate, a judicious use of humor in your talk will keep the audience with you, always waiting for the next gem. Their attention will be to you and your message. If you are there strictly to entertain, then a string of jokes will not be the way to go either.
How many jokes can you stand at one sitting? If you listen to Dr. Jarvis, you will hear how he smoothly intertwines humorous stories, jokes and other material seamlessly and effortlessly. He is a humorist. His approach to presenting humor however, can provide excellent training for speakers who wish to incorporate humor to make a point during a relatively serious presentation.
A look at the definition of a joke will have direct bearing on your ability to "deliver" humor. Consider the definition: A joke is a brief oral narrative with a climactic humorous twist. Within that simple definition lies two critical points you must know to use humor successfully. First of all, it is BRIEF. Second, it has a climactic twist. For humor to work, it must spring upon the mind in an unexpected way, without a long drawn out set-up. When you incorporate humor into your talk, it should slide in naturally. The setup must be direct and to the point, without too much embellishment. If you throw in all of the bells and whistles, going to extremes to paint the picture, you may telegraph the existence of the humor, thereby reducing its effectiveness. As for the climactic twist, make every effort to put it at the very end of the story.
The closer the twist is to the very end, the more effective the surprise. What you are delivering is the setup of the humor followed by the climactic humorous twist. In today's quick paced environment, people don't like to hear jokes that are too "built up". They like things to be brief, concise and neat. And the same goes for the climactic humorous twist. It must be neat, absolutely clear and sudden. An excellent discussion of the elements of successful delivery is presented in Eastmans, Enjoyment of Laughter. He presents in detail his Ten Commandments of the Comic Arts; all relate to delivery and the type of humor used.
You can improve your delivery through regular practice. One thing you can control is the length of the pause before delivering the punchline. Jack Benny was famous for his ability to use the pause to heighten the impact of the punchline. One of the most common questions asked about humor relates to timing and delivery. Timing can make the difference between a joke that is extremely effective and one that flops. Usually, timing relates to the delivery of the punchline. Jack Benny was a master at timing when he delivered his punchlines. Timing is concerned with the amount of time delay between the end of the setup of the joke and the delivery of a punchline. Too short a time and the impact is lessened by the abrupt end of the joke. It is your task to listen to the delivery of punchlines by professionals and to see how they wait until just the right amount of time has passed before they deliver the punchline. In your practice, notice how you can vary the delay to achieve the most effective results.
To use humor effectively, your materials need to be practiced and perfected. How do you do that? The answer is simple. Once you have found material that looks promising, work on it in your mind. Roll it over. Massage it. Look for ways to make it appear spontaneous. Connect it to the important points of your message, weaving it in as a seamless part of your patter. Make it yours. Earlier I mentioned that long jokes were not appreciated. To clarify, I should say that jokes with too much "hair" are not appreciated. Have you ever heard someone say, "He's carrying it to far"? What is being carried too far? Humorous stories are an exception and Charlie's "The Bird" story is one. He is famous in speaking circles for his delivery of this gem. Not only can you learn delivery by practicing this humorous story, but if done right, you will create gales of hearty laughter in the process. But, if you are going to tell it, be sure you have the time. You can hear it on his "Things are more like they are now than they ever were" cassette tape. This one story is a classic for learning delivery, timing and style.
It has been said that anyone can tell a joke. Mark Twain said, "The humorous story is strictly a work of art -- high and delicate art -- and only and artist can tell it; but no art is necessary in telling the comic and witty story; anybody can do it". Perhaps, but even telling jokes takes some skill. I have heard however, "The Bird" story ruined by several well-meaning speakers. Learn it word for word and practice it so that each separate part generates its own laughter. Pace, intonation, pauses all are critical elements that can be used to make this bird story fly or flop. It is a long humorous story with many details. Don't try it out until you can do it well. Then, tell it as often as possible, practicing your delivery. If you need to illustrate the importance of being detail oriented in customer service, you may find that you can use this in a public speaking situation. But for now, practice this on friends, once you have it down well.
When you present this humorous story, have fun doing it, but be diligent in your observations of the responses of listeners. Every time you present your material, look for ways to improve it. Here is the story, verbatim as spoken by Dr. Jarvis.
(A few notes about the below transcription. When humorous story is told, the phrases such as "he said", "he replied", etc., nearly fade from the verbal presentation. Use of voice and gestures often assists in the presentation, not all of the "he said" and "he replied" items are actually spoken or heard. Dr. Jarvis pointed this out to me recently and suggested we find a better way to indicate who is speaking. Although not perfect, I have tried to differentiate by using ALL CAPS for the buyer and ITALICIZED ALL CAPS for the salesman. Read it through several times to get the feel for the two parts. In addition, each BOLDED line is a point at which Dr. Jarvis increases the humorous impact through vocal emphasis/intonation. The below transcription is verbatim, so everything printed below is spoken...)
The Bird Story
A man just wants to buy a bird. That's all. Goes into a bird store. Hundreds of Birds. Little yellow birds. He's trying to make a wise choice. They all look the same. They are all $4.95. You can tell because there is a little yellow tag hanging from their legs. He's going round. He's going around, trying to make a wise choice, reading all of these tags. Goes over in the corner. $136.50 He goes back up to the proprietor.
YOU TRYING TO PULL A FAST ONE ON ME? TRYING TO MAKE A WISE CHOICE HERE, SELECT A BIRD, THEY ALL LOOK THE SAME. EXCEPT, YOU'VE GOT ONE KINDA HIDDEN BACK OVER THERE IN THE CORNER, MUST BE DIFFERENT BECAUSE HE'S $136.50, NOT $4.95.
The proprietor says,
"YOU'RE PRETTY SHARP AREN'T YOU? YOU DEVIL YOU, I'LL BET IT DIDN'T TAKE YOU 5 MINUTES TO FIND HIM. THAT BIRD IS DIFFERENT. HE NOT ONLY SINGS, HE TALKS."
WELL THAT'S THE ONE I WANT, WRAP HIM UP.
So he takes him home. The next day he brings him back.
HE DIDN'T SING, HE DIDN'T TALK EITHER.
HMMMMM, WELL HE DID DOWN HERE.
HE DIDN'T AT MY HOUSE.
He says, WELL, DID HE PECK ON HIS LITTLE BELL?
He said, BELL?
OH WELL, YOU DIDN'T BUY A BELL, YOU NEED A BELL. THEY NEED MUSIC YOU'VE GOT MUSIC, STEREO, TELEVISION, EVERYTHING ELSE. THEY NEED A BELL, HAPPY BIRD, PECKS ON THE BELL, STARTS SINGING, TALKING.
WELL HOW MUCH IS A BELL?
6 DOLLARS
WELL, THAT MAKES SENSE, I BELIEVE I'LL TAKE A BELL.
He goes home, he comes back the next day, he doesn't bring the bird this time, but he says
THE BIRD DIDN'T SING. HE DIDN'T TALK, HE DID PECK ON HIS BELL.
He said, DID HE CLIMB HIS LITTLE LADDER?
I GUESS I SHOULD HAVE BOUGHT A LADDER.
He said, DON'T BLAME YOURSELF. THAT'S MY BUSINESS. I'M THE SALEPERSON DOWN HERE. I'M SUPPOSED TO OFFER THESE THINGS THAT BENEFIT YOU. OF COURSE THE BIRD NEEDS A LADDER. UP AND DOWN THE LADDER. YOU JOG, YOU GET YOUR EXCERCISE, THE BIRD NEEDS EXERCISE. HEALTHY BIRD, SING, TALK, HAPPY, PECK ON THE BELL.
Well he said, I'VE GOT TO ADMIT, THERE'S A LOT OF LOGIC THERE. HOW MUCH IS A LADDER?
11 DOLLARS
Well he said, ALRIGHT I'M GOING TO TAKE THE LADDER.
He comes back the next day.
HE DIDN'T SING, HE DIDN'T TALK, HE DID PECK ON HIS LITTLE BELL AND HE CLIMBED HIS LITTLE LADDER.
DID HE LOOK IN HIS LITTLE MIRROR?
He said, NOW YOU ARE GOING TO TELL ME I NEED A MIRROR.
NO I'M NOT, YOU'VE GOT A MIRROR. THE BIRD NEEDS A MIRROR. YOU'VE GOT A MIRROR, YOU PREEN IN YOUR MIRROR. THE BIRD WANTS TO PREEN. THE BIRD GETS TO LOOKING IN THAT MIRROR THINKS THERE'S ANOTHER BIRD AND TRIES TO CARRY ON A CONVERSATION, STARTS TALKING.
Well he said, HOW MUCH IS A MIRROR?
16 DOLLARS.
He says, OK BUSTER, I TELL YA, I'M GOING TO SEE THIS THING THROUGH, RIGHT TO THE BITTER END. I'M TAKING A MIRROR.
He comes back the next day. He said, HE DID NOT SING, HE DID NOT TALK, HE DID LOOK IN HIS LITTLE MIRROR, HE CLIMBED HIS LITTLE LADDER AND HE PECKED HIS LITTLE BELL. AND I KNOW BECAUSE I DRAGGED A CHAIR UP THERE, I DIDN'T EVEN GO TO WORK AND I WATCHED HIM ALL DAY.
He said, DID HE SWING ON HIS LITTLE SWING?
He said, GIMME A SWING.
He came back the next day, he said, THE BIRDS DEAD!
THE BIRDS DEAD?
That's what I said, THE BIRDS DEAD, I CAN TELL A LITTLE DEAD BIRD CAN'T I? FEET UP.
WELL, DID HE EVER SING?
NO, BUT YOU WOULD HAVE BEEN PROUD OF THAT BIRD. THIS MORNING WHEN I TOOK HIS COVER OFF HE LOOKED HAPPY AND HEALTHY. HE LOOKED DIRECTLY AT ME AND THEN HE WENT OVER THERE AND PECKED ON THAT LITTLE BELL, HOPPED OVER TO THE LADDER AND WENT ABOUT HALF WAY UP, AND I PUT THE MIRROR ABOUT HALF WAY UP AND I'M NOT SAYING A BIRD CAN SMILE, BUT HE LOOKED LIKE HE DID. WENT ON UP TO THE TOP OF THE LADDER, JUMPED OVER TO THE SWING, HE'S SWINGING, SWINGING, RIGHT BEFORE HE TOPPLED OFF, HE LOOKED AT ME AND SAID, THEY DIDN'T SELL BIRD SEED?.
Now. Think about that humorous story. Look at all of the different humorous points. Write it out word for word. Notice that it is a conversation between two people. It is written to sound like conversation that is spoken, not written. It builds. Each trip back to the store increases the humorous tension building for the punchline, yet each trip has its own opportunities for humor. Make this joke your own. Polish it to perfection; it is a gem that you do not want to squander. Work it through carefully and give it with confidence.
To be continued on Part 5.
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