Always Keep Them Laughing--And Never Let ‘Em See You Sweat!

by Judy Haveson, Vollmer New York City

I really enjoy comedy clubs and watching good stand-up comedians draw in their audiences with their wit and humor through perfectly timed jokes. I also love making others laugh, but I had never seen myself as a stand-up comedian --that is, until I attended a workshop for PR professionals at a comedy club in New York City. The purpose was to help us understand how we could apply stand-up comedy’s tools and concepts to business presentations, new business pitches and daily work.

Everyone in attendance had the same thought: We’ll go to a comedy club, hear a speech on best practices, tips and advice, possibly enjoy a stand-up routine from the speaker, have a light dinner and do some networking. While all of that was definitely on the agenda, the one thing missing was that each of us had to perform a 1-2 minute stand-up routine.

As you can imagine, this was no laughing matter for anyone in the room. We heard a lot of people saying out loud, “We’re in PR; we’re not funny!” What in the world could a bunch of PR people come up with to say that was funny, much less for 1-2 minutes?

Still, the results were shockingly funny.

For reasons unknown to me -- and certainly not because I muttered some sarcasm under my breath about needing a drink that was overheard by the speaker -- I was chosen to go first. The speaker told us that we should think about something that irritated us or a real-life experience others could relate to.

Fortunately for me, I was an early first-time mom at the time and had a world of material in the form of parenthood. I proceeded to get up in front of a room full of my peers, none of whom I knew, and performed a stand-up routine on something that really irritated me -- unsolicited parental advice from total strangers.

I guess I picked a good topic, one that others could relate to, because everyone was laughing. The more they laughed, the more I shared. Of course, I’ll never know if they were laughing with me or at me.The speaker said I appeared as if I had done this before because I didn’t seem nervous and had total control of the room. I told him I had never done this before, and I thought I was going to be sick. Read:I wasn’t going to quit my day job!

There are four basic comedy styles:

Observational comedy – looking at anything and commenting on it. This can be directly related to your persona on stage: ridiculous, silly or interesting.

 Anecdotal humor – storytelling. Not a long story with a laugh at the end, but laughs throughout; usually a true story.

Put-down humor – insult comedy. You have to know your audience and the person you’re insulting -- and the person you’re insulting should know you’re going to do it.

 Gimmicks – using props or outside items to support your act.

Stand-up comedy has many basic concepts and tools that can apply to business activities.Unbeknownst to me, I had used several during my debut, including:

·         Nerves – Use your nerves as energy, and the audience will be able to see your excitement and passion. Nerves cause you to use powers you didn’t think you had and give you the ability to ad lib.

·         Timing – Don’t go too fast or you’ll be over their head, and they’ll miss the point entirely.

·         Holding – Listen to your audience and understand what they’re responding to, so you don’t cut them off.

·         Joyous communications – The practice of sharing gives pleasure, and the audience reacting tells the speaker they get it; rapport is a secret weapon.

·         Emotional fullness – That’s feeling something while you’re speaking. Emotions are attached to everything you say.

·         Set-ups and punch lines – Set-ups are essential information for the audience to understand.Punch lines should be quick and to the point -- a surprise or change in attitude.

·         Truth – Don’t ever set anything up with, “This is a true story…” because the audience assumes you’re telling the truth.

While it might appear that anything goes in stand-up comedy, these concepts and tools actually help most comedians to be funny. It might surprise you to know that many of these same concepts and tools hold true for business settings, too. Of course, there’s   a danger in thinking pure stand-up comedy can be translated to business, especially since not everyone is funny. The point is to identify your comedic style, think about how to apply it to any given situation, and use the rules of engagement to help you be more comfortable in different business settings.

Laughter is one of the greatest releases of tension, and comedy lets people know you’re real and human. Always keep them laughing -- and never let them see you sweat!