Being funny equals being the nicest person in the room. I mean, who doesn’t like to be the person who picks up the energy and makes you forget all your worries in an instant, right?
many people are blessed with natural humor; people like you and me need to go the extra mile to stand out from the crowd and be funny in any situation.
You are reading: Books on how to be funny
here are the top 10 books on how to be funny in any situation that worked for me.
1. Are You Talking Funny?: 7 Comedy Habits To Become A Better (And Funnier) Public Speaker
The best way to achieve your goals is to start studying the lives of people who were once in your shoes and are now reaching for the heavens you dream of.
for david nihil, the idea of standing in front of an audience was nothing less than jumping off a cliff into a thorny hole. this fear inevitably required some change.
and so he did. The comedian achieved his goals by posing as “Irish Dave” and attending so many festivals, shows and clubs. therefore, the book is packed with experience-backed techniques and practical methods to instantly boost his mood and help turn any situation into a fun one.
2. tina fey’s bossy pants (2011)
If you find ways to make hard work fun and effortless, look no further than this amazing book by Tine Fey. You can never get close to Tine, but her management and comedy can fill you with strategies and skills that made the book so much fun.
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The book perfectly understands the difference between “wannabe” fun and, in fact, turns any serious moment into fun. Not only that, but constantly interrupting yourself with playful but effective life advice is what made Tina a favorite for many comedy lovers. the more you read it, the more you’ll be exposed to the underlying concepts of what makes someone really funny.
3. step by step to stand-up comedy by greg dean, steve allen
As they say, practice makes perfect. so you’ve read countless comics and you know what people generally refer to as “funny”. however, the most important thing you need to get started are the practical steps and examples that will help you distinguish between good and great humor.
Luckily, if this is what you’re looking for, this book is for you! excels at writing creative material of jokes, essays and gives you enough confidence to make fun of yourself without any hesitation.
4. the humor code: a global search for what makes things funny
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Regardless of what people say is fun, nothing can beat a good social experience that works by trying different methods and finding the reason behind what makes things fun.
In the book, you can read scientists and journalists conducting 19 experiments spanning 5 continents to help you change the way you view humor.
delves into the concepts and practical examples to correctly grasp the idea and decipher the humor code.
5. comic perspectives: the art of stand-up comedy
This book is written for people looking to pursue a career as a comedian. covers a great collection of tips, interviews from the best comedians of all time like roseanne, george wallace and louie anderson.
You get to know the unknown insights behind their humor and lift any situation by being funny. this can help you put yourself in their shoes and gain a “pretentious” confidence, which will inevitably result in you being generally fun and confident in the long run.
6. the joke is yours: how to write comedy
The book covers a clear state and comprehensive guide to writing comedy. By reading this book alone, you can take advantage of a wide variety of funny sketches, jokes, and featurettes that can make you laugh every time you pick it up to read.
On top of that, you make sure you understand everything you’re doing, it’s armed with a full history, and it breaks through the surface layer information to highlight the concepts behind why each of the jokes is considered funny and how you can come naturally. even with funny jokes.
7. the hidden tools of comedy: the serious business of being funny
Where you might see many books that just give you a few good jokes to copy, this book teaches you the art of comedy and proven tips to help translate any idea, discussion, or concept into one that’s fun and light. .
The book reveals the secrets of famous comedians and commercial scripts to bring out the best in you. how does kaplan do that?
shows what works and what doesn’t in popular movies and what you can do to improve or avoid making the same mistakes. The author, Kaplan, encourages his audience to abandon the old strategies of comedy and change his perspective towards a more serious and mechanical understanding of this art.
In the end, you can expect to crack a few jokes here and there and write a successful comedy script to become the nicest person in any room.
8. The Comedy Bible: From Stand-Up to Sitcom: The Comedy Writer’s Ultimate Practical Guide
This book, written by Judy Carter, is about the business of being funny and brightening up a lot of faces using your totally entertaining and humorous tricks. is made specifically for people who prefer to take humor out of their lives and turn it into a full-fledged successful and impactful career.
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Whether it’s a good stand-up comedian or one-line greeting card jokes, you’ll get it all in this comedy bible! Not only that, the author first starts by helping you understand his goals and reflect on what genre of comedy you would like to try that best suits his personality and produces successful results.
9. let’s pretend this never happened by jenny lawson (2012)
The more comedy you read, the more likely you are to naturally adapt to the jokes and tone that make people funny. Therefore, I highly recommend reading books like Let’s Assume This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson, which will keep you laughing with their hilarious stories and jokes.
Best of all, the book is relatively straightforward with the common fears and obstacles of why you’re currently not fun and uses it to give you subtle and impactful ways you can stand out from the crowd.
10. mastering stand-up: the complete guide to becoming a successful comedian
This book is for all comedy beginners. The author has worked with such great comedians as Eddie Izzard, Hannibal Buress, Moms Mabley, and Sara Silverman to develop proven techniques for personally successful stand-up.
5 quick tips on how to be funny as a comedian
1. the easiest way to be funny is to say the opposite of yes/no questions
You can do this when people expect you to say yes (even to rhetorical questions) and you say no. the more obvious your false answer is, the better it will come out. this method is a perfect blend of sarcasm and humor, making people laugh out loud at your joke.
2. start with your life
Who said you have to be a comedian to be the funniest guy in the room? whenever you lack the inspiration to find funny stories, look at your life! nothing is better than making fun of your embarrassing moments and recounting the smallest details, which gives your audience a feeling of openness and humility.
3. tell stories
You don’t necessarily have to memorize jokes to make people laugh. start creating funny images in your audience’s head. however, the secret is in the details. you need to express them in a way as if you were talking to blind people. hand gestures can help here, but the more you express it through words, the more likely people are to imagine the same thing.
4. play with numbers
Your worst nightmare is probably when you go overboard to make things fun and people don’t get it!
I understand; that’s not what you want. so what works for me is that while exaggerating the numbers, I always make sure to add “only” or mention how big the number is.
5. try to raise the energy in the room
The best way to do this is to point out every awkward thing in the room and turn it into a joke. If the host didn’t introduce you to a huge round of applause, now’s the right time to point it out and ask for a round of applause yourself!
Rule #1 for being funny is to never be afraid to act silly. so go ahead and be afraid to say your dumb and embarrassing thoughts, which will resonate with more confident than dumb vibes. you do not believe me? how about you try it yourself?
trust me; it’s going to be hilarious.
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