Your joke needs at least 2 parts, a setup and punchline. This is joke structure. But what makes a joke very satisfying is attitude. What is it you are really trying to say? Having a clear point-of-view is what helps you create a relationship to your audience. Ideally every joke, or set of jokes about a topic reveals how you the comedian feels about the subject you are talking about. POV is your unique perception of things. By having a clear and perhaps surprising POV on a topic, your set will improve in its originality, and the material becomes more personal to you the comedian. How do you feel about the topic you are talking about? Having strong feelings about something creates energy and excitement. The four easiest attitudes that comedians often take on are weird, scary, hard, stupid.
Here is an example of a joke with just a premise and punchline, but no attitude (POV).
Premise: My smart home thinks it’s so smart…
Punchline: It makes fun of me all the time.
What is the comedian trying to say? Smart homes are weird? Scary? Stupid? Perhaps she thinks that smart homes are actually stupid, or that she is stupid. Are you a Neo-luddite, or a huge tech fan? If the audience can understand your point-of-view, they will usually like your joke better. If they can relate to your POV from their own personal experience, it is an even bigger win. Understanding your point-of-view opens up many more possibilities for improving the joke.
EXERCISE: Try to write as many punchlines as you can for the following premise, that best represents your opinion on the premise. You can use the four attitudes listed above to get you started.
My smart home thinks it’s so smart…
- Weird
- Scary
- Hard
- Stupid